As the leaders of two large child and family services organizations in WNY, we acknowledge the profound impact systemic racism and other biases have on the mental health, education, and child welfare systems resulting in disparate treatment and outcomes for youth and families of color and other marginalized groups. We have committed to examining our organization's role in perpetuating these disparities and our responsibility to take action.

In 2021, we hired a Diversity Officer and developed a DEi strategic work plan that focused on three areas.

The first area addressed service delivery, which included financially supporting staff training in areas such as cultural humility and engaging marginalized populations in services. We also invited community partners such as members of the Native American Tonawanda Seneca Turtle Clan and Gay Lesbian Alliance to do presentations for staff and youth. We also introduced an expanded client demographics form to capture the full diversity of the people we serve. Finally, we provided extensive training for staff on Restorative Practices and encouraged Restorative Circles, which proved essential during the time of the racially driven mass shooting at the Buffalo supermarket on May 14, 2022.

The second area of our DEi Workplan focused on staff recruitment. We adopted some equitable hiring practices, such as revising our job descriptions to educational requirements and emphasizing life experience as a significant advantage . We also expanded our
advertising of job openings to include diversity-focused employment sites. Furthermore, leadership staff were financially supported to participate in Cornell University's continuing education series, Adopting Equitable Hiring Practices.

The third area of our DEi Workplan focused on community advocacy and collaboration. Our organizations joined the Buffalo-Niagara Partnership, a coalition oflocal businesses whose efforts have focused on promoting DEIJ in the workplace. We also supported staff to altend a national conference with Social Current, a national alliance of social sector organizations, to engage in educational sessions focused on advancing DEi efforts. 

Now after two almost two years of implementing the DEi work plan, we want to do more--we must do more. We are committed to being more intentional in recruiting diversity among agency leadership even if it means holding positions open longer. We are committed to requiring equitable hiring practices from every department, even if it takes more time and resources. We are committed to requiring staff to take implicit bias assessments and training every year, starting at new hire orientation. We are committed to reviewing all our personnel policies, benefits, and facilities through a DEi lens and giving all staff a voice in how we can continuously be inclusive. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure the values and practices of DEi are embedded into every part of the organization.