FOI 05-21: Stonewall Diversity Champion

Information Standards Freedom of Information Response

Our Ref: FoI 05-21

04 June 2021

Freedom of Information Act 2000

I can confirm that the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Assembly Commission) holds information relevant to your request of 05 February 2021.  In your request you asked for the following information:

“1. Any application you made in 2019 or 2020 to be a “Stonewall Diversity Champion” or to be included on Stonewall’s “Workplace Equality Index,” including any attachments or appendices to those applications. Please redact personal details if necessary.

2. Any feedback you received in 2019 or 2020 from Stonewall in relation to either application or programme.

3. Any other communication you have received from Stonewall in 2019 or 2020 unless privileged or otherwise exempt from disclosure (but if you claim privilege or exemption in relation to any material, please say in broad terms what the material is and the basis on which you claim to be entitled to withhold it).

4. Full details of any equality impact assessment you carried out connected with any of these applications (including any equality impact assessment carried out prior to an earlier application of the same kind, if no further assessment was done).

5. Details of the total amount of money you paid to Stonewall (i) in 2019; (ii) in 2020, whether or not as payment for goods or services.

6. Whether you intend to continue your membership of any Stonewall scheme in the future, and if so which.”

The Assembly Commission holds information relevant to your request.  Please see Appendices A-D below.  In all instances the personal data of junior staff members and third party individuals has been redacted.

If you feel that the information we have provided does not meet your request fully, please contact this office as soon as possible.  You have the right to request a formal review by the Assembly Commission and if you wish to do so, please write to me at the above address.

If after such an internal review you are still unhappy with the response, you have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF who will undertake an independent review.

The Assembly Commission may publish details of your FOI request and our official response within the organisational disclosure log. The request will be completely anonymised and you will not be identified in any way. This is to meet the requirements as laid out by in the agreed publication scheme with the Information Commissioners’ Office.

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me.  Please remember to quote the reference number above.

Yours sincerely

INFORMATION STANDARDS

APPENDIX A

1. Any application you made in 2019 or 2020 to be a “Stonewall Diversity Champion” or to be included on Stonewall’s “Workplace Equality Index,” including any attachments or appendices to those applications.

A copy of the signed membership form for Stonewall Diversity Champions is attached at Appendix B.  No application has been made to participate in the Workplace Equality Index.

2. Any feedback you received in 2019 or 2020 from Stonewall in relation to either application or programme.

Feedback was verbally received at an induction meeting with Stonewall on 28^th January 2019. The meeting agenda is attached at Appendix C.

3. Any other communication you have received from Stonewall in 2019 or 2020 unless privileged or otherwise exempt from disclosure (but if you claim privilege or exemption in relation to any material, please say in broad terms what the material is and the basis on which you claim to be entitled to withhold it).

All relevant communications from Stonewall held in our files are attached at Appendix D.

4. Full details of any equality impact assessment you carried out connected with any of these applications (including any equality impact assessment carried out prior to an earlier application of the same kind, if no further assessment was done).

An equality impact assessment was not carried out on membership of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions Programme. 

5. Details of the total amount of money you paid to Stonewall (i) in 2019; (ii) in 2020, whether or not as payment for goods or services.

The Assembly Commission became a member of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions Programme in January 2019. An annual membership fee of £2,500 (plus VAT) was paid in 2019 and 2020.

6. Whether you intend to continue your membership of any Stonewall scheme in the future, and if so which.

The Assembly Commission renewed its annual membership of the Diversity Champions Programme in January 2021 for a period of one year, until January 2022. 

APPENDIX B: Membership Proposal for Diversity Champions Northern Ireland Membership

Download Appendix B as a PDF (2 pages, 579KB)

Diversity Champions overview:

Stonewall currently works wtth over 750 of the world's leading organisations to create fully inclusive workplace environments by integrating diversity and inclusion into all parts of the business. We work closely with employers to understand their specific needs and objectives and provide tailored guidance to support organisations on their path towards workplace equality.

We.are now offering-organisations to receive tailored 121 support to help advance LGBT equality in their workplace in Northem lreland. We know that many people still experience discriminaton in the workplace because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity and cannot bring their 'whole selves' to work. In partnership with the.
Rainbow Project, we are able to use our indepth understanding of the challenges facing LGBT equality in Northern Ireland alongside our 15+ years of extensive experience of building LGBT-inclusive wotkplaces to help organisations improve the lives of LGBT people and allies within their workplaces.

Northern Ireland Assembly (NIA) commits to the following Stonewall programmes and events:

• Annual membership to Stonewall Diversity Champions Northern lreland Programme.
• Annual membership begins on the date in which this proposal is returned.

Stonewall Diversity Champions Northern Ireland programme:

• A dedicated Account Manager based in Belfast to advise on LGBT best practice and to provide a link to Stonewall's vast membership network across the UK,
• Available through face to face meetings during the year, by email and by telephone.
• Free places at Stonewall best practice seminars held in Northern Ireland throughout the period of membership.
• Providing NIA with the opportunity to network with relevant people from other organisations involved in LGBT
• inclusion work, sharing knowledge and best practice.
• Guidance in compiling a submission to the Workplace Equality Index which highlights your activity in Northern Ireland, and an opportunity to apply for 'Top Employer, Northern Ireland'.
• This Index is a valuable tool in examining the various parts ot the organisation which will have most impact on your LGBT employees and can be used to build a long term strategic plan to strengthen NIA's inclusion work.
• Five free adverts in first year of membership on Stonewall Proud Employers jobs board to enable you to promote specific roles within your Northern Ireland operations.
• Allowing NIA to effectively showcase your commitment to valuing and celebrating dversity within your workforce.
• A free listing in the Stonewall Starting Out Careers Guide.
• Use of the Stonewall Top 100 Employers/Top Employer Northern Ireland logo should NIA qualify.
• Use of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Northern Ireland logo on all internal and external documentation, in line with T+Cs.
• This provides NIA with an easily adapted but effective method of showcasing your commitment to LGBT staff.
• Free access to Stonewall research and best practice publications when requested.

With support from your dedicated Account Manager to understand those publications in a Northern Ireland context.

Summary

Diversity Champion Northern Ireland membership: £2,500 +VAT

APPENDIX C: Agenda

Download a PDF version of Appendix C (1 page, 332KB)

Diversity Champions Northern Ireland: Northern Ireland Assembly Induction Meeting

Date: Monday 28th January 2019

Time: 10:00 – 11:30

Agenda

1. Introductions

2. NIA

(i) Overview of structure of the NIA and current framework in place relating to diversity and inclusion within the organisation.

(ii) Current organisational priorities regarding the above.

3. Stonewall

(i) Outline of the Diversity Champions Programme

(ii) Overview of the features of membership of the Diversity Champions Programme in Northern Ireland

4. The Workplace Equality Index (WEI)

(i) Overview of the WEI

5. Action planning & agreeing who will be involved.

APPENDIX D: Correspondence

Download Appendix D as a PDF (19 pages, 1.43MB)

Summary of Correspondence:

Please note: Personal information that has been redacted is marked as: <REDACTED>

D1 – Email correspondence from Stonewall regarding access to Stonewall Member’s Page

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk]
Sent: 08 February 2019 09:22
To: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk>
Subject: RE: stonewall members page

Morning <REDACTED>

As a rule we only issue a maximum of two logins to each of our members; one to our main contact (yourself); and a second one to the chair or a representative from the relevant LGBT network within the organisation if there is one. In your case, I’m happy to set someone else up on our system to receive that second login knowing that they’ll be listed as a contact in that way. Unfortunately we cannot issue more than two logins.

If you can let me know who should be the second contact as well as providing their email address I can get that done today – it can sometimes take a few days for the login email to be issued as the data is imported on a weekly basis.

Beyond that however, you are welcome to download and share resources from the members’ hub and share them with colleagues.

Following up on a few things from the induction meeting:

(i) Workplace Equality Index

Please find attached

• The presentation that I talked from on the day outlining the details, context and logistics to the index.
• The blank, word document version of the index questions for reference.
• The blank, word document version of the employee feedback survey that accompanies index submissions.

(ii) Proud Employers

You can visit our Proud Employers jobs site here. As discussed, in your first year of membership you are entitled to 5 free ads to promote roles. Please do let me know if or when you’d like to avail of these adverts and I’ll connect you with my colleague Richard, who manages the site.

(iii) Starting Out Guide

Starting Out is the UK’s only careers guide showcasing LGBT-inclusive employers. It’s the go-to guide for students, graduates and job seekers to learn about organisations that are firmly committed to promoting equality for LGBT people. It helps them discover workplaces where they’ll be accepted and celebrated for who they are. Every year, hard copies are distributed to over 5,000 universities, colleges, secondary schools, careers services and LGBT youth groups. As well as distributing hard copies of the Starting Out guide we also publish it online, through which we link directly to your organisations website.

As a member of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme in Northern Ireland, in partnership with The Rainbow Project your organisation will be listed within the hard copy version of the Starting Out guide to reflect your commitment to LGBT inclusion as an employer. This listing is a feature of membership of the Diversity Champions programme. To view the 2018/19 Starting Out Guide just click here.

On our Starting Out website you are also entitled to have a profile, providing more information to job seekers about your organisation. This too, is a feature of your membership of the Diversity Champions programme. To avail of this profile you must provide us with the relevant information via this online submission form. You can update the profile at any point during the year by using this form which is also accessible via the ‘Contact Us’ section of the Starting Out website. You can look through other profiles on the website to get a sense of the information we’re looking for and how other employers profile themselves.

(iv) Dates & upcoming events

In the next few weeks I’ll be circulating a calendar of keys dates for the year ahead, a version of this calendar is already available on the Diversity Champions members’ hub online, but I just wanted to flag that the next Northern Ireland Seminar is due to be held on Thursday 21^st March. Timings and venue should be confirmed in the next week, more details will be issued formally then.

I hope this is helpful, appreciate there’s a lot of information above so please do get in touch with any questions or if there’s anything I’ve forgotten, and once you’ve had time to reflect on the detail we can arrange to catch up to identify some actions and areas of support.

Best wishes,

<REDACTED>

Client Account Manager – Northern Ireland

D2 – Emails from Stonewall organising induction meeting between Stonewall & Assembly Commission staff.

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk
Sent: 10 January 2019 13:12
To: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk>
Subject: RE: NI Assembly - Stonewall Diversity Champions Memberships

Hi <REDACTED>,

Just reviewing the content of the standard letter we have, it contains:

- Bank details

- Account details

- Registered address & contact details

- VAT Number / Companies House Number

Are there any other details you require on it before it’s issued?

I’m also just getting ahead of some of the finance admin on our end so can I check if the invoice, once it’s raised should go directly to you or to someone else and then the only other thing I’ll need is the signed/dated document.

Also, can I check if a particular time on Monday suits to fill out the other form over the phone? I’m free all morning so can be flexible.

Best wishes,

<REDACTED>

Client Account Manager – Northern Ireland

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk>
Sent: 10 January 2019 11:39
To: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk>
Subject: RE: NI Assembly - Stonewall Diversity Champions Memberships

Hi <REDACTED>

Just confirming that I’m holding this date & time in my diary for you now. It might sound like a silly question but can I just check that you mean reception in Parliament Buildings?

Best wishes,

<REDACTED>

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk>
Sent: 07 January 2019 10:53
To: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk>
Subject: RE: NI Assembly - Stonewall Diversity Champions Memberships

Good morning <REDACTED>

That all sounds perfect.

My availability over the coming weeks is as follows:

• Friday 18^th January – any time after 12noon
• Thursday 24^th January – can be flexible all day
• Monday 28^th January – can be flexible all day
• Friday 1^st February – can be flexible all day

If none of these suit please do let me know and I’ll look for potential alternatives.

Best wishes,

<REDACTED>

Client Account Manager – Northern Ireland

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk>
Sent: 03 January 2019 12:13
To: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk>
Subject: NI Assembly - Stonewall Diversity Champions Memberships

Hi <REDACTED>,

Thanks again for your call just before the Christmas break, I hope you enjoyed your time off?

I’m just getting in touch to follow up from our chat with the next steps of membership of the programme.

In terms of logistics, there are a couple of things I’ll need from my end:

- The original membership proposal document (which I’ve reattached for ease) needs to be signed, dated and returned to us, this can be scanned and emailed if it’s easier.

- Once I have that I can then ask our finance team to raise an invoice, so I’ll also need to know if there are any specific details you require to be on the invoice (including a purchase order number). If you have any specific processes of your own that you need to follow and need any details from me for that purpose please do let me know.

The next step will then be to arrange the Northern Ireland Assembly’s induction meeting into the Diversity Champions Programme. Typically this can take between 1 – 1 ½ hours and is an opportunity for me to get more detail and more insight into the work already being undertaken in relation to diversity and inclusion before going through the details of the programme and shaping some actions. I’ll draft an agenda and send it across for your feedback but it would be helpful if you could give some thought to anyone else who you think should be in that meeting and provide me with a couple of date and time options so we can get it scheduled in soon.

Hope this is helpful, and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes, and Happy New Year!

<REDACTED>

Client Account Manager – Northern Ireland

D3 - Email arranging payment of subscription fee.

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk>
Sent: 14 January 2019 10:23
To: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk
Subject: Diversity Champions Membership Terms & Conditions

Hi <REDACTED>,

Good to chat just now.

As promised, you can find the Terms & Conditions of Diversity Champions membership linked here.

I’ve attached the same as a pdf file for convenience.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Best wishes,

<REDACTED>

Client Account Manager – Northern Ireland

D4 – Email reminder regarding Stonewall Diversity Champion invoice

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk
Sent: 23 March 2020 15:50
To: +Equality Public Email
Cc: <REDACTED>
Subject: Stonewall DC Membership Invoice 61369

Dear,

Please find attached your invoice for membership of Stonewall's Diversity Champions programme. We'd be grateful if you could acknowledge receipt.

We'd also like to draw your attention to our terms and conditions, which require payment to be made within 30 days of receiving the invoice.

If this invoice has been sent to the wrong contact, please advise us via email as soon as possible of the appropriate contact
If you require a purchase order number to be quoted and it has not been included, please let us know this number and the invoice will be amended.

For any other questions regarding the invoice, contact us by email or contact the Memberships team on +44(0) 20 7593 3463.

Many thanks for the support you have given Stonewall through membership of our Diversity Champions programme. With your help, we'll continue to work towards a world where every single lesbian, gay, bi and trans person is accepted for who they are, wherever they are.

Warm regards,
Stonewall Finance team

Copyright © 2016 Stonewall Equality Ltd., All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:

Stonewall Equality Ltd.
192 St John Street
London, EC1V 4JY
United Kingdom

D5 – Email from Stonewall regarding 7orkplace Equality Index

From: <REDACTED>[mailto:memberships@stonewall.org.uk]
Sent: 04 June 2019 12:17
To: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk>
Subject: Stonewall Workplace Equality Index 2020: Open for submissions

Dear <REDACTED>,

I’m getting in touch to let you know that the 2020 Stonewall Workplace Equality Index is now open!

The 2020 Workplace Equality Index: open for Submissions

The Workplace Equality Index is the UK’s leading tool for benchmarking LGBT inclusion in the workplace. It’s a framework to help you create more inclusive workplaces. Taking part is the best way to make the most of your organisation’s Diversity Champion membership.

It doesn’t matter whether you answer all the questions or just a few. Taking part means:

• We’ll review and evaluate all the LGBT inclusion work you’re doing
• We’ll analyse your employees’ opinions and attitudes through the staff feedback questionnaire
• We’ll create a feedback report for you with scores, comments and survey findings
• We’ll run a feedback session – either face to face or over the phone – on the great things you’re doing and, most importantly, where you can improve.

The top scoring 100 entrants will be celebrated when we launch our annual Top 100 Employers report in January 2020.

The submission deadline is midnight Monday 9 September 2019 and we will not be able to accept any late entries. Make sure you’ve got a project team raring to go and set some internal deadlines over the summer.

FIND OUT MORE

START YOUR SUBMISSION

The Staff Feedback Questionnaire

Part of the Workplace Equality Index is a staff feedback questionnaire. The survey assesses the impact of organisational practice on LGBT inclusion in your workplace. The results of the survey are worth 10% of the total available points for your submission.

Important note: when you send the survey to your employees, you should also provide your organisation’s 4-digit code. This is a unique identifier which ensures your employees responses are assigned to your organisation. Your survey code is: <REDACTED> and the survey can be found here.

Free empowerment programme for early entrants

All Diversity Champions that submit to the Workplace Equality Index before 9 August 2019 will receive a free place on our digital allies programme in January.

New bi-specific questions

In the 2019 Index, we’ve added some new bi-specific questions covering topics such as network group activity, allyship and monitoring.

These new questions will not affect your score. However, answering the bi-specific questions will help you self-assess and improve your initiatives, and will help Stonewall to showcase best practice. While the questions won’t affect your 2020 score, they could help you win Stonewall’s 2020 Bi-Inclusive Workplace award.

Best of luck and remember that the Stonewall team is on hand to answer any questions!

<REDACTED>

Index and Benchmarking Manager

D6 - End of year update from Stonewall

From: Northern Ireland [mailto:Northern.Ireland@stonewall.org.uk]
Sent: 18 December 2020 15:21
To: Northern Ireland <Northern.Ireland@stonewall.org.uk>
Cc: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk>
Subject: End of year update from Stonewall

Dear colleague,

As we approach the end of the year, I wanted to reflect on what has been a challenging year for us all and look forward to the new opportunities that 2021 brings us.

This year has been a difficult one for all of us and we know that marginalised communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The LGBT Foundation has found that lesbian, gay, bi and trans people have faced some very specific challenges as a result of the pandemic, with issues including isolation, living with unaccepting family or flatmates, and trans people facing even more substantial delays to essential healthcare to name just a few.

With the challenges currently facing LGBT people across society it is more important than ever that we recommit to LGBT equality in our workplaces, and we want to thank you for your continued commitment towards LGBT inclusion. We’ve also been greatly encouraged by the innovative work that we have seen from our members to keep LGBT inclusion high on the agenda whilst our lives and working patterns have been so drastically altered.

At Stonewall, we have continued to work hard to ensure that all LGBT people are accepted without exception. This year we have launched new digital empowerment workshops and delivered an online learning series for workplaces. We’ve also continued to provide our Diversity Champions members with opportunities to come together and learn from one another through webinars and virtual roundtable events.

Despite the challenges we’ve all been facing, this year has seen some important and historic milestones of progress. In February, Sharni Edwards & Robyn Peoples made history, celebrating the first same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland and in the last few weeks we’ve seen both the first conversions from same-sex civil partnerships to marriages as well as the first same-sex religious marriage ceremony in Northern Ireland. The restoration of devolution at the beginning of the year has also finally allowed work to begin by the Department for Communities on social inclusion strategies, including an LGBTQ+ strategy for Northern Ireland. Recent weeks have also seen the recommendations of Judge Desmond Marrinan’s independent review of hate crime legislation in Northern Ireland published, which, if taken forward by the Northern Ireland Executive could see greater protection in law for LGBT people.

These are just some of the areas of progress we’ve been proud to see delivered through the hard work of our colleagues in the LGBT sector.

In June we welcomed our new Chief Executive, Nancy Kelley, to Stonewall. Nancy joined us from the National Centre for Social Research and has already been busy meeting with key stakeholders from business, Parliament, and the third sector to advance LGBT equality. You can read Nancy’s first interview as Stonewall’s CEO here. Nancy’s appointment came shortly after we announced Sheldon Mills becoming the new Chair of Stonewall’s Board of Trustees. You can read more about Sheldon here too.

Finally, we have pulled together lots of resources on our website to assist you with your work during these difficult times. You can view our COVID-19 Support Hub as well as information on our activities for Black History Month, Bi Visibility Day, International Pronouns Day, Ace Week and Disability History Month on our website. New content is published regularly and we’d encourage you to visit our website and read our regular newsletter to keep up to date with.

Thank you from all of us for your continued commitment to LGBT inclusion in your workplace.

Looking forward to 2021

The new year brings a fresh opportunity to drive forward our work and commitment to LGBT inclusion, ensuring that equality and diversity is at the heart of the recovery from the pandemic. It is crucial that we ensure that our commitment to inclusion and our actions include those LGBT voices who are the most marginalised in our workplaces, networks, and communities. We will continue to collaborate with you to ensure we maximise the opportunities to learn from and listen to those underrepresented voices.

We encourage you to save the date – Wednesday 10th February – for our next Diversity Champions webinar, during which we’ll explore how the laws impacting LGBT people in Northern Ireland have changed over the years as well as how the lives of LGBT people have changed with them. This event is free to our members and further details will be share early in the New Year.

We are also delighted to announce the launch of a new Network Empowerment Series, delivered by my colleagues at Stonewall Scotland. During the week of 22 February 2021, our series of two digital sessions will give you the knowledge and tools you need to create inclusive LGBT network spaces. You can find out more about our workshops by visiting our website.

Additionally, we will be here to support you as we look towards the launch the Workplace Equality Index 2022 in the spring. Thank you to the organisations who have engaged with our WEI Support Series so far. As a reminder, we have launched our new criteria and have introductory webinars available on the website. We will be launching further support in the first quarter of 2021. If you would like any more information about how to get involved in the next WEI, please reach out to us. 

Closure over Festive Break

I will be finishing up for the festive season on Tuesday 22^nd December 2020 and will remain on leave until Monday 11th January 2021. If you have any urgent queries or need support while I’m unavailable, you can contact our central workplace team (who will be available again from Monday 4^th January 2021) by emailing memberships@stonewall.org.uk and a colleague will be in touch in my absence.

On behalf of myself and everyone at Stonewall I want to wish you a safe and restful break over the festive period and every good wish for the New Year. Thank you sincerely for your continued support of our work and I look forward to continuing to work with you in the new year.

Very best wishes,

<REDACTED>

Northern Ireland Programme Manager

D7 – Email notification of upcoming Stonewall event

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk
Sent: 02 July 2019 16:49
To: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk>
Subject: Advanced Notice: Stonewall Senior Leadership Event - Tuesday 5 November 2019

Dear <REDACTED>

Having reflected upon a number of conversations I’ve had in recent weeks with contacts in a range of our Diversity Champions Programme member organisations, I’m writing to give you advanced notice of the fact that the seminar we had planned for November 2019 will now be slightly different to the seminars we have delivered to date.

The event in question will take place on Tuesday 5^th November 2019 from 12:00 – 14:00 and will be open to senior leaders from your organisation.

This event, which is being generously supported and hosted by the Northern Ireland Civil Service will provide a space for senior leaders from organisations who are members of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme in Northern Ireland to reflect upon their role in shaping an LGBT inclusive culture within the workplace(s) they lead.

Lunch will be provided during this event, and attendees will hear reflections from a range of leaders based on their own experiences as well as receive advice and guidance from Stonewall.

We are providing advanced notice for this event so that you can consider who the most appropriate people are to attend but also so that you have adequate time to ensure it can be in the relevant diaries.

Please note the following:

• Each organisation can send up to two senior leaders.
• Registration is not yet open, we will be in touch in the coming weeks to let you know when it has opened and how to register your attendees.
• Attached to this email is Stonewall’s working definition of ‘Senior Leadership’ so you’re aware of the level that we’re targeting – please do get in touch directly with me if you would like further advice on this.
• This event is free for members of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme in Northern Ireland.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please do get in touch.

Best wishes,

<REDACTED>

Client Account Manager – Northern Ireland

D8 – Email notification of upcoming Stonewall event

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk>
Sent: 20 February 2019 16:35
To: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk>
Subject: Stonewall Diversity Champions Seminar: Thursday 21 March

Dear <REDACTED>

We are delighted to invite you to join us at the next Stonewall Diversity Champions Seminar in Northern Ireland. The theme of this seminar is: trends in best practice, using the Workplace Equality Index as a framework for success.

This event is being held at Herbert Smith Freehills, 2 Cromac Quay, Ormeau Gasworks, Belfast, BT7 2JD on Thursday 21st March from 12.30 – 3.30pm.

As a Diversity Champion, this event is free to attend although places are limited to two per organisation, allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis.

In order to attend you must register online here by 5pm on Tuesday 12th March.

At this event, you will:

Examine how to use Stonewall's Workplace Equality Index as a framework to achieve LGBT inclusive workplaces.
Reflect upon trends in best practice within Northern Ireland and more broadly across the UK.
Have the opportunity to hear from other attendees about their experiences in using the Workplace Equality Index to shape truly inclusive workplace environments.
This event is kindly being hosted by Herbert Smith Freehills, and a light lunch will be provided for attendees.

If you have any questions about this event please don't hesitate to get in touch with me, and don't forget to register here by Tuesday 12th March.

Best wishes,

<REDACTED>
Client Account Manager

Copyright © 2018 Stonewall Equality Ltd., All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you are a valued Stonewall supporter and we'd like to keep you updated on our campaigns and events.

Our mailing address is:
Stonewall Equality Ltd.
192 St John Street
London, EC1V 4JY
United Kingdom

D9 – Email invitation to upcoming Stonewall event

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk
Sent: 15 March 2019 14:30
Subject: Invitation: Stonewall Workplace Equality Index Focus Group - Belfast

Dear friends,

I hope that this finds you well.

At Stonewall we’re always looking for ways to improve our work and to hear from our stakeholders about how we can do that. With that in mind, we’re asking for your thoughts on the Workplace Equality Index and Top 100 Employers list.

We are running a series of focus groups across the country, to gather feedback and identify the next steps for our benchmarking work. We are seeking to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Workplace Equality Index. We also want to learn more about how leading employers assess their progress and engage their teams with LGBT-inclusion.

You can take part in the focus group even if your organisation has never submitted to the Workplace Equality Index.

We hope that you or a colleague can join us for our focus group:

Date: Wednesday 3 April

Time: 2.30-4pm

Venue: Room 0G/009, Main Site Tower, Queen’s University Belfast, University Rd, Belfast BT7 1NN

RSVP: by booking your place here.

Please do let me know if you have any questions, and we look forward to seeing you at the focus group.

Best wishes,

<REDACTED>

P.S. We’d also be grateful if you would fill out our short survey. Alongside the focus groups, this will help us to identify the next steps for our benchmarking work both in the UK and globally. It will take just 10 minutes and you can complete it even if your organisation has never submitted to the Workplace Equality Index or the Global Workplace Equality Index. You can take the survey here.

<REDACTED>
Index and Benchmarking Manager

D10 – Email notification regarding upcoming Stonewall event

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk
Sent: 12 June 2019 18:10
To: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk
Subject: Save The Date - Wednesday 24th July 2019 - Stonewall Seminar

Dear all,

The next Stonewall Diversity Champions Northern Ireland Seminar will be held on Wednesday 24^th July, running from 12:30 until 15:30.

This seminar is being hosted and generously supported by Baker McKenzie.

The theme for this seminar will be: Communicating your commitment to LGBT inclusion.

Registration will open later this week and you will be notified when it does, and be provided with further details at that point.

In the meantime we’d suggest that you consider who may be the most appropriate person/people from your organisation to attend, as every Diversity Champion (organisation) will be entitled to send a maximum to two attendees. If you would like advice on this, please get in touch.

In finalising the content for this seminar, we would also like to invite any member who has carried out activities / projects / campaigns that they believe to be examples of best practice in communicating their organisational commitment to LGBT inclusion to complete the attached case study submission form and return it by email to me by 5pm on Thursday 11^th July. Submissions may be used during the seminar so if you have an example of some great work you’ve undertaken this is an opportunity to profile it.

Further information regarding the seminar, including how to register will follow in the next few days.

Best wishes,

<REDACTED>

Please note: this email has been sent to all of the main contacts we have listed for your organisation in Northern Ireland. Before registering, please ensure you’ve liaised internally with those contacts.

<REDACTED>
Client Account Manager – Northern Ireland

D11 – Email notification of upcoming Stonewall event

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk
Sent: 03 September 2019 15:24
To: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk
Subject: Stonewall Diversity Champions Northern Ireland - Senior Leaders Lunch

Dear <REDACTED>,

We’re pleased to write to you with details of an event on Tuesday 5^th November 2019 which is specifically aimed at senior leaders from within our Northern Ireland Diversity Champions Programme member organisations.

Registration for this event has now opened and you are invited to register up to two attendees from your organisation. To register your attendees please click here.

Please note, our expectation is that those attending this event from your organisation will be from the most senior levels of local leadership. If you require clarification as to what that means in your context please get in touch directly with <REDACTED> who will advise further.

This event is being generously supported and hosted by the Northern Ireland Civil Service and will take place in the Long Gallery at Parliament Buildings, Stormont.

During the event, attendees will hear directly from LGBT people about the important role that senior leaders have in shaping inclusive cultures within the workplaces that they lead.

We are also particularly pleased to share with you that the event will be opened by David Sterling, Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

The event will begin at 12:00 and end at 14:00, lunch will be provided for attendees.

Registration will close on Wednesday 23^rd October and only those registered by the deadline may attend.

If you have any queries please contact us at NorthernIreland@stonewall.org.uk.   

Best wishes,

Stonewall Events Team

D12 – Stonewall response to Assembly Commission survey notification

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk
Sent: 18 December 2020 15:22
To: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk>
Cc: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk>
Subject: RE: Northern Ireland Assembly Draft Section 75 Staff Questionnaire

Hi <REDACTED>,

Just to confirm that I’ve not missed this – I’m hoping to come back with a full response before I break for Christmas next Tuesday.

Best wishes,

<REDACTED>

Northern Ireland Programme Manager

D13 – Email update from Stonewall on recent events

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk
Sent: 22 June 2020 12:10
To: <REDACTED>
Cc: Northern Ireland
Subject: Summary of recent updates from Stonewall

Dear colleague,

There have been a number of important updates from Stonewall recently, either issued centrally or directly from me. For ease I thought it might be useful to summarise and link all of that information here for you so it’s in one place.

Upcoming events

1. Our next virtual roundtable is due to take place this week on Wednesday 24^th June at 14.30 and will focus on why it’s still important to mark Pride event in the current circumstances. The original invitation email with more detail is attached above for reference, please ensure you register by close of play today (Monday 22^nd) if you have not already done so.

2. Please also save the date for An Introduction to LGBT Inclusion which will take place on Tuesday 28^th July from 14.30 – 16.00. This online session will be particularly relevant to those who are earlier in their journey in LGBT inclusion. Invitations and registration details will follow soon.

Workplace Equality Index

Last month we wrote to you about our decision not to open Workplace Equality Index submissions this year. You can read that mailing here which details the comprehensive series of support we are providing in place of the submission and benchmarking process. You can read more about our Workplace Equality Index Support Series on our website here.

Part of the support available includes introductory webinars which provide an overview and explanation of the new Workplace Equality Index criteria (published last week). You can watch those pre-recorded videos here, as well as book onto sector specific Q&A sessions.

We will also be delivering a separate Q&A session for our Northern Ireland members on Tuesday 11^th August. To see the full details and to register for that session click here.

Our most recent update about the Workplace Equality Index, issued last week, contained the new criteria for the next iteration of the index. That mailing is available here.

Accessing support

Please note, to access some of the above information you will need to login to My Diversity Champions on the Stonewall website. If you have difficulty accessing this please let me know, likewise if we need to update contact information for you or your organisation let us know as soon as possible as this is how we ensure information is being issued to the correct people.

The above events, information and support are all included as part of your membership of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme.

If you have any questions about anything within this email don’t hesitate to get in touch.

With best wishes,

<REDACTED>

Client Account Manager – Northern Ireland

D14 - Email query from Stonewall regarding Proud Employers

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk
Sent: 01 March 2020 22:25
To: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk
Subject: Stonewall Proud Employers

Hi <REDACTED>,

Hope you’re well?

When NI Assembly joined the Diversity Champions Programme one of the features of membership was 5 free ads on our Proud Employers online jobs board within the first year of membership. I know that your first year has now passed but I’ve noticed the Assembly’s current recruitment campaign for research officers and wanted to see if there’d be interest in using the site for any of these roles – if there is, I’d be happy to speak to my colleagues who run Proud Employers to see if we can grant a slight extension and allow you to make use of some free ads (if I get the green light it might not be for the full 5).

Let me know your thoughts, or if you’d like to chat about this.

Best wishes,

<REDACTED>

Client Account Manager – Northern Ireland

D15 – Email reminders from Stonewall regarding renewal of Diversity Champions Programme

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk
Sent: 13 February 2020 14:44
To: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk
Subject: FW: Check in - Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme

Hi <REDACTED>,

Please see the below – if NI Assembly wish to maintain your membership of the Diversity Champions Programme we need someone to complete the online form linked here (and in the original email below).

While <REDACTED> is unavailable should I be contacting yourself with any programme related information?

If you have any specific questions about membership renewal or finance please direct them to memberships.finance@stonewall.org.uk and copy me in.

Thanks so much,

<REDACTED>

Client Account Manager – Northern Ireland

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk
Sent: 10 February 2020 23:20
To: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk>
Subject: Check in - Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme

Hi <REDACTED>,

I hope all’s well with you?

I’m really just checking in, as we’d not had any response to invitations to events we’ve been hosting recently but also because the Northern Ireland Assembly’s renewal date for the Diversity Champions Programme has now passed and I wanted to check if you intend to remain in membership of the programme?

I’ve included the original email below which was issued in November about renewing your membership – if you could give me an indication if you intend to maintain your membership or not it would be greatly appreciated.

To renew you can click the link below and complete the details as prompted. If you have specific questions feel free to direct them either to me or to memberships.finance@stonewall.org.uk.

Best wishes,

<REDACTED>

Client Account Manager – Northern Ireland

From: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk
Sent: 22 November 2019 14:36
To: <REDACTED>@niassembly.gov.uk
Cc: <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk
Subject: Stonewall Membership - Expiring soon

Dear <REDACTED>,

Your current Diversity Champions membership expires on Thursday 16 January. Renewal will cost £2,500 + VAT. Please click the link below to ensure your membership continues and Northern Ireland Assembly doesn’t lose:

• Access to best practice guides and resources
• Your dedicated account manager for questions, queries and advice
• Assistance with your Workplace Equality Index submission
• Priority discounted access to Empowerment Programmes and Workplace Conference tickets
• Stonewall Diversity Champion branding to show your commitment to LGBT inclusion

If you want to end your Diversity Champion membership, please email your account manager ahead of your renewal date for us to ensure your account and benefits are closed down in time.

If you have any questions, please email your account manager at <REDACTED>@stonewall.org.uk or Memberships.Finance@stonewall.org.uk.

<REDACTED>
Membership Operations Officer

Appendix E: Stonewall Diversity Champion invoice

Download Stonewall Diversity Champion invoice as a PDF (2 pages, 276KB - please note that sensitive information has been redacted)