The equalities and diversity workstream is managed by the Women’s Resource Centre through the National Equality Partnership. All employees are based at and managed within WRC’s staffing structure.
All the partners are part of the steering group of the project and are jointly responsible for the strategic direction and delivery of the programme. Partners may also be directly responsible for some aspects of delivery as agreed by the steering group. The National Equality Partnership is also advised by a reference group encompassing many equalities groups and also the human rights sector across all English regions.
Target of Support
The main audiences are:
- Equalities support providers, i.e. specialist organisations that support third sector organisations run by and for people who experience abuse and discrimination
- Generalist support providers, e.g. Council for Voluntary Service (CVS), rural community councils, regional and national umbrella bodies, as well as sector-specific organisations such as umbrella bodies for advice, health, the housing sector etc
- Equalities networks, i.e. networks or forums bringing together different equalities groups
- ChangeUp consortia
- Capacitybuilders, government and other key decision makers.
NewsSupporting Equality Groups: An overview of support to the diverse third sector in EnglandThe National Equality Partnership has published a report that maps the different equalities groups in the third sector in England, their support needs, and how those needs are being met. The report captures the value of a specialist perspective in the third sector and the deeper understanding of discrimination that the diverse equalities sectors offer. It also showcases the existing good practice of local generic infrastructure organisations in incorporating equality and diversity in their work. Challenges and opportunities identified will inform the work of the National Equality Partnership in strengthening the voice of the sector; fostering equalities networks to increase outreach to marginalised communities; promoting the flexibility of public sector and generalist third sector organisations’ services to equalities groups; and supporting partnerships between equalities and generic organisations. For a copy of ‘Supporting Equality Groups’ please contact the equality and diversity workstream on T: 020 7324 3048. Scoping for a skills framework for Equalities Specialist Infrastructure WorkersThe National Equality Partnership has published the results of a scoping exercise of the skills, knowledge and experience needed by specialist equalities support workers, led by the Consortium of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Voluntary and Community Organisations. The Consortium had identified a lack of guidance in this field. Twenty-one support provider (infrastructure) agencies were consulted, and existing examples of frameworks that could prove useful were identified. The report concludes that there are specific areas of knowledge, understanding, skills and experience that are unique to equalities support (infrastructure) work. These could be developed into a practical tool that could assist the recruitment and the development of specialist staff. For a copy of ‘Scoping for a skills framework for Equalities Specialist Support Workers’ contact the equality and diversity workstream on T: 020 7324 3048. |
Mission
The vision is a world in which people who experience discrimination and abuse are empowered to develop their own solutions to address inequality and where equalities organisations run by and for marginalised people are valued and held in high esteem. The programme will help generalist and equalities support providers to value and respect each other’s work and collaborate, on an equal basis, to support diverse frontline organisations.
Aims
- To improve support to frontline equalities organisations run by and for people who experience discrimination and abuse, by supporting equality networks and increasing collaboration between equalities and generalist support providers.
- To improve support providers’ abilities to support all frontline organisations on equality, diversity and human rights issues.
Activities
Working to address the marginalisation within the third sector of organisations run by and for people who experience discrimination and abuse. By working closely with people who have direct experience of the issues, all organisations will be able to address equality and diversity and improve their services and impact. There is excellent work on equality in the sector, but it can be patchy and disparate. We will help support providers and their networks to work together so that expertise is shared and long-term partnerships are formed.
The main activities in the first year of the programme will be to:
- Map the activities and needs of equalities support providers and networks and involve them in developing services
- Involve equalities organisations in the government’s consultation on cohesion guidance for funders
- Develop learning events and disseminate best practice on pan-equality networks
- Pilot and cascade peer learning equality audits
- Deliver bespoke and open training on equality, diversity and human rights for development workers through SKiLD
- Increase access to information on equality, diversity and human rights in the voluntary sector, by developing referral mechanisms between equality and generalist support providers, and by creating an online database of stakeholders in the equality, diversity and human rights field and a database of useful resources for the third sector
- Advise Capacitybuilders and other Improving support workstreams on equality, diversity and human rights.
Contacts
Head of National Equality Partnership
Isabel Livingstone
020 7324 3037
Isabel@wrc.org.uk
Central email address for enquiries - equality@wrc.org.uk.
Postal address
National Equality Partnership
Women’s Resource Centre
Ground Floor East, 33-41 Dallington Street
London EC1V 0BB
