Resolution has published a strategy and action plan that will embed equality, diversity and inclusion across the organisation at every level over the next 18 months.
The strategy comes after Resolution undertook its first-ever diversity survey of members last year. Since then Resolution’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee, alongside members of staff, have devised a strategy that has four main objectives and a deadline of December 2021 to achieve the following:
- Embed equality and diversity across the organisation;
- Reflect the diversity of the family law sector within Resolution membership;
- Support the engagement of all groups across Resolution by removing barriers to access and providing help and support where necessary;
- Support and promote EDI within the family law sector.
The events this year in the USA following the tragic murder of George Floyd in May, and the Black Lives Matter protests in the UK and across the world have brought our work into sharp focus and increased the urgency for this work within our organisation. There is no doubt among Resolution’s key decision-makers that the essential activity to create an inclusive, representative and wholly welcoming organisation for all is of vital importance, and has been for some time.
We know Resolution is not yet the organisation we want it to be. This is acknowledged by Resolution’s Board, staff team and our committees. We are impatient to develop and hone our strategy so that we can move closer to our goal of being a truly inclusive, representative, and wholly welcoming organisation for members and their clients.
Equality and diversity is a priority for the leadership of Resolution with steps already taken to address issues that members have raised. They include;
- The Diversity Trust delivering training to the National Committee, Committee Chairs and the staff team, building on the training it has already provided to some.
- Resolution has actively called for members of all backgrounds to apply to join Resolution committees in the most recent recruitment drive. This builds on some of our previous work to increase diversity within our committee recruitment, for example by anonymising all applications that are received by committees.
- Guidance is being developed to ensure Resolution events – whether face-to-face or online – have representative and diverse speakers.
- Members of the EDI committee are talking to other chairs and attending meetings of their committees to explain more about their work and how they can help take this forward in ensuring Resolution promotes a more equal, diverse and inclusive membership.
To coincide with the launch of the equality strategy, Resolution has written to Mena Ruparel offering an apology for the completely unacceptable experiences she faced while a member of Resolution that were documented on social media earlier this year. All Resolution members should be treated with equal dignity and respect at every point in their relationship with Resolution and this regrettably was not Mena’s experience. We would like to thank Mena for her essential role in setting up Resolution’s EDI committee.
The activity and aims outlined in this strategy will move us closer to achieving our vision of becoming an inclusive and representative organisation. Resolution’s National and Executive Committee unanimously support this strategy. Together with our committee chairs and staff team taking it forward, the organisation will have a renewed focus, energy and shared commitment to improving the experience of all our members.
