Can you and your team take the pledge?

We are encouraging local organisations to implement the pledge by taking actions that demonstrate a commitment to working towards a poverty-free Surrey. We suggest that organisations choose at least ONE action in each of the key themes

Leadership: Providing strong and visible organisational leadership to improve the lives of people in financial hardship and support efforts to reduce poverty across Surrey

• If you employ your own staff, then consider becoming a Living Wage Employer and think about how you could develop the skills and improve the job security of your employees. More information
•  Provide training to your staff and volunteers to raise awareness of poverty, so they are better equipped to help those who may be struggling. Here is a staff training video put together by the Poverty Truth Commission in Leeds designed to help service providers with customer interactions.
• Advocate for  changes to the benefits system by supporting the Trussell Trust and Joseph Rowntree Foundation Essentials Guarantee campaign to ensure the basic rate of Universal Credit is sufficient to cover the cost of essentials like food and household bills.

Culture: Raising awareness and understanding of poverty within your organisation, so that people in financial hardship are treated with dignity and compassion

• Ensure that everyone is made to feel welcome and that service users are treated with dignity and respect, whatever their financial circumstances.
• Start by focusing on people’s strengths, not their needs or problems, working with them to offer personalised and holistic support. More information
• Clearly communicate the full range of support people are entitled to, and make sure they can access this support in different ways.
• Find out about and signpost or refer people to other local services that may be able to offer additional support, if required. More information or build a relationship with a few local services that are able to offer additional support and understand how best to connect people into these services.

Accountability: Monitoring the impact of your services on those experiencing financial hardship and sharing good practice with other local organisations.

• Collect and share data on the socio-economic characteristics of your service users and use this as a tool to monitor outcomes for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.
• For larger organisations: conduct meaningful poverty impact assessments to understand the consequences on poverty and inequality of significant new policies and practices. 
• For smaller organisations: consider the impact of any new projects or initiatives on people in or at risk of poverty, and think about how you could adapt them to better meet their needs.
• Involve those with a lived experience of poverty in offering feedback on your services and co-producing future strategies and policies. More information