Hi Syd.
I missed some emails earlier this week, and have just seen your reply below.
I also note that you received some encouragement from many people and Jenny
Woodhouse was endorsing my point too.
I have met Lee Probert and I think the LSC is trying to assert itself in
this area for all sorts of reasons! I hope your meeting with him was
productive.
Let's keep in touch.
JOHN Mc.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kent, Syd" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 8:38 AM
Subject: Re: EQUAL Project and LSC Event 10 September.
Thanks John.
I have been keeping Kate informed and I'm going to try to contact her
later today. I and a few others on the working group have secured a
meeting in Coventry tomorrow with Lee Probert from the LSC.
Best wishes,
Syd.
Syd Kent mailto:[log in to unmask]
Equality and Diversity Officer
University of Essex
Wivenhoe park
Colchester
Essex
CO4 3SQ
Phone: 01206 872390
Fax: 01206 873396
-----Original Message-----
From: HE Administrators equal opportunities list
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John McLellan
Sent: 28 August 2007 06:51
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: EQUAL Project and LSC Event 10 September.
Hi Syd.
I think its great that you have circulated this info to people and that
you
have had so many encouraging responses. Maybe HEEON should send a more
formal presence to the 10 Sept LSC meeting, given the concern from
members?
I am copying this to Kate, just as a thought? Maybe there is some other
communication route, but I think the 'voice' of HEEON needs to be heard
-
and I'm sure you're not the only professional community with a concern!
Cheers
JOHN Mc.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kent, Syd" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2007 9:18 AM
Subject: EQUAL Project and LSC Event 10 September.
Message from Syd Kent.
I have been attending meetings of the advisory group for the LSC project
on: "the feasibility of setting up an association and arranging
professional qualifications for equality practitioners". I have
mentioned before that I have serious concerns about this project and the
way it has been conducted. I want to let you know more about some of my
concerns as some of you may be thinking of attending the event on Monday
10th September in Birmingham, "Equality and Diversity
moving the agenda forward", "Opportunity to contribute to
Professionalizing the Equality and Diversity Practitioner field".
I will not be able to attend on 10 September as I am attending another
event which is researching degree attainment of minority groups, you
will recall this is an are of interest for HEEON and those of you at
conference this summer will have heard presentations on this theme.
If you have seen any of the publicity about this LSC project which
includes press releases and event flyers etc you will see that the
information included gives a figure of 1500 practitioners consulted. I
think it is important for you to know that only 210 of those 1500
actually responded to the survey so the claims made about the results
are based on this smaller sample and not, as they may try to suggest,
and as they do suggest in the publicity, on all 1500.
There are several members of the advisory group who share my concerns
and our questions and suggestions have been ignored. We believe at the
very least more research needs to be done including more consultation
with actual practitioners in the field. In theory there should have been
members of the advisory group from other sectors but actually there has
been hardly any participation from the likes of local government,
police, NHS let alone the private or voluntary sectors. There are so
many questions unanswered
and these people seem to be moving their agenda forward regardless.
Trevor Philips seems to be very unhappy with E&D practitioners and last
week used such terms as: charlatans, rogues and cowboys to describe
them/us, he believes practitioners need regulating and maybe you agree.
I think one of my colleagues on the advisory group puts it quite well
when she describes most practitioners as activists and I think that's
really where most of us are coming from, we believe in what we are
trying to do as practitioners.
Ask yourselves these questions:
1. Would you be able to achieve Mr Phillips competence based
qualifications and survive his regulations? How can you know without
more details?
2. Do you want to have to pay to join another association that would
probably not be controlled by practitioners and would really only seem
to have the purpose of controlling you and getting rid of the
experience, diversity and specialism's within the "profession"?
3. What if you needed to be a member to get a job as an E&D practitioner
and you couldn't be a member if you didn't have the right qualification?
4. Why a competency based qualification? Why not a knowledge based
qualification or both? We need more information.
5. Has this project been conducted in the best way? Is it appropriate or
best use of public funds?
We have constantly been seeking answers to these points and others and
making suggestions about the way forward but have been consistently
ignored.
As far as I'm aware I'm the only practitioner on the advisory group in a
similar institutional post as many of you. I'm not necessarily opposed
to the setting up of an association or of more accredited qualifications
being Available but I want to know more and for us to have a genuine say
in developments.
Some of us on the advisory group are calling for an emergency meeting to
try even at this late stage to put matters right but I fear we will not
be listened to.
So if you are going on 10 September please consider asking questions,
question the research findings, seek out details on regulations and
qualifications.
Finally, I'm sorry if you feel I have wasted your time and if you feel
you want to give me your views on any of this then please do. You may
not agree with me if so let me know.
Best wishes,
Syd.
Syd Kent mailto:[log in to unmask]
Equality and Diversity Officer
University of Essex
Wivenhoe park
Colchester
Essex
CO4 3SQ
Phone: 01206 872390
Fax: 01206 873396
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