Membership (not) in Lockdown

Tai Pawb’s 2020-21 membership year is, in some ways, looking very different to what was envisaged when our membership benefits information was designed and printed back in February, and members may be wondering how to make best use of their membership in changed working circumstances.

The first thing to state is how much Tai Pawb really values our wonderful members at this challenging time.  Many of our members joined Tai Pawb when we were first set up, and your membership has enabled us to achieve so much to support the sector over the last 15 years.  Our annual report sets out what we did last year alone.

As with many charities, our finances have been negatively affected by the pandemic. Membership income is crucial to supporting us to support the sector and is enabling us at the current time to, for example:

– represent the sector at Welsh Government meetings to ensure our members’ concerns and questions in relation to equality, housing and coronavirus are being raised with decision makers and that we are getting the answers you need

– work to encourage key political parties to incorporate housing and equality issues in their manifestos for the next Senedd Cymru elections, to bring about long term change

– spend time gathering all the latest information on coronavirus relevant to our members’ work and sharing it with you through a fortnightly newsletter, our online resource hub and webinars

In relation to specific member benefits, many of these are still available remotely as they always have been, such as access to a free annual equality health check; a free review of a policy/strategy/action plan or similar; support with carrying out equality impact assessments; annual QED reviews; and unlimited access to our helpline.  In addition, we continue to provide consultancy support remotely at discounted member rates, for example recently carrying out a detailed review of Cynon Taf’s EIA of proposed changes to a policy affecting staff, to allow Board to make an informed decision about implementing the changed policy.

While meet-ups in person are on hold, we are developing our online offerings.  You can use your member benefit for us to present at one of your virtual meetings, rather than in person. Our free member-only network WHEN will continue to meet over Zoom.  We are currently running a series of webinars focusing on different equality issues in detail, which will be available as recordings to members.  We have started delivering training online, offering for the first time the accredited i-act course to give managers the skills to support their workforce’s wellbeing at such a challenging time.  We will soon also be offering a wider range of Tai Pawb’s training courses once they have been fully adapted to ensure they are as engaging and interactive online as they are in the classroom, and we are also looking at how we can continue our members’ menopause network remotely.

Members can continue to advertise their jobs for free with us, use our logo online and on other materials to demonstrate your commitment to equality and diversity.  Your members’ password continues to give you access to a treasury of online resources to support you to embed equality and diversity in your work.  Our quarterly email policy updates have temporarily been replaced by fortnightly Covid-19 related updates as guidance and awareness changes so quickly, and we are still sending out our Menopause in the Workplace briefings.

We are also in regular conversation with our members to share knowledge, build our understanding of your key issues and ensure we are focusing on the things that matter most to you.  We are working to develop new support and services, such as looking at how we can help our members to consider equality issues when planning remobilisation as lockdown eases.

My blog last month looked at the importance, in a time of rapid change and transition, of ensuring changing policies and practices take account of diverse needs and don’t unintentionally discriminate.  Tai Pawb’s membership benefits are designed to help you do this and more.  If you have any questions about how you can make the most of your membership, need any advice or want to tell us about your key challenges at the moment, please don’t hesitate to contact helen@taipawb.org