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New look IEDP
Following consultation with our members, the IEDP has decided to change its name from the Institute of Equality and Diversity Practitioners. to the Institute of Equality and Diversity Professionals - so we are still the IEDP. It was felt that this represented the purpose of the organisation more clearly. As you can see from the heading on this newsletter, we also have a new logo, with a range of fonts to represent the concept of diversity. We will be keeping our trademark colours of grey and gold though.
IEDP accreditation dates
If you join the IEDP, or are already a member, you can apply for our accreditation programme. The closing date for expressions of interest for the next round of IEDP accreditation is 29 April 2016. Your application would need to be confirmed (and the fee paid) by 13 May 2016 and the deadline for the submission of your portfolio would be 1 July 2016. Further details on the accreditation page of our website
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'Making a Fair Contribution' consultation response
 
By Leander Neckles and Samir Jeraj
The Department of Health (DOH) has recently carried out a consultation entitled ‘Making a Fair Contribution (MAFC), on their proposals to introduce charges for a range of NHS services. We prepared a response on behalf of the Race Equality Foundation (REF), supported by the Coalition for Race Equality (CORE) and other partners, including the Institute of Equality and Diversity Professionals (IEDP). The full consultation response can be found in the consulting and lobbying section of the IEDP website. Click here to access the full response.
The MAFC consultation document stated that the DOH would welcome ‘responses to all of the questions above as well as any additional comments’ but, unfortunately, the questionnaire did not provide a framework for addressing our detailed and substantive concerns. We therefore took the decision to divide our submission into two parts. Part A of the joint submission makes clear the nature and extent of our broader concerns; Part B responds to the specific consultation questions. Part A comments on MAFC’s overall impact and serious flaws in its assumptions, evidence base, principles as well as a wide range of legal compliance issues.
 Our submission explains the nature and extent of our broader concerns about the MAFC consultation. We are concerned about how Black, Minority Ethnic and Refugee (BMER) communities and individuals will be affected by the proposals given the Foundation’s and CORE’s race equality remits. Given the extreme nature of health exclusion which they experience, we have highlighted specific concerns about the health inequalities and exclusion experienced by certain BMER groups, for example Gypsies Roma Travellers and vulnerable migrants. We are also concerned about a range of wider equalities, children’s rights and human rights issues; we have commented on MAFC’s failure to adequately address adverse and/or discriminatory impacts of the proposals on children, disabled people, women and homeless people, many of whom will also be members of BMER communities.
Our assessment is that the proposals contained in MAFC are irreparably flawed. Our submission explores why we regard MAFC’s proposals as injurious to the health of individuals, communities and the wider public under the nine cutting themes set out below.
a) Section 2 draws on, and explains the importance of, the National Inclusion Health Board’s work on health inclusion and vulnerability.
b) Section 3 overviews the proposed overall MAFC regime and identifies groups that are likely to be adversely affected by this regime.
c) Section 4 comments on why the MAFC regime would be likely to undermine the achievement of public health priorities and worsen health inequalities. We also identify a series of unintended deterrent effects and other unintended consequences.
d) Section 5 identifies and comments on the significance of key reviews, equalities and cost benefit analyses and research that the Department of Health committed to publish, and consider, prior to MAFC’s publication. We also explain that this work should have been explored with stakeholders and informed the proposals.
e) Section 6 assesses MAFC’s four overarching principles against the principles and values set out in the NHS Constitution. It also assesses MAFC’s proposals against MAFC’s four overarching principles and the NHS Constitution. We conclude that MAFC’s principles and consultation proposals inadequately address the NHS Constitution’s principles and values as well as wider legal obligations.
f) Section 7 explains why MAFC’s proposals fail to properly address the Health and Social
Care Act 2012 Act’s duties to reduce health inequalities and inequalities in access to healthcare.
g) Section 8 draws on the Equality Act 2010, it explains why the MAFC charging regime will encourage discrimination and argues that due regard has not been paid to the Public Sector Equality Duty.
h) Section 9 explains why MAFC’s proposals are inconsistent with provisions in the Human Rights Act 1998 and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It also questions whether the proposed regime is compliant with the European Race Directive and other international obligations.
i) Section 10 proposes a range of remedial actions that should be taken by the Department of Health to address the issues raised in this part of our consultation response.
The Foundation and partners also endorse the submissions made by other members of the Entitlement Working Group and in particular the submissions made by Doctors of the World, Maternity Action and Still Human Still Here.
CORE Members:
Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG), the Black SouthWest Network (BSWN), BME National, Croydon BME Forum, Friends, Families and Travellers, JUSTWest Yorkshire, OLMEC, Operation Black Vote (OBV), Race on the Agenda (ROTA), the Race Equality Foundation, the Runnymede Trust and Voice4Change England.
Other partners supporting this response:
Enfield Racial Equality Council; Haringey Race and Equality Council; the Institute of Equality and Diversity Professionals (IEDP); Race Equality Matters (REM) and Training and Support 4 Services and Exiles Cooperative Ltd (TS4SE).
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TranzWiki
 This is a comprehensive resource from the Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES). It gives up-to-date information for each region about support groups available for trans people. If you know of an organisation that hasn't been included or where the information is out-of-date please contact them on tranzwiki@gires.org.uk Click on the photo to go to the website..
16 extraordinary trans black leaders you need to know
This is an american resource available on Buzz Feed recommended by the It Gets Better Project. It is information about 16 black trans activists in the US, complied for Black History Month (which is February in the USA). Click on the photo for more information.
Website that demonstrates what dyslexia is really like
 This is website designed by Victor Widell with text where the letters move around as you are reading. It has been designed to show people what it is like to have dyslexia. Click on the photo for more information.
Unlocking opportunities: breaking down barriers for disabled pupils
 The Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched a free, online training course to help schools put reasonable adjustments in place and enable disabled children to fulfill their potential. Click on the photo for more information
EHRC guidance on how to avoid discriminatory advertising
 The Equality and Human Rights commission have published new guidance on how to avoid discriminatory advertising - useful for any organisations who advertise jobs or services. Click on the photo for more information.
How to combat unconscious bias 
This chart, from Catalyst, on how to combat unconscious bias as an individual, has been recommended by Denise Rabor. Click on the photo for more information.
Five ways to support your trans friends when they come out
 Some suggestions by Parker Molloy on how to be a trans ally when a friend comes out. This article is from Upworthy. Click on the photo for more information.
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Being a visible introvert
By Dawn Milman-Hurst
This article is based on a speech given by Dawn at an NHS Women's Network event to celebrate International Women's Day on 8 March. Dawn shares her personal experience of being visible when one is a natural introvert.
As women, one of the greatest gifts we can give is to share our skills, knowledge and experiences with other women, and to offer others those reassurances that we as individuals perhaps haven’t always had. We have a responsibility to be that woman who is a champion of other women, and will act as a mentor to a colleague, rather than the toxic one who is jealous or puts barriers in the way of our peers 'because no one ever helped them'. It’s those small acts of kindness which can make the biggest differences, and a way that we can each work together to achieve gender parity sooner.
One of the key barriers that we as women face is ourselves, and the single biggest obstacle that we find is our way is self-doubt and a lack of confidence, both of which seem to affect men less. The authors of the book 'The Confidence Code', Claire Shipman, a reporter for ABC News, and Katty Kay, the anchor of BBC World News America, state that 'evidence shows that women are less self-assured than men—and suggests that to succeed, confidence matters as much as competence'. You will have probably heard the following statistic from Hewlett Packard, which has been quoted in dozens of books and articles, as an example that women need more confidence: 'Men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100% of them.' If we as women aren’t confident enough to apply for these roles, how on earth are we going to get them?
Therefore taking up my own call to action for you to be that woman who is a champion of other women, who acts as a mentor and shares knowledge & experience, I’ll share with you:
- My experience of being an introvert and transitioning into a senior leadership position, which required me to be more visible
- The impact that it had on me
- The tools I used (and still use) to try to improve my confidence in this area
When I moved to my role of Chief Executive of Equal Approach, around 10 years ago, almost overnight I was put on to a global stage, in a role which required me to speak and network at a level I had only previous read about, from the House of Commons, through to global corporations, often in front of many hundreds of people. As an ambitious professional and high achiever, this should have been very exciting and invigorating for me – a great new job, lots of spotlight etc. - However, the reality is that as a very definite introvert it was my absolute nightmare. For me there was definitely a confidence gap between where I was comfortable working at, and what was required of me in this new high profile role.
I had become an expert in my field through research, education and experience, and gained my credibility through strategic debate and discussion, often using the written word to get my voice heard and published within newspapers, magazines, and on occasion the radio. Then suddenly I had to move this up to the next level, and be able to walk into a room where individuals would decide whether I was credible and whether to listen to me within seconds.
This initially took its toll on me – mainly in private, and occasionally in public! – and I developed severe anxiety around these commitments, and this visible persona that I needed to convey, even going as far as to affecting my mental health. If I had a visible event on the Monday, I was unbearable on the Sunday, which had an impact on my personal life. So, after some very sleepless nights and countless experiences of making myself really anxious, I decided to take action to manage the situation.
So in the spirit of sharing, and in the hope that you can use or share some this information to support yourself or others to close the confidence gap that we as women face, I would like to share a snapshot of the tools I use:
- Be self-confident
- Concentrate 'Visibility Commitments' to 3 days a week
- Research and plan
- Understand attendees and audiences
- Prepare mentally and physically
- Seek honest and constructive feedback
1. Be self-confident
With my personal insecurities came the natural tendency to 'hide' myself in the obligatory dark suit when attending high profile events where I would be visible. In seeking advice from a very trusted women’s leadership coach, I was encouraged to wear more colour. She made me laugh by saying that if nothing else, it would confuse the audience if an introvert was wearing a bright red jacket! In a way this became a costume for this visible persona of mine, where I would put on my 'stage clothes' and to switch on a slightly different persona for what I knew only had to be for a short period of time. This helped me to feel more in touch with the role and the organisation I was representing, rather than the focus being upon me personally, and helped me to overcome some of the anxiety I faced.
2. Concentrate ‘Visibility Commitments' to three days a week
The anxiety I feel from being visible is still very real, and to combat this I’ve developed a coping mechanism, where I limit my visibility commitments to a maximum of three days a week. I found having to act the extrovert for five days was just too exhausting, so I schedule my week to consolidate those activities that require me to act outside of my normal introverted self to manage my anxiety.
3. Research and plan
I have found that when I have been thorough in my research and am totally prepared and clear on the subject I’m talking on, I can speak much more comfortably than when asked to speak on the hoof, or when someone had ghost written my material. I ensure that I build in time in my diary to do my own preparation, which doesn’t mean that colleagues don’t contribute to what I have to say, but I cocoon it in my own words, to make it feel like me. I’ll prepare and rehearse my script even down to Hello, my name is……, so I’m confident with it, and then I’ll use two or three bullet points to get me going, but once I’m settled, I just use prompts, which make things much easier.
4. Understand attendees and audiences
When attending networking events, it can be daunting by the prospect of making cold approaches to people I don’t know and who may not be interested in what I have to say. There’s also the awful loitering with intent and becoming a third wheel when trying to join into a conversation uninvited, which I can’t stand. To overcome this anxiety, I obtain delegate lists beforehand and identify 5 or 6 key people that I want to meet, and send them a LinkedIn invite ahead of the event. This provides a little warmer introduction when speaking to people for the first time, and provides some common ground to explore. This approach has helped me to make more meaningful connections, helping me to widen my network and makes attending these events more successful.
5. Prepare mentally and physically
I still complete a mental and physical ritual ahead of every event:
- One of the best things I was taught to overcome anxiety is a breathing technique, where you breathe from your stomach, 4 seconds in and 4 seconds out. This helps me avoid that panic at the beginning of a speech or address and focus on what I’m saying.
- I draw 'paws' all over my notes to remind me to slow down and take breaths – what feels like minutes to me, is no time at all for the audience, so I remind myself it's OK to breath. Have you ever been halfway through a sentence, when you realise you don’t have enough breath left to get to the end? It’s horrible, panic sets in and if you’re not confident in the first place, it can ruin your flow.
- I use an aromatherapy based focus spray which helps me to calm my nerves on that final lavatory trip ahead of an event, which is a reassuring and familiar.
- When I look out into the audience I’m speaking to, I’ll find some faces which appear warm and engaged, and focus on those throughout.
- I dress as comfortably as the opportunity allows, there is nothing worse than standing there in uncomfortable shoes!
All of these little rituals help me to feel in control and remove distractions, allowing me to be able to fully concentrate on the subject matter, which despite my subconscious and insecurities, is actually what people are interested in.
6. Seek honest and constructive feedback
Finally, one of the hardest things to do in my case, was to seek honest and constructive feedback from people. A lot of my colleagues would always give me the polite 'well done' at the end of any speeches,
but that didn’t help me. Instead I used one of my colleagues who was not afraid to be honest, to analyse what worked and what didn’t. Whilst painful at the time, I would nod and smile professionally, although I wanted to scream with embarrassment, taking this constructive criticism on board and doing something with it has helped me continually improve. I remember being so flustered after one feedback session I got on a train to Glasgow when I should have been travelling south!
 So all in all, we don’t have to relish all of the visibility things we do, but they are a key part of our success as female leaders, whether that be face to face or through digital platform and social media channels. Expectations are high, so it’s important that you develop your confidence as you progress throughout your careers, even if that means creating your own visibility toolkit to make being visible a little less painful and remove some of the anxiety. As time has moved on, I have become more comfortable with who I am, so people see a more authentic version of myself than the one they would have seen ten years ago. I’m confident that not everyone can relate to the highly extrovert presenter and in fact some people feel more empathy and connection with someone who they can relate to.
So a word to all those introverts out there, don’t forget for one second how amazing you are, and that actually people are interested in hearing from you and that just because we are different we can be as impactful as the most out there extrovert.
Dawn Milman-Hurst is the CEO and founder of Equal Approach. Equal Approach is a leading inclusive recruiter and diversity consultancy, supporting organisations to attract, recruit, recognise, retain and promote diverse talent. For more information about Equal Approach, click here.
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Sound statistics
This is our feature giving up-to-date statistics that Equality and Diversity practitioners may find useful in their work, particularly in training. This issue's statistics were suggested by Ruth Wilson on a Violence Against Women theme for International Women's Day.
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Global statistics
- About 1 in 3 (35%) of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime
- Most of this violence is intimate partner violence. Worldwide, almost one third (30%) of women who have been in a relationship report that they have experienced some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner
- Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner
UK statistics
- 2 women are killed every week in England and Wales by a current or former partner (Office of National Statistics, 2015)
- 1 in 4 women in England and Wales will experience domestic violence in their lifetimes and 8% will suffer domestic violence in any given year (Crime Survey of England and Wales, 2013/14)
Impact on children
- 62% of children in households where domestic violence is happening are also directly harmed (SafeLives, 2015)
- 25% of children in the UK have been exposed to domestic abuse (Radford et al. NSPCC, 2011)
- Nine times out of ten children are in the same or next door room when a domestic violence incident takes place.
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One to know about:
It is often said that there is too much focus on women who experience domestic violence and not enough on men. These are the figures:
- The 2001/02 British Crime Survey (BCS) found that there were an estimated 635,000 incidents of domestic violence in England and Wales. 81% of the victims were women and 19% were men.
- However, women are much more likely to be high risk victims; 96 percent of all referrals to MARACs are women. (A Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) is a local, multi agency victim-focussed meeting where information is shared on the highest risk cases of domestic violence and abuse between different statutory and voluntary sector agencies.)
One to think about:
- The Crime Survey for England and Wales reported that while the majority of victims (79 percent) told someone about the abuse, for both women and men this was most likely to be someone they know personally (76 percent for women and 61 percent for men). Only 27 percent of women and 10 percent of men said they would tell the police.
Sources
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Briefing note on the Immigration Bill 2015
By Barry Fitzpatrick
In early December 2015, I was invited, as a Board Member of the Institute of Equality and Diversity Professionals (IEDP), to submit a response to a Cabinet Office consultation on a draft Code of Practice in relation to the language proficiency provisions in Part 7 of the Immigration Bill. I prepared a Briefing Note on Part 7 of the Immigration Bill 2015 (language proficiency requirements) and Devolved Matters, which is now available in the members’ area of the IEDP website. Click here for the full briefing.
These ill-considered provisions are unlawful in a number of respects and will trigger a wide range of litigation, in terms of judicial review and court and tribunal cases. For those Equality and Diversity (E&D) professionals who work outside England, these provisions are bemusing. Northern Ireland is excluded, without explanation, Scotland will only be subject to the scheme in relation to reserved powers but the public sector in Wales is fully covered, although the provisions appear to be addressing largely devolved matters.
In summary, the briefing makes the following points:
- These proposed amendments on Part 7 (language proficiency requirements) seek to extend these measures to Northern Ireland (NI) at a very late stage in the legislative process
- They intrude into the area of employment law, which is a devolved issue through the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and would require the waste of the time of the NI Assembly in considering a Legislative Consent Motion
- The extension of the extent of the duty only to public authorities performing ‘functions relating to excepted matters’ exhibits a fundamental misunderstanding of the distinction between reserved and excepted matters in the 1998 Act and the extent to which many, but not all, reserved matters have been converted into transferred matters
- It would appear that this duty would apply to an infinitesimally small number of ‘customer-facing’ public sector workers in Northern Ireland
- Further NI-specific points have been made, such as the incompatibility of the application of these measures with section 75 of the 1998 Act and the controversial nature of language issues in Northern Ireland.
- A more general point can be made that, if Part 7 is an immigration measure, it is fundamentally flawed, being in breach of EU law. If it is not an immigration measure, it should not be included in an Immigration Bill. A wider concern is that Part 7, and other parts of the Bill, appear to be using the ‘cloak’ of immigration measures to intrude deeply into devolved issues, threatening damage to the respective devolution settlements, particularly in Northern Ireland.
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Jhalak book prize launched for under-recognised UK writers of colour
 Marlene Ellis highlighted this article by Sian Cain in The Guardian about a new literary prize aimed at encouraging publishers to address the lack of diversity in UK publishing. Click photo to read
Six countries making progress on LGBT rights
 Ruth Wilson has found a positive article by Rachel Banning-Lover in The Guardian about progress in LGBT equality in some quite surprising places. Click photo to read
Girls in crisis: patriarchy and mental illness
 Ruth Wilson found an interesting blog by Ms Davies in 'Women as Subject' about young women and mental health. The author points out that although young men are more likely to commit suicide, women are much more likely to be diagnosed with a 'neurotic disorder.' Click photo to read
Is it time to scrap plans for a British Bill of Rights?
 UK Human Rights blog recommended an article by Adam Wagner on the Rights Info website about the implications of the EU referendum on the Government's plans for a British Bill of Rights. Click photo to read
The new 'Kiddle' search engine for children is homophobia at its most creepy and dangerous
 Ruth Wilson was interested in this article by Jane Fae in Gay Star News about Kiddle, which purports to be a 'child-friendly search engine', but actually censors LGBT websites Click photo to read
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Terrific TED talks
This issue's TED talks have been selected by Ruth Wilson
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Dalia Mogahed is an American Muslim academic. In this TED talk, recorded in February 2016, she gives a personal perspective on negative perceptions of Islam.
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Ivan Coyote, a trans writer and performer, makes the case for all loos in public places to be gender neutral. This talk was recorded in November 2015.
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Account of the last IEDP board meeting
By Ruth Wilson
 As usual, here is a brief account of the most recent IEDP board meeting. This was held on 23 February 2016 at Amnesty International, London.
Finance
Management accounts for the period up to 31 January had been circulated prior to the meeting and were briefly discussed. The Financial Statements to 31 December 2015 had also been circulated prior to the meeting. They were approved and signed and will now be filed at Companies House and circulated to the members for the Annual General Meeting.
Links with universities
Kate and Ruth updated the Board about ongoing discussions with universities about partnerships relating to IEDP accreditation.
Marketing and communications
The new name and logo have now been adopted and all communications will need to reflect these. The home page of the proposed new website was discussed, particularly with relation to accessibility. Concerns were expressed about the management of the LinkedIn group and a way forward was agreed.
Advisory friends
A list of proposed and already nominated individuals was circulated prior to the meeting. The letter of invitation was approved and will be sent out in the near future.
Corporate members and partner organisations
Denise had circulated a discussion paper about corporate membership and exactly what the IEDP offers them. It was felt that the main benefit was to to be seen to be supporting an organisation such as the IEDP as part of their own Corporate Social Responsiblity (CSR). There was also a direct benefit to their staff members who would receive newsletters, attend events etc.
Kate had also circulated a paper on partnerships with other organisations, and it was agreed that we need to build on these.
Events
Two events were agreed. Firstly, the AGM in June, which will include a seminar on The Immigration Act. Secondly we intend to hold an event aimed at attracting more corporate members in October.
Next meeting
The next Board meeting will be on 12 April 2016 at 2.00 pm and will be held via Skype.
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Contact us
The Institute of Equality and
Diversity Practitioners
2 Old College Court, 29 Priory Street, Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 0DE
tel: 0844 482 7263
fax: 0844 8225 215
email: info@iedp.org.uk
web: www.iedp.org.uk
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And finally...
We hope you enjoyed reading this newsletter and would welcome any feedback or suggestions about how we could improve it for the benefit of our members. If you have any ideas for future editions or would be interested in writing an item for the next issue please contact Ruth Wilson on:
ruth@equalitiesineducation.co.uk
The deadline for contributions to the next issue is 21 April 2016. Please circulate this newsletter to anyone who may be interested in our work or who may wish to join the Institute.
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