Key Takeaways - Establishing a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Working Group

CNAR’s March 2025 UnLearn & Learn Session

From Concept to Action: Establishing a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Working Group

Session held on March 5, 2025

Key Takeaways

 Below are some key takeaways that emerged from CNAR’s UnLearn & Learn Session ‘From Concept to Action: Establishing a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Working Group’ held on March 5, 2025. This session explored a lived story of how an advisory group was established and supported; the takeaways below are intended not to be read as a guidebook, but to share some of the learnings from this unique journey.

Thank you to Deborah Adams, Registrar & CEO, College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario and Darcy Belisle, Lawyer and DEI Consultant, Decibel DEI Consulting for sharing their journey with us.

●       Identify and recognize need: The first step is recognizing regulators’ responsibility to meaningfully include perspectives of equity-deserving communities in regulatory decision-making. One initiative that can add substance to this recognition is the establishment of a DEI advisory group. Advisory groups can drive more equitable regulatory practices and simultaneously address systemic inequities, contributing to fairer outcomes.

●       Make a commitment for long-term success and impact: A foundational investment in DEI - people, financial resources, and clear, lasting mandates from leaders - is crucial for long-term sustainability. Take stock of your college’s state of readiness and seek guidance on how to safely proceed before jumping ahead to recruitment. Acting too quickly can create barriers to trust with and do harm to equity-deserving communities as well as seriously damage the reputation of your college.

●       Integrate a preliminary, exploratory phase and adapt to member feedback: An exploratory phase could bring together board, committee, staff, registrants, public members, and others. It focuses on setting the strong conditions for the establishment of a long-lasting DEI advisory group. Emphasize flexibility in the process, allowing for the organic development of the exploratory group’s structure. Based on member feedback, consider opportunities to make tangible advances. One opportunity that members may endorse is the development of terms of reference. For both the exploratory group and a longer-term advisory group, terms of reference can be useful in setting out their critical goals, composition, scope, and governance structure.

●       Recruitment with intention: Recruitment can be informed by the exploratory phase. When ready to start planning a recruitment process for a DEI working group, engage a DEI lens and remember that terms of reference can help to refocus the goals of recruitment. Be flexible with forms of submission, using a variety of channels such as email, video submissions, written forms and letters, and phone and in-person interviews. Also, be aware that requirements like previous experience as a board member can be a barrier to many potential members. Engaging a recruitment matrix, standardized processes, and objective screening tactics promote fair recruitment. Clearly name the equity deserving communities that should be included: A DEI advisory group should intentionally be diverse to ensure a broad range of voices are included.

●       Welcome and onboard the DEI Advisory Group: Adjust onboarding approaches to ensure new members feel included, understand the regulatory context, and are able to bring their voices to discussion of regulatory affairs. Support advisory group members’ agency: create safer space by encouraging members to self-select leadership roles, choose a name for the group, and set their own pacing for meetings.

●       Support accountability and continuous learning: Clear expectations, transparent communication, and continuous education are integral to ensuring a DEI working group’s effectiveness. Consider opportunities to facilitate connections between the advisory group and standing committees, Council, staff, and other system partners (e.g. encourage to attend committee meetings, share Council meeting livestream information, invite to be part of task forces and other relevant initiatives).

●       Foster growth and broader impact: A DEI advisory group’s progress can drive organization-wide change. For example, a DEI advisory group may inspire staff to establish a DEI committee to engage in continuous learning and dialogue around DEI principles and practices. Stay open to reasonable possibilities for deeper impacts across your college.

To learn more about the CRPO’s journey to establish a DEI working group, see the presentation slides posted under the ‘Resources’ tab in CNAR’s member Portal here.

If you’d like to continue the conversation or have any questions, you can reach Darcy Belisle at decibel.consulting@outlook.com or visit https://tinyurl.com/DecibelDEI.