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Parenting Horizons Speaker Series

Date: 17/10/2024
Location: Virtual and in person

We are very pleased to announce the launch of our Parenting Horizons Speaker Series.

In 2024, the Diversity Project will collaborate with experts on the Parenting Horizons Speaker Series to help navigate support and understanding across the spectrum of parenthood.

Over the next eight months, we will be covering the following topics:

  • Fertility
  • Miscarriage / Baby loss
  • Adoption / Surrogacy
  • Childcare
  • Supporting working parents with children’s mental health

These five engaging topics will be covered via virtual live sessions over the coming months.

Please click on the topics below to view to register. This is for Diversity Project Members only.

Upcoming Information Sessions

Fertility Matters at work...and here's why – Virtual – 29th February 2024

Fertility Matters at work…and here’s why – Virtual – 29th February 2024 – 12:30pm

The “Fertility Matters at work…and here’s why” webinar, is the first in the series and highlights the topic of fertility in the workplace and demonstrates why organisations need to commit to becoming/ being fertility-friendly. Topics covered will include understanding infertility, the prevalence of fertility treatment needs, the emotional and physical impacts of fertility treatment and loss, and how managers and colleagues can offer support. The event also sets the stage for future discussions on related topics.

This webinar is for Diversity Project members only.

Sylvain Agar, Diversity Project Ambassador

Becky Kearns , Co-Founder, Fertility Matters at Work

Natalie Silverman, Co-Founder, Fertility Matters at Work

Miscarriage, stillbirth and baby loss – Virtual – 26th April – 11am

Trigger Warning: baby loss

An estimated one in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage.  An average of 8 babies a day are stillborn.  Some people will experience multiple losses.  Most workplaces have staff who have been or may be affected.

But many employers rarely have policies in place to help. Managers are not always clear on their responsibilities and colleagues may not know what to say.
Please join us on Friday 26th April at 11am, where we will be joined by the charity 4Louis, which helps support families through miscarriage, stillbirth and child loss. 4Louis will share their experience and their mission to help raise awareness, break the taboo and discuss how employers can support their employees.
Register now

Different ways to make a family: Surrogacy and Adoption – Virtual – Tuesday 11th June

There are just under 700,000 babies born in the UK each year of which around 400 will be born to the parents via surrogates.

There were 83,840 children in the care of local authorities at the end of March 2023. There are just under 3000 children adopted each year in the UK.

We are delighted to be joined by Dr Arlene Weekes and Mike Johnson-Ellis on 11th June at 12 noon to discuss some of the different ways of building a family that you, your colleagues or your team members may be a part of. As an employer or an employee, we aim to increase an understanding of these pathways and how you may need to adapt your policies and practices to meet different situations.

With 34 years’ experience in the social work profession Arlene has held many roles, including probation officer, leaving care team manager, child protection chair, fostering and adoption panel chair and independent reporting officer for both foster carers and children.

Mike set up TwoDadsUK® with his partner Wes back in 2016, after the birth of their first child.  They are also Founders of The Modern Family Show and the UK’s leading surrogacy non profit organisation My Surrogacy Journey® which launched in Feb 2021 and has a Number 1 Podcast; My Surrogacy Journey – The Podcast

Tuesday 11 June, 12:00-13:00

This webinar is for Diversity Project members only.

Dr Arlene Weekes, Senior Lecturer

Michael Johnson-Ellis, Co-CEO & Co-founder, My Surrogacy Journey

Register Now

Supporting working parents with children's mental health – Virtual – 23rd September – 12 - 1pm

This webinar is on Supporting working parents with children’s mental health in partnership with WIBF.

We are so pleased to welcome an incredible panel of speakers to this webinar –  Sir Peter Wanless, the CEO of NSPCC who will set the scene and state of play with children’s mental health. Following on we will hear from Stuart White, CEO of HSBC AM and Alison Unsted, CEO of MindForward Alliance.  About being a working parent as well as the support required and how fostering an open culture in the workplace to support parents is essential.

Agenda below:

Topics –  Speakers 
Intro and facilitate speakers Diversity Project Mental Health Workstream
  • Main areas of mental health concern the NSPCC are seeing. Stats and figures. 
  • How this affects the working environment for parents. 
Sir Peter Wanless – CEO NSPCC 
  • Parents perspective and support required from work. 
  • Business implementation-HR and parenting policies – what good looks like and why it is important for businesses to adopt them. 
Stuart White – CEO HSBC GAM 
  • Parents perspective and support required from work. 
  • Work programmes – what good looks like and why it is important for businesses to adopt them. 
Alison Unsted – CEO MindForward Alliance 
Closing with Q&A Diversity Project Mental Health Workstream

Sir Peter Wanless, CEO, NSPCC

Stuart White, UK CEO, HSBC Asset Management

Alison Unsted, CEO Mindforwardalliance

Register Now

Childcare – Virtual – 17th October

17th October 2024 

The cost of childcare in Britain is the third-most expensive in the world, according to data from the OECD.

Research* shows that 98% of mothers want to return to work, yet 85% leave their full-time jobs within three years of having a child.

In this webinar we will discuss what needs to be done, and practical steps member firms can take to support colleagues.

We pleased to welcome a great panel of speakers to this webinar:

Joeli Brearley, Pregnant Then Screwed. Joeli founded Pregnant Then Screwed in 2015 after her own experience of pregnancy discrimination. She writes for the Telegraph, is the winner of the Northern Power Women Agent for Change award, is an Amnesty International Human Rights Defender and a member of the United Nations Working Group: Women’s Human Rights in the Changing World of Work. In January 2021 she took the Government to court for indirect sex discrimination due to the way self employed mothers were being financially penalised by the income support scheme. Her debut book: ”Pregnant Then Screwed: The Truth about the Motherhood Penalty, and how to fix it’’ was published by Simon & Schuster on the 4th March 2021.

Oliver Daniels, Bubble: Oliver currently works at Bubble as Head of Corporate Services. Previously, they worked as a Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Consultant at The Kaleidoscope Group. Oliver also held key positions at My Family Care – part of Bright Horizons, including Business Development Manager, Operations Manager, and Customer Service Manager. Oliver was also a Business Development Manager at Bright Horizons UK. Prior to these roles, they worked as a Customer Services Supervisor at 3663 First for Foodservice and had freelance roles as an Account Planner at The Marketing Store, and as a Copywriter at TDA (The Direct Agency) LLP and Direct Marketing Services.

The panel will be chaired by Lawrence Gosling, Artemis’ Head of Communications and PR and also include Eoin Kashishian, Managing Director, Head of UK & Ireland Corporate Banking at J.P. Morgan, and member representation from Julie Killen, Vice President, Regulatory Oversight Specialist at Northern Trust.

Source: Careers after Babies’ report.

Register Now

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