Civil Service LGBT+ Network Business Plan: 2018 to 2020
This is our plan for delivering our work over the next two years.
Introduction
The Civil Service LGBT+ Network helps to create a more diverse, inclusive and equal place to work for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT+) civil servants. We represent the interests of an estimated 20,000 LGBT+ people working in the UK Civil Service.
This is our business plan for 2018 to 2020. It explains the most significant work we will do over the next two years.
We will publish an update to this plan every six months. It will explain the progress we have made against objectives and targets in this plan.
Our work helps us deliver against our four priorities:
building strong and stable networks: providing support and assurance for local networks, so that every civil servant can access a locally based LGBT+ network
- creating a diverse and inclusive community: doing more to actively engage under-represented groups within the LGBT+ community, such as bisexual staff and women, and working on issues faced by people with multiple protected characteristics
- having a national impact: ensuring that our activities are nationally inclusive and regionally based, and that people feel connected to a community regardless of where they live
- understanding and representing your needs: ensuring that all our work is evidence based and that we accurately represent the views of our members to stakeholders, challenging discrimination, and promoting awareness of LGBT+ issues
Our plan
Strong and stable networks
To support the development of strong and stable networks, over the next two years we will:
- establish a Heads of Networks Forum to guide our work and share best practice
- develop and share best practice policies and guidance that can be used across departments so that networks can use these to internally influence their stakeholders to improve departmental policies and processes
- support departments with the completion of the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index by producing guidance on building inclusive departments and a toolkit to support submissions
Diverse and inclusive community
To create a diverse and inclusive community, in the next two years we will:
- take part in at least 3 Pride events each year and monitor the diversity of those taking part
- create a new community space for bisexual civil servants and implement the recommendations from our bisexuality consultation last year
- establish a new LGBT+ and faith project to understand the needs and experiences of LGBT+ people who are also part of a religious community
- establish a national LGBT+ allies programme to help networks engage allies in their departments
- establish joint projects with other cross-government networks to explicitly highlight intersectionality of these groups
- run regular campaigns highlighting less visible communities within the LGBT+ population such as LGBT+ women, transgender people, and LGBT+ people who are black or have a minority ethnicity
National reach
To ensure that we have a national reach that supports civil servants wherever they live, we will:
- pilot an online space for LGBT+ civil servants to network helping LGBT+ staff to connect with others in their local area, even when they can’t physically meet
- support local organisers by creating re-usable toolkits to help anyone set up events or activities in their local area
- pilot a national LGBT+ mentoring scheme for LGBT+ civil servants looking for a mentor
- establish more networking and social events outside London
Understanding and representing your needs
To ensure we understand and represent your needs, we are going to:
- advocate for standardised sexual orientation and gender identity monitoring in Civil Service systems and processes so that we better understand the needs and experiences of LGBT+ civil servants compared with other civil servants
- ensure networks have access to the main findings of the Civil Service People Survey results for LGBT+ staff and how their own departments compare with others across government
Help us deliver this plan
We need volunteers to help us deliver this plan. You can use your volunteer days or support our network using as your “corporate contribution”. All our current volunteering opportunities are listed on this website. If you’d like to get involved, or you have a question, please contact us.
Timetable and milestones
Heads of Networks forum
Form a Heads of Networks Forum to guide our work and share best practice
-
Complete
Hold first Leaders of Networks Forum
January 2019
-
Complete
Hold Leaders of Networks Forum each quarter
March 2020
Policy advice and guidance
Develop and share best practice policies and guidance that can be used across departments so that networks can use these to internally influence their stakeholders to improve departmental policies and processes
-
Complete
Establish a policy team
-
In progress
Publish guidance documents (partially met)
-
Complete
Represent the network in the Sue Owen bullying, harassment and misconduct review
Stonewall Workplace Equality Index
Support departments with the completion of the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index by producing guidance on building inclusive departments and a toolkit to support submissions
-
Complete
Establish a team
-
In progress
Publish guidance documents
-
Complete
Highlight successful departments in the 2018 Workplace Equality Index
January 2018
-
Complete
Highlight successful departments in the 2019 Workplace Equality Index
January 2019
Civil Service Pride
Take part in at least 3 Pride events each year and monitor the diversity of those taking part
-
Complete
Announce plans for Pride 2018
March 2018
-
Complete
Take part in Edinburgh Pride 2018
June 2018
-
Complete
Take part in London Pride 2018
July 2018
-
Complete
Take part in Glasgow Pride 2018
July 2018
-
Complete
Take part in Beflast Pride 2018
August 2018
-
Complete
Take part in Pride Cymru, Cardiff 2018
2018-25-08T00:00:00.00Z
-
Complete
Announce plans for Pride 2018
March 2019
-
Complete
Take part in Edinburgh Pride 2019
June 2019
-
Complete
Take part in London Pride 2019
July 2019
-
Complete
Take part in Northern Pride, Newcastle 2019
July 2019
-
Complete
Take part in Belfast Pride 2019
August 2019
-
Complete
Take part in Pride Cymru, Cardiff 2019
August 2019
-
Complete
Take part in Preston Pride 2019
September 2019
Bi inclusion
Create a new community space for bisexual civil servants and implement the recommendations from our bisexuality consultation
-
Complete
Publish a factsheet on the experiences of bisexual civil servants
May 2018
-
Complete
Establish a team
July 2018
-
Complete
Hold the first BiSpace event for bisexual civil servants
October 2018
Faith project
Establish a new LGBT+ and faith project
-
In progress
Establish a team
Allies
Establish a national LGBT+ allies programme to help networks engage allies in their departments
-
Complete
Establish a team
-
Complete
Hold the first Civil Service Allies Week in 2018
October 2018
-
In progress
Hold Civil Service Allies Week in 2019
October 2019
Intersectionality
Establish joint projects with other cross-government networks to explicitly highlight intersectionality of these groups
-
In progress
Establish a team
Communications campaigns
Run regular campaigns highlighting less visible communities within the LGBT+ population such as LGBT+ women, transgender people, and LGBT+ people who are black or have a minority ethnicity
-
Complete
Highlight International Transgender Day of Visibility 2018
March 2018
-
Complete
Highlight the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia 2018
May 2018
-
Complete
Highlight Bi Visibility Day 2018
September 2018
-
Complete
Highlight Transgender Day of Rememberance 2018
November 2018
-
Complete
Highlight LGBT History Month 2019
February 2019
-
Complete
Highlight International Transgender Day of Visibility 2019
March 2019
-
Complete
Highlight the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia 2019
May 2019
-
Complete
Highlight Bi Visibility Day 2019
September 2019
-
Complete
Highlight Transgender Day of Rememberance 2019
November 2019
-
In progress
Highlight LGBT History Month 2020
February 2020
-
Complete
Establish a team
March 2020
-
In progress
Produce comms campaign resources for use by departments
March 2020
Online space for LGBT+ civil servants
Pilot an online space for LGBT+ civil servants to network helping LGBT+ staff to connect with others in their local area, even when they can’t physically meet
-
In progress
Establish a team
Toolkits
Support local organisers by creating re-usable toolkits to help anyone set up events or activities in their local area
-
In progress
Produce toolkits
March 2020
Mentoring
Pilot a national LGBT+ mentoring scheme for LGBT+ civil servants looking for a mentor
-
In progress
Establish a team
Regional events and socials
Establish more networking and social events outside London
-
Complete
Establish a network of regional organisers, focused on city hub areas
June 2018
-
Complete
Establish monthly socials in at least 2 locatons outside of London
March 2020
-
Complete
Continue to organise monthly socials in London
March 2020
Monitoring
Advocate for standardised sexual orientation and gender identity monitoring in Civil Service systems and processes so that we better understand the needs and experiences of LGBT+ civil servants compared with other civil servants
-
Complete
Work with Civil Service HR, Civil Service Analytics and Insight, and the Office of National Statistics to develop Civil Service People Survey questions relating to LGBT+ identities
March 2020
Civil Service People Survey
Ensure networks have access to the main findings of the Civil Service People Survey results for LGBT+ staff and how their own departments compare with others across government
-
In progress
Establish a team
-
In progress
Analyse the results of the Civil Service People Survey by sexual orientation and gender, and make the analysis available to networks
October 2018
-
Complete
Represent LGBT+ staff in ongoing discussions about the Civil Service People Survey
March 2020