What Canadian Mothercraft Society learned from implementing a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plan across their organization

Implementing a comprehensive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) plan across a large organisation is a significant undertaking. Canadian Mothercraft Society, one of Canada's oldest and most respected child and family service organisations, has been on this journey — and they've learned a great deal along the way.

Here are some of the key learnings they've shared from their experience.

Start with listening

Before developing any policies or programs, Canadian Mothercraft Society invested significant time in listening — to their staff, to the families they serve, and to the communities they work within. This listening process revealed perspectives and experiences that leadership hadn't fully appreciated, and shaped the direction of their DEI work in important ways.

'You can't develop a meaningful DEI plan without genuinely understanding the experiences of the people you're trying to support,' said one leader. 'Listening first — really listening — was the most important thing we did.'

Expect discomfort — and lean into it

DEI work requires honest conversations about power, privilege, and inequity — conversations that can be uncomfortable for everyone involved. Canadian Mothercraft Society learned to lean into this discomfort, rather than avoiding it.

'We had to be willing to sit with discomfort,' said one team member. 'To acknowledge where we had fallen short, and to commit to doing better. That's not easy, but it's necessary.'

Centre the people most affected

Effective DEI work centres the experiences and perspectives of the people most affected by inequity. Canadian Mothercraft Society made deliberate efforts to involve staff and families from marginalised communities in the design and implementation of their DEI plan — not just as recipients of the plan, but as co-designers.

Build DEI into systems and structures — not just culture

Cultural change is important, but it's not enough on its own. Canadian Mothercraft Society found that lasting change required embedding DEI principles into their organisational systems and structures — including hiring practices, performance management, policy development, and resource allocation.

Be patient — and persistent

DEI work is a long-term commitment, not a project with a start and end date. Canadian Mothercraft Society has learned to be patient — to celebrate progress without declaring victory, and to keep pushing forward even when progress feels slow.

'This work doesn't end,' said one leader. 'But that's okay. It's too important to ever stop.'