An invitation to all our partners in business and the community

 

 

FREE EVENT

 

Thursday 1st March 2007

10am – 5pm

 

Stonewall Advanced Masterclass  (a.m.)

 

SIFRE / EEFA Faith & Sexuality Forum  (p.m.)

 

 

Religion and sexual orientation are highly topical at the moment.  This spring, two new pieces of equality legislation will make it unlawful to discriminate on grounds of religion or belief, or sexual orientation, in:

 

 

Since 2003 it has been illegal to discriminate on these grounds in the workplace; the new legislation will extend these protections out into the community.

 

Recent weeks have seen some conflict between these two aspects of society, for instance in the debate over adoption by gay couples and the response of Roman Catholic adoption agencies.

 

Now could not be a better time to explore the issues further!  Suffolk County Council is delighted to welcome Stonewall – the national lobbying organisation for lesbian, gay and bisexual people; SIFRE – the Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource and EEFA – the East of England Faiths Agency C.I.C. - to the IP-City Centre in Ipswich for a day of seminars on sexual orientation, the workplace and religion.

 

See over for more details of this FREE event, including venue and programme…

 

 


Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource

 

Suffolk County Council and Customer Service Direct are members of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme. Ask for more information at the event.
Programme for the day

 

 

9:30

Arrival, tea & coffee

10:00

Stonewall Advanced Masterclass

11:30-11:45

Break, tea & coffee; Masterclass then continues

13:00

Close

There will be a 90-minute lunch break to allow delegates attending both sessions to obtain food away from the venue.  We apologise but lunch will not be provided.

14:30

SIFRE / EEFA Faith and Sexuality Forum 

15:30-15:45

Break, tea & coffee; Forum then continues

17:00

Close

 

At the event we will have the benefit of experienced local and national trainers and speakers.  This event is free for all to attend.

 

Delegates can choose to attend just one session (morning or afternoon) or both sessions.  Please email office@sifre.org.uk for an application form which must be returned to Matt Hales at Suffolk County Council by 5pm on Thursday 22 February.  We are able to accept applications from up to 2 people from each organisation.

 

N.B.  If you are attending the Stonewall session then please also complete the separate form which will be sent to you and forward it to Joseph Bartovic at Stonewall (contact details on the form).  This will assist them with their planning.

 

 

Venue

 

The event will be held at the IP-City Centre in Bath Street, Ipswich.  (Map)  (Driving directions, Word format)  The Centre is a 5-minute taxi journey from Ipswich rail station.

 

The Centre is fully accessible and the event will be held on the ground floor.  Four disabled parking places are available directly outside reception.  The conference room is fitted with an infrared hearing system, which can be used in conjunction with necklet loops worn by individuals with hearing impairments.

 

 

Please reply by 5pm on Thursday 22 February.

 

We look forward to welcoming you at the event!

 

STONEWALL PROGRAMME

 

Introduction

 

Rules of engagement

  • Chatham House rules apply. 
  • If people make mistakes, we won’t take offence but will strive to learn from those mistakes. 
  • This is not about political correctness.
  • In the workshop we may use incorrect terminology, that’s fine here, but in the real world there are always consequences.
  • What we hear we will duly consider without jumping to conclusions. 
  • We will be open minded.

 

 

What’s it got to do with you?

 

  • What makes the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations a difficult topic for many organisations to discuss?
  • Why is someone’s sexuality an “issue” in the workplace in any case?
  • The Civil Partnership Act: any implications for your organisation?

 

 

Monitoring sexual orientation?

 

  • The business case
  • Why monitor sexual orientation
  • Benefits for organisation, clients and individuals
  • Preparing to monitor
  • What to monitor

 

Hand out – Stonewall’s Workplace Guide on Monitoring

 

 

Conflicting agendas? 

 

What about religion and sexuality?

 

Setting up standards of expected behaviour and actually meaning it.

 

 

The leadership challenge

 

  • What does it say about your organisation if you get this right/wrong?
  • Giving guidance to front line staff – a clear picture of what your brand expectations are.
  • Encouraging people to be flexible.
  • Support for your people if they get abuse from your customers – what are your guidelines?

 

 

Conclusions

 

Respect for individuals and their own choices about coming out or not. 

 

Improving performance and operational effectiveness through creating an environment where everyone feels valued, where their contribution is fully recognised and where organisational goals are met.

 

Stonewall, your organisation and next steps.