At Surrey Choices we are committed to making Surrey a better place to live and work.
We promote our social responsibility and ethical practices in everything that we do.
Community Engagement
We are dedicated to supporting the communities where we live and work. We actively seek out opportunities to engage with local organisations, employers, charities, and community groups, and strive to make a positive impact on the lives of those around us. We work with our partners to create more opportunities for disabled and neurodivergent people to live healthy and independent lives in their communities. The community support enables disabled people to be more connected within their community by:
- Helping individuals to be more independent
- Enabling people to live locally and work close to their homes
- Creating volunteering, work experience and paid work opportunities
- Developing the skills to make and maintain relationships and friendships and enable people to be part of their community
- Enabling individuals to learn and develop skills that help them make plans for the future
- Making sure that no one is left behind and for people to get the specialist services and support they want and need
Supporting Local Charities
Surrey Choices supports and works in partnership with a local charity to make a difference to a cause at the heart of our local community. We do this by awareness raising and fundraising for them. A new charity is chosen each year by our colleagues, customers, families and Carers.
Since 2019 we have supported:
From 2023 – 2025 we have committed to continuing to support a local charity, Surrey Wildlife Trust. Surrey Wildlife Trust are dedicated to the restoration of wildlife and wild places in Surrey. The Trust cares for nature on over 60 reserves and works with others to protect and restore our county’s nature, as well as educating people of all ages about wildlife.
Environmental Commitment
We recognise the importance of protecting our planet and reducing our impact on the environment. Surrey Choices is committed to becoming more sustainable by reducing our carbon footprint, conserving natural resources and promoting sustainable practices. We collaboratively work with our colleagues and disabled and neurodivergent people to continuously reduce our carbon footprint and learn together about how we can make a difference to our environment. As part of our journey to reducing our carbon footprint we have:
- Partnered with Surrey Wildlife Trust to protect and promote the natural environment
- Reduced the use of paper by following ‘digital by default’ principles
- Reduced travel through home working for Corporate, Travel and Employment Teams and hold meetings virtually to reduce commutes
- Reduced the number of customers’ journeys into and from our services
- Installed sustainable heating and electricity, using heat pumps and solar panels in one of our hubs as a pilot with Surrey County Council
- Reduced our buildings’ footprint and associated use of fossil fuels
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
Surrey Choices strives to be an inclusive organisation that reflects the diversity of the communities which we operate within.
We want the people we support, our colleagues, prospective colleagues, and our partners, to experience Surrey Choices as a place that values diversity and takes conscious steps towards inclusion and equality.
As an organisation, we are on a journey of learning. We have already worked together to review our approach in areas such as mental health and wellbeing, menopause and disability, and we know that there is more to do.
For instance, we are conscious that we have not applied our attention to areas such as faith, race, sexuality and gender equality. We are working towards creating an EDI Statement and Action Plan to capture current, planned and additional future initiatives.
Employee Wellbeing
We value our employees and recognise that their wellbeing is essential to the success of our business. We will promote a positive and healthy work environment, offer benefits, and invest in training and development opportunities to support the growth and development of our team.
Co-production with disabled people
Surrey Choices puts the people we support at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to making decisions and planning care and support with people who use our services and their support networks. This includes making decisions about how Surrey Choices runs each day and our plans for the future through our advocacy and speaking up groups.