Camden is involved with many local, regional and national organisations promoting diversity and non-discrimination in the labour market, including:
- Stonewall, a charity that works with institutions to create inclusive and accepting cultures for LGBTQ+ people. Camden had entered the Equality Index to benchmark itself and help identify opportunities and areas where inclusive practices can be developed.
- Timewise, a social consultancy aiming to create a fairer workplace for all. Camden is a timewise employer.
- Camden Disability Action with which the Council partnered to coproduce new solutions for the disadvantages experienced by Disabled people and those with long-term health conditions in the labour market.
To ensure an adequate rate of diversity within its workforce at all levels, the borough has put in place a recruitment plan that aims specifically at increasing representation of people with migrant/minority backgrounds at the higher hierarchical levels. The Camden Race Equality Action Plan aims to eliminate the barriers that prevent members of underrepresented groups from securing roles in higher positions within the Council (particularly those who are Black, Asian or from another ethnic background). The Recruitment Working Group, made up of staff from a range of ethnicities as well as those with lived experience of disability, prioritises diversity and has look at shortlisting, amended job descriptions, adverts and recruitment policy.
In 2020, Camden Council implemented blind recruitment at senior levels and is working with hiring managers directly to trial different modes of assessment and at the same time provide more guidance for fair shortlisting.
Camden Council took actions to ensure that residents with migrant/minority backgrounds are fairly represented in public service organisation and on school boards. The Equality Framework for Local Government helps local councils to meet their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 including the Public Sector Equality Duties (PSED), in particular, under the ‘A diverse and engaged workforce' theme within the framework. In addition, the Council is working on increasing the representation of minority residents in school governor recruitment. The Council carries out annual and ongoing monitoring of the make-up of boards, reported to schools, and surveys the experience of ethnic minority governors ongoing, due to report in autumn 2021. This will inform further measures including community outreach and diversity and inclusion training for chairs of boards.
