Pan-equalities and the Big Society

Objectives

• Present external partners with the benefits of working more closely with and commissioning to the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS).
• Highlight and share good practice to/with partners in order to realise opportunities for their operations, service delivery, and campaigning roles
• Identify areas where collectively VCS organisations can help meet equality and diversity needs and deliver in relation to Big Society agenda and within the emerging Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP’s)
• Provide evidence to support the clear need for the Core Equalities Partnership as a “pan-equality” structure and a voice for the voluntary and community sector.
• Build on report’s evidence that demonstrates the need for the Core Equalities Partnership to come together in a strategic equalities environment which reflects the continuing shift in equalities thinking and practice to a more unified “single equality” approach.
• Highlight good practice on the membership of the Core Equalities Partnership
• Highlight the key responsibilities for public sector bodies under the Single Equality duty that comes into force April 2011

Audience

This event is aimed at staff or board members of voluntary and community organisations with a role or interest in pan-equalities issues. Representatives from local authorities and LEP’s including elected members and officers, in addition to other statutory and private sector partners.

Proposed outcomes

• To raise awareness of the evidence based document focusing on the role of the VCS in equality and diversity and to present the findings;
• to raise awareness of what the sector can deliver in pan-equalities and the role that RAWM, CEP members and partners can play in making this happen.

Download the draft agenda [105kb, DOC].