Since October 2005, Ionann has been working with a consortium comprising three major private sector clients to help them to comply with public sector equality and diversity requirements in order to bid for a major construction contract.   This work involves policy development, implementation support and training in order to ensure that their commitments to equality and diversity are fully integrated with their core business.  Success indicators include enhanced employability prospects for local communities in the areas of work through the provision of training and development schemes, engagement of local BME and minority businesses and suppliers in delivery of the contract and improved monitoring and review of each organisations’ workforce profile. Active engagement and consultation with local communities is built into the design of our consultancy with these clients.

In October 2005 Ionann were awarded a contract with the Home Office to provide equality impact assessment training for staff and managers in 4 key policy areas in the Home Office.  This work involves research and engagement with key personnel leading to focused workshops for policy leads.

We have recently completed a programme of race equality impact assessment training for the Prison Service which included workshops in each prison service area for key policy staff and managers in all prisons. We have run similar workshops for Prison Service policy leads and headquarters staff including procurement, personnel and chaplaincy.  The main outcomes of this work included a better understanding of how the equality impact assessment was linked to business processes including risk assessment, an increase in the quality and number of equality of impact assessments completed.  The workshops were supported by a work book which included case studies, worked examples, a tailor made impact assessment tool and reference materials on equality legislation, resources and good practice in community engagement and consultation.

A key feature of our work is helping participants to apply the equality impact assessment process to actual or proposed policies, procedures and practices.  In this way the outcomes are practical and can immediately be transferred and carried forward on return to respective workplaces.

We have provided similar workshops for the Metropolitan Police Authority, Metropolitan Police Service and Immigration and Nationality Directorate which also included engagement with key stakeholders and individuals from diverse communities.  During the workshop participants reviewed key policies for their potential adverse impact on diverse sections of the community.

We are currently working on three projects with the National Probation Service which involves working with policy leads on development of a tailor-made impact assessment tool based on the CRE guidance together with impact assessment training for policy leads in the service and NPD.  We recently completed a strategic workshop for the National Director of Probation and his Directorate Management team to enhance NPD corporate governance of NPS in relation to race equality and diversity.

Our work with GMB trade union senior managers continues on a regional level to help them to integrate equality and diversity into their core business.  This training involves use of Theatre to maximise participant engagement with the issues.

As well as extensive work on race issues with public authorities, we are currently completing research for the Greater London Authority, Disability Viewpoints 2005, which seeks views from disabled Londoners on employment, housing and post-16 education in the capital.

In June 2005, the results of a human rights audit we conducted for An Garda Siochana (Irish Republic Police Service) was published on their web site.

Further examples of our work include:

• London Metropolitan University – Diversity Briefings for Governors, Heads of Department, Academics and Professional Support Staff; Theatre workshops – Recognising and Challenging Inappropriate Behaviours; provision of supporting materials on Diversity, Disability and Cross cultural communication
  
• HM Prison Service – Support for two day Board seminar involving community contributors and professional performers to illustrate the issues around race equality (2003)
  
• Nottingham City Council – Social Services – Managing Diverse Teams – series of highly interactive theatre based workshops for senior and middle managers 2005 – 2006

• GLA – Consultancy to develop GLA equality strategy 2002 (Equality for all Review)

• Police Services – England and Wales as the Specialist Support Unit on Community and Race Relations to the Home Office (1999 – 2003) – Managing Diversity and Valuing Diversity in a policing context; Race and Community Relations Consultancy and Training workshops for all levels of the police service (involving members of local communities in an interface session with participants; use of theatre to illustrate the issues; production of supporting training materials and tailor made video for use during the training); training for associate trainers and police trainers

• Lord Chancellor’s Department (now Department of Constitutional Affairs)– senior management training in equality and diversity; training for trainers; production of a video to illustrate issues around inappropriate behaviours at work and ways of challenging these; senior management training to implement good practice in relation to equality and diversity (2001 – 2003)