Surrey County Council

Here in Surrey, we have an ultimate ambition – that no one is left behind.

So, what does that mean? Essentially, it means helping those who need us most, and improving quality of life for everyone.

For an organisation responsible for services as diverse as social care, community protection, education and much more, 'no one left behind' is an important touchstone to ensure we are serving all our residents to the best of our ability.

It's also an important guiding principle as we work alongside partner organisations and community groups across Surrey.

There has never been a better time to join us here at Surrey. We have made great strides in our transformation over the past couple of years and have bold plans to go further so that we can deliver the best possible outcomes for our residents. We are ambitious about the impact we can have in mitigating climate change, delivering good Green growth and more sustainable transport. We continue to invest in major infrastructure programmes and are leading the way in our efforts to support the economy as we come through COVID. We are passionate about making a difference to children and young people, keeping them safe, enabling them to thrive and reach their full potential. Our Agile ambitions, which stood us in good stead throughout the past few months, have opened up a window of new opportunities, utilising a variety of digital and virtual platforms to enable interaction and collaboration whilst working remotely. Our work in the equality, inclusion and diversity arena is also going from strength to strength, with an LGBTQI+ network and Disability network recently added to our existing Women’s, Youth, BAME and Wellbeing networks. Our mantra that " No One Left Behind" as the council strives to tackle inequalities across the county and communities applies equally to those working for us, so we welcome staff who share our values and are as passionate as we are about delivering quality services across the board. - Joanna Killian - Chief Executive

Lien Cross- Apprenticeship Consultant:

As an apprentice at SCC you are a valued member of staff and we want to make your apprenticeship a positive experience. All of our apprentices will be allocated a buddy to support them in their first few months and help you settle in. The Young employee network on Jive is  a good place to meet other apprentices and share ideas. You will be involved with organising National Apprenticeship Week and developing activities across the Council. We aim to offer a holistic approach for our apprentices including money management, hints and tips on office etiquette and much more. Our previous apprentices are always keen to support and provide advice on making the most of your apprenticeship.

Mariam Nikpour- Performance Consultant :

We want to help you thrive in your new career at Surrey County Council. To achieve this, you will receive information and guidance during your first month from your manager, peers, nominated buddy and the HR and IT teams. Our leadership team host monthly new joiner welcome sessions with an opportunity to ask the questions that are important to you, alongside our online new joiner community where you can network and seek support. You will complete role specific and organisation wide mandatory training during your early weeks and be encouraged to identify and pursue development opportunities to continue your career progression.

What does Equality, Diversity and Inclusion mean to us?

"We want to create a working environment that celebrates and embraces difference, enables a sense of belonging and provides equal opportunity for all. Staff should feel comfortable bringing their full selves to work. Surrey should be a place where different beliefs, life experiences and backgrounds are treated equally. The residents we serve should feel respected, listened to and valued as members of our community.

In order to achieve this we need the voices and opinions of our workforce and we therefore encourage staff and especially anyone new to the organisation to join any of the networks you see throughout this handbook whether that be through personal association or allyship. You can use our intranet platforms to do so or reach out to our network leads who would welcome any interest or support."- Sarah Kershaw - Director of People and Change

CARERS NETWORK

An estimated 1 in 7 of any workforce will be caring for someone who is older, disabled or seriously ill. Our Staff Carers Network is for all those employees who juggle working life with their caring role. Our network provides a platform for staff carers to share experiences, develop support and collaboration, and we aim to champion improvements to the working environment of working carers. We seek to ensure employees with caring responsibilities are recognised and supported through all Surrey’s policies to build a positive and inclusive workplace for staff who are, or will become carers. Surrey is a Carer Confident (level 1) accredited employer .” - Lisa Woodruff Truscott & Ron Critcher

WOMENS NETWORK

The Women’s Network is an opportunity to come together to share experiences and act as champions for gender inclusion. The network is chaired by the Chief Executive and aims to create an inclusive space to support, empower and champion all genders. We aim to take an intersectional approach, recognising that everyone has their own unique experiences of discrimination and oppression and advocating for equality, diversity and inclusion across multiple identities and groups. We meet quarterly and run a mixture of workshop sessions, public speakers and networking events. – Barbara Anu, Network Lead

DEAF/BSL NETWORK

Our Deaf Employee Network may be the smallest of the Surrey Networks, but nothing will stop us from making changes! Seeing our sister Network for Disabilities (DENIS) launch, gave us the fuel to launch the Deaf Employee Network, as the communication barriers faced by Deaf and Hard of Hearing employees are a different set of issues. We welcome any Surrey employees who are Deaf, or Hard of Hearing, or are fluent in BSL, are learning to sign or have an interest in learning, to join our Network, as we work to break down communication walls and turn them into bridges, for all Deaf people, including Hard of Hearing people. Watch out world, as the new BSL Act for England when signed by our Queen, will give us even more determination! Andrew Jordan”

MEGA NETWORK

The Minority Ethnic Group and Allies Network was put in place to support the Council's agenda to create a more inclusive organisation, as well as provide a space for the Network to come together to share knowledge, skills, experiences and learning about their professional journey within the workplace. This Network is not just for those who may identify as being from an ethnically minoritized group, but those who may have lived experience, skills or expertise that could contribute to our aims and objectives.

LGBTQI+ NETWORK

Our LGBTQI+ Network has already had great success. From celebrating and sponsoring Surrey Pride and the fantastic events that ran alongside it such as dance clubs, virtual speed dating and raising our very own rainbow flag over County Hall, we also tackled the wide range of subjects surrounding or influencing some or all in the LGBTQI+ community. Through open and honest conversations about equality in the workplace, our network continues to add invaluable input to the narrative around EDI whilst celebrating, valuing and encouraging difference.

DISABILITIES NETWORK

Did you know that approximately 20% of the UK working age population is disabled? Our network aims to raise disability awareness across Surrey County Council, helping everyone to understand reasonable adjustments and the rights of disabled workers. We provide a safe space for disabled staff to share their experiences, empower each other, and directly contribute to positive change in the organisation through our involvement as lived-experience experts in a variety of workstreams.