We recently held our cross-branch meeting of our Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Working Group and to ensure transparency to all our members, we would like to provide you all with an update.
The group brings together reps and activists from across our recognised employers, with a clear aim: to ensure that equality, inclusion and fairness are not just words we use, but principles that guide the work of our union every day.
One of the key priorities discussed at the meeting was the continuation and expansion of our Neurodiversity Campaign, which many of you will know we launched last year.
Strengthening Our Neurodiversity Campaign
The feedback we continue to receive from members is clear: while awareness of neurodiversity in workplaces has improved in recent years, the reality is that many neurodivergent colleagues – and families supporting neurodivergent children – still face significant challenges.
These include long waiting times for diagnoses, inconsistent workplace support, and a lack of understanding from employers about the adjustments that can make a real difference to someone’s ability to thrive at work.
We believe this is an issue that deserves long-term focus and practical action.
Creating an Aegis Parents Forum
One of the ideas that came directly from our recent member online meetings’ is the creation of an Aegis Parents Forum for members who have neurodivergent children, or who care for neurodivergent family members.
For many parents and carers, balancing work with the realities of supporting a neurodivergent child can be incredibly challenging. Access to support, shared experiences, and understanding from others in similar situations can make a huge difference.
The aim of the Parents Forum will be to:
- Provide a safe and supportive space for members to share experiences
- Allow members to support each other and exchange practical advice
- Help Aegis better understand the challenges faced by working parents and carers
- Inform our campaigning work with employers and external policymakers
- This forum will be open to all members of Aegis, ensuring that support and conversation can take place beyond individual workplaces.
I will personally be helping to get this forum started, as a parent of a child with Autism, it is an issue very close to my own heart, and something I know many of our members are navigating every day.
Looking Ahead
Alongside this work, the D&I Working Group will continue developing wider campaigns focused on improving workplace understanding of neurodiversity, supporting better training for managers, and pushing for stronger legal protections for neurodivergent workers.
But most importantly, this work will be shaped by the voices and experiences of our members.
If you would be interested in taking part in the Parents Forum, contributing to the Neurodiversity Campaign, or becoming more involved in the work of the D&I Working Group, please contact us at members@aegistheunion.co.uk
Together we can ensure that Aegis continues to build workplaces – and communities – where everyone can thrive.
Brian McDaid
General Secretary
