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:

  1. establish a Heads of Networks Forum to guide our work and share best practice
  2. 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
  3. 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:

  1. take part in at least 3 Pride events each year and monitor the diversity of those taking part
  2. create a new community space for bisexual civil servants and implement the recommendations from our bisexuality consultation last year
  3. establish a new LGBT+ and faith project to understand the needs and experiences of LGBT+ people who are also part of a religious community
  4. establish a national LGBT+ allies programme to help networks engage allies in their departments
  5. establish joint projects with other cross-government networks to explicitly highlight intersectionality of these groups
  6. 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:

  1. 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
  2. support local organisers by creating re-usable toolkits to help anyone set up events or activities in their local area
  3. pilot a national LGBT+ mentoring scheme for LGBT+ civil servants looking for a mentor
  4. 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:

  1. 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
  2. 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

2 completed out of 2
  • 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

2 completed out of 3
  • 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

3 completed out of 4
  • 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

13 completed out of 13
  • 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

3 completed out of 3
  • 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

0 completed out of 1
  • In progress

    Establish a team

Allies

Establish a national LGBT+ allies programme to help networks engage allies in their departments

2 completed out of 3
  • 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

0 completed out of 1
  • 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

10 completed out of 12
  • 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

0 completed out of 1
  • 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

0 completed out of 1
  • In progress

    Produce toolkits

    March 2020

Mentoring

Pilot a national LGBT+ mentoring scheme for LGBT+ civil servants looking for a mentor

0 completed out of 1
  • In progress

    Establish a team

Regional events and socials

Establish more networking and social events outside London

3 completed out of 3
  • 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

1 completed out of 1
  • 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

1 completed out of 3
  • 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