CSRA hosts its biggest conference ever
Here's what happened at our most recent, and biggest ever, annual conference
Last Thursday, we hosted our regular conference for LGBT civil servants. The conference was at the BEIS Conference Centre in central London. More than 200 civil servants representing representing over 40 government departments and agencies attended the event.
Speakers and workshops
Throughout the day, we heard from 4 fantastic keynote speakers: Sue Owen, Permanent Secretary for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Civil Service Diversity Champion; Caroline Dinenage MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Women, Equalities and Early Years; Paul Twocock, Director of Campaigns, Policy and Research; and Monty Moncrieff, Chief Executive of London Friend.
Sue Owen spoke about the progress the Civil Service is making on diversity and inclusion, and the future plans for updating the Talent Action Plan.
"Diversity and inclusion is more than the right thing to do. It is also good for business" by Sue Owen #CSRATalks pic.twitter.com/JT3t3EO2GB
— Luis Guerra (@LguerraC) February 23, 2017
Caroline Dinenage MP spoke to delegates about the important role played by the Government Equalities Office, and the proud record of successive governments in furthering the rights of LGBT people.
.@cj_dinenage at #CSRAtalks highlighting the journey we’ve been on and how far we have to go too. pic.twitter.com/sJaeSS82qY
— CSRA (@UKCSRA) February 23, 2017
.@cj_dinenage “in uncertain times, we are desperately commited to maintaining the protections LGBT people have” #CSRAtalks @WomenEqualities
— CSRA (@UKCSRA) February 23, 2017
Paul Twocock reflected on the turbulent political events in 2017, and how we can’t take progress on equalities for granted.
.@PaulTwocock: “2016 has shaken our view of the world for many of us, and the things we took for granted” #CSRA
— CSRA (@UKCSRA) February 23, 2017
Monty Moncrieff spoke about the user needs LGBT people have, from the perspective of an LGBT services provider.
“… 3. Speak to stakeholders early
— CSRA (@UKCSRA) February 23, 2017
4. Help local government understand too
5. Volunteer!“ #CSRAtalks https://t.co/0Rt0ZfaheL
Great to speak to @UKCSRA Civil Service #LGBT staff conference on the support needs of #LGBT people on behalf of @lgbtfriend #CSRAtalks
— Monty Moncrieff (@MontyMoncrieff) February 23, 2017
We also had a range of workshops from experts across government throughout the day. The workshops covered themes including LGBT hate crime and safety, government equalities policy, mental health, role modelling and more.
Great conversations around better support 4 #LGBT communities inside and outside #civilservice. Thank you for the opportunity @UKCSRA pic.twitter.com/2kYGUvNT7m
— Luis Guerra (@LguerraC) February 23, 2017
Really informative session on equalities policy with @RebeccaJeffree from @WomenEqualities at @UKCSRA conference 🌈 pic.twitter.com/3BJLQGf6ph
— Eve Fensome (@EveFensome) February 23, 2017
We also hosted a panel discussion, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in England and Wales.
Wow, fantastic panel discussion with @OllieEntwistle @EmilyHMiles @pcpcuk at @UKCSRA conference #CSRAtalks thank you all pic.twitter.com/Tl8TulCEvL
— Keela Shackell-Smith (@KeelaShackell) February 23, 2017
Recognising Impact
We also announced our intention to create a Civil Service LGBT Impact Index, celebrating the achievements and contributions of civil servants and teams on LGBT equality.
Nominations will open later in March, and we’ll be hosting an awards evening in September. Look out for more details soon.
Annual Report
We provided our annual report at the Conference too. It was in video form, so we can share it with you now too.
See you next time
We hope you enjoyed the conference. Let us know your thoughts and feedback: email us at info@ukcsra.com.