As LGBT+ History Month draws to a close, Outward’s Director of HR, Lindy Shufflebotham, reflects on what Outward is doing to promote LGBT awareness and inclusion and why it is so important.
It is vital that Outward reflects the society we live in, and that our community – whether they are staff, volunteers, or people we support – feel included and treated equally. We need a workplace and a workplace culture which supports and scaffolds the equality, diversity & inclusion agenda.
Inclusion is a priority element of our Business Plan and something we want to see demonstrated throughout the organisation. This year we have trained directors and the Board of Trustees in “Conscious Inclusion” and later in the year will be rolling this out to all managers. The training was offered by Purple Infusion and all who took part found it challenging and educative.
We must also make sure that this approach extends to the people we are supporting across our services, and we are thrilled to announce that this month we have introduced LGBT “Aware for Care” training. This online training course reflects the CQC approach to LGBT people and sexuality and also embraces the research and information published by Age UK and Stonewall who campaign for equality and diversity.
Outward has a hugely diverse community and we want to make sure that everyone feels an equal part of it. Every person and all groups can make a difference within their range of influence by taking concrete action to help build a more inclusive & equal world. We must all work together to create a workplace that world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination.
If you’d like to learn more about some of the LGBT+ people who have changed history and worked to free LGBT + individuals from oppression, check out this article.