Equality, diversity and inclusion
As an Includability Committed Employer, Inclusivity is a key element of ‘Our Identity’. We are firmly committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and to the principles of inclusion and diversity in employment and the delivery of our services.
The council is committed to continuing good practice in relation to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We support and enable this commitment via the following:
Supporting the work of the Staff networks
The council has five staff networks which staff can choose to join. The networks offer mutual support, raise awareness, and give advice on specific equality issues and act as a consultative voice to the council. The staff networks are:
- Armed Forces network
- Black and minority ethnic (BME) network
- Carers and disability network
- LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans) network (this is open to anyone working in the public sector, including the local authority area of Swindon).
- Women’s staff network
Engaging with trade unions
We recognise and regularly engage with the trade unions via informal meetings and discussions and more formal meetings including the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC). Trade unions are regularly consulted on new and updated policies and projects, engaged in equality analysis panels, and take an active role as members of job evaluation panels.
Carrying out Equality Impact Assessments
Equality impact assessments are carried out to ensure that due regard is given to the aims of the general equality duty when we plan, deliver, and make decisions about the work of the council. Regular equality analysis panels are set up to consider the impact of new and amended policies and procedures. Representatives from HR&OD, Executive Office, trade unions and members of our staff networks attend the panels to ensure a breadth of perspective. Further information on Equality Analysis can be found on our Equality Analysis website page.
Benchmarking and sharing good practice
The council belongs to the South West Equalities Network (SWEN) and regularly attends meetings with colleagues from other local authorities to share information, benchmarking, and best practice. We are also members of the Bath, Swindon & Wiltshire (BSW) NHS Partnership Integrated Care System EDI Leads Network.
We have delivered and continue to deliver several equalities events, working with multiple partners across the South West and beyond, including eighteen private and public sector organisations.
Wiltshire Council is a lifetime partner of the inclusive job board Includability: Wiltshire Council(opens new window) and has successfully gone through their 5-star verification process to become an Includability committed employer, demonstrating our commitment and achievements in the areas of Sustainability, Accessibility, Mental Health, Wellbeing and Diversity and Inclusion. Wiltshire Council is also a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer.
Wiltshire Council has received the Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award for their outstanding support towards the Armed Forces community.
Training, education, and awareness raising
We have developed an Inclusion and Diversity training offer which is available to employees and external partners- including staff from across the NHS and other organisations. In 2023 we introduced a new cultural competence in the community training course which is available to all employees and managers and focuses on how we can work with our service users/customers in a more culturally competent way and see perspectives from another cultural lens.
We launched Inclusion cafés in 2023, as an opportunity for employees to share their experiences of inclusion at work and create a more diverse network.
We added 30 new EDI eLearning courses to Oracle in 2023 and our EDI Learning Hub is updated regularly.
After the successful reverse mentoring pilot, we have now expanded and rolled out the programme to the rest of the organisation. In addition to senior leaders, heads of service, middle managers, and staff in key influential positions such as HR, can now also take part and be mentored by a junior employee or member of the staff networks. Reverse mentoring provides safe spaces to gain honest and relevant feedback and gives senior leaders an opportunity to learn from the lived experience of employees.
We have successfully implemented a Mediated Resolution approach, a voluntary and confidential method of resolving workplace conflict. Trained, impartial mediators have worked with over thirty colleagues in the last year to support effective dialogue to resolve conflict with a view to reaching an agreement about how to work together effectively. All respondents to the participants’ evaluation survey have reported that the process resolved the conflict/issue either fully or in part, and all respondents to the referrers’ evaluation survey have reported that they would use Mediated Resolution again and would recommend Mediated Resolution to colleagues.
We have launched a Mental Health Advocates (MHA) initiative to support the council to promote positive mental health and normalise talking about mental health in the workplace. The MHAs are a team of trained employee volunteers who can support employees via 1-2-1 conversations and signposting to resources.
A diversity calendar is published annually with regular communications to promote awareness and understanding of key dates and events through our internal weekly communications and social media.
We continue to deliver campaigns and events for LGBTQ History Month, Women’s History Month, PRIDE Month, Race Equality Week and National Inclusion Week etc.
We also organise (and support our networks in organising) regular events including one-off talks, webinars, and conferences to promote awareness and understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion issues.