Combined Authority seeks volunteers from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities for its Reciprocal Mentoring scheme

THE Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is looking for 20 volunteers from across the Region's Black and Asian and Minority Ethnic communities to join a Reciprocal Mentoring scheme with 20 members of its leadership team.

The scheme aims to help senior staff within the Combined Authority gain some understanding of what life is like in the City Region for people from Black and Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. The scheme will partner with Liverpool John Moores University to deliver the training, who are in their third year of running this type of reciprocal mentoring scheme.

Over the last year the Combined Authority has worked with a wide range of partners on activities including a £3.2m Race Equality Hub that will target employment inequalities and removing barriers in the labour market, as well as starting to deliver race equality training to the City Region's 22,000 Local Government employees.

This is the latest element of the Combined Authority's broader work to tackle racial inequality in the City Region. The understanding gained through the process will feed into how the Combined Authority delivers its own services and help improve its practices around inclusively and non-discrimination in its activities, while volunteers will benefit from building a relationship with the Combined Authority's senior leaders. Under this race equality mentoring scheme, the volunteers will be reimbursed for their mentoring over 6 months.

Speaking about the programme Katherine Fairclough, Chief Executive of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said:- "The best people to help our senior leaders understand what life is like for people from the Region's Black and Asian, Minority Ethnic communities are those who have that lived experience.I'd urge people to come forward to get involved with this scheme, to truly have their voices heard, and influence how the Combined Authority delivers its services in the future. The scheme will provide opportunities to create a powerful alliance where knowledge and understanding of people's lived experience are used to raise awareness and influence decision making. I hope that this will directly contribute towards creating a diverse and inclusive society across the City Region. This scheme is an important practical demonstration of our unwavering commitment to address racial inequality. It is also a great example of how devolution can enable us to get closer to the people we serve and ultimately make better decisions on their behalf."

The scheme is open to anyone over the age of 18, from a:- Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic background. Participants will be offered reimbursement for their participation in the scheme.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 15 February 2023. Information on how to apply is available in the vacancies section on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, visit:- ATS-LiverpoolCityRegion-Ca.JGP.Co.UK.

Further details on the scheme have show that there is a time commitment over the full 6 months based on the estimate below:-

► Mentor training session... 90 minutes training in March 2023 on being a mentor and getting the most out of a reciprocal mentoring relationship

► Between 4 and 6 mentor meetings... approximately 1½ hours per meeting, once a month for 6 months.

► Maintain a reflective diary... 10 mins to 15 mins after each meeting (eg:- video, written, etc.). This is individual, and we believe it will help you reflect on the conversations.

► Impact and evaluation (to assess the effectiveness of the scheme)... Approx. 60 mins (This meeting will be arranged for end of the scheme)

The project will the run from March 2023 until October 2023 with impact and evaluation taking place in November 2023. Anyone with any queries, or who would like an informal discussion, should contact the Combined Authority via email:- RaceEquality@LiverpoolCityRegion-CA.Gov.UK.

Panels launched to tackle discrimination, injustice and inequality across Liverpool City Region

MEMBERS of 4 brand new Equality Panels; covering:- disability, race, gender and sexuality; have met for the 1st time to discuss how they plan to help tackle:- discrimination, injustice and inequality in the Liverpool City Region.

The panel members met with Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram and Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson, the Combined Authority's Portfolio Holder for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, to discuss how they will work to help embed equality into all Combined Authority activity and decision making.

Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said:- "Building a fairer, more equal future for the 1.6 million people who call our area home is the driving force behind my work as Mayor., but I know that I don't have the monopoly on good ideas;and that I can't really achieve anything alone. That's why we've established our Equality Panels; to give underrepresented groups in our Region a platform and to bring some of the most important issues in our society to the forefront of our policy making. It's my hope that by bringing together experts and a wide mix of people with lived experience, we can make an even bigger impact on people's lives. Because I'm determined to continue fulfilling my commitment to make sure that every person and every community has a chance to thrive in a fair and socially just City Region; where no 1 is left behind."

The panels will shape and influence all areas of work in the City Region, from employment and skills, to transport and the environment, and will build on the work of the Combined Authority's Fairness and Social Justice Advisory Board.

Mayor Joanne Anderson, Portfolio Holder for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, said:- "It is extremely important for me to leave a lasting legacy about how we engage with everyone across Liverpool City Region which will impact decision-making at Combined Authority level. The people we have selected for these panels will offer invaluable insight on how the Combined Authority can embed equality into this process. They will be offering constructive criticism and will challenge the Liverpool City Region on their decision-making. My call to action for the people participating in the panels is to effectively question and challenge to ensure they have a lasting impact. In doing so, they are setting the wheels of transformative change in motion."

Each panel has up to 10 members, appointed for a 3 year term with chairs for each panel elected yearly.

This further commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion follows the launch last year of the Combined Authority's Equality Strategy.  Developed in partnership with:- employees, trade union representatives, residents, advisory panels and Local Authority partners, the Equality Strategy sets out how the Combined Authority will prioritise those left behind, disadvantaged, or experiencing discrimination, and reduce inequality by enhancing how public services are delivered.

Specifically, it sets out how it will make sure that people with the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act, as well as those disadvantaged by their socio-economic status, are not discriminated against.

The new Equality Strategy, which will be reviewed every year, also sets out more than 40 specific actions the Combined Authority will take in its 3 main areas of activity; as a major employer with nearly 1000 staff; as a funder and investor, spending more than £100 million each year, and as a civic leader, with a powerful convening role through the Metro Mayor.