Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead

CAFCASS; England; Hybrid; GBP 57,000 - 59,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Hybrid working

Local Government Pension Scheme

Job summary

Cafcass is seeking an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead to shape and deliver ED&I priorities across Practice, People and Partners. You will work with senior leaders, stakeholders and colleague networks to drive meaningful change and better outcomes for children and families.

The role involves data-led decisions, steering group leadership and collaboration with unions, governance and external partners to embed inclusive practice across the organisation.

Qualifications

• Substantial subject matter expertise in equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Ability to influence a wide range of stakeholders including senior leaders.
• Experience facilitating groups and turning evidence into action.
• Strong analytical and communication skills.
• Collaborative, values-led leadership with passion for children and families.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and evaluation of Cafcass' equality, diversity and inclusion priorities across Practice, People and Partners.
• Facilitate the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group with internal and board-level involvement.
• Translate data and colleague voice into practical action and improvements.
• Advise senior leaders with credible specialist input while acting as an ambassador for Cafcass.
• Collaborate with internal colleagues, unions and external partners to improve organisational practice.
• Support wellbeing and inclusive initiatives to attract/retain staff and sustain high performance.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Facilitation

Data-driven decision making

Influencing senior leaders

Diversity & inclusion

Job description

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead

Location: Flexible location, with regular travel to Cafcass office locations across England
Salary: £56,941 - £59,028 (plus London Weighting £5,951 where applicable)
Reports to: Head of Organisational Development

Shape inclusion, colleague voice and meaningful change at Cafcass

At Cafcass, our work supports children and families at some of the most important and difficult moments in their lives, and the experience and support we provide for colleagues is central to how well we deliver that purpose.

Aligned to the recently published Cafcass Strategic Plan 2026-2029, Sustaining ambition for children, this is a critical role in leading, facilitating and delivering our equality, diversity and inclusion priorities across Practice, People and Partners.

We are looking for an experienced, values-led Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead who shares our passion and ambition for our colleagues and for the children and families we serve. You will strengthen inclusion across our culture, workforce, services and practice, helping to improve experiences and outcomes for children while supporting Cafcass to attract and retain experienced colleagues, promote wellbeing and sustain high performance.

About the role

Reporting to the Head of Organisational Development, you will work across the HR function and in equal partnership with senior operational, corporate and business services leaders and teams. You will provide subject matter expertise, lead the development and delivery of Cafcass' equality, diversity and inclusion priorities, facilitate our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, and turn insight, data and colleague voice into practical action. You will work with internal colleagues, members of the Family Justice Young People's Board and Cafcass Board, trade unions, external partners and our colleague diversity networks to improve organisational culture, support inclusive practice and secure better experiences for colleagues, children and families.

What you will be doing

• Lead the development, delivery, review and evaluation of Cafcass' equality, diversity and inclusion priorities across Practice, People and Partners, aligned to the Strategic Plan 2026-2029.
• Facilitate the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, working with internal colleagues, Family Justice Young People's Board members and Cafcass Board members to support effective governance, challenge and progress.
• Work across the organisation to bring leading-edge practice and innovative strategies into our approach to equality, diversity and inclusion including interpretation of government and other official publications.
• Build strong relationships with and support our seven colleague diversity networks: Ability Matters, Carers, Faith, Kaleidoscope, Mental Health, Neurodiversity and Pride (LGBT+), helping their insight and priorities influence organisational practice and decision-making.
• Use equality, diversity and inclusion data, evidence and colleague voice to inform decisions, reporting, awareness campaigns and improvement work, including activity that supports attraction, retention, wellbeing and high performance.
• Provide credible specialist advice, support and constructive challenge to senior leaders and stakeholders, acting as an ambassador for Cafcass, safeguarding, inclusion and meaningful organisational change.

About you

• Substantial subject matter expertise and a strong track record of developing and delivering equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives in a large or complex organisation.
• The ability to influence, engage and work credibly with a wide range of stakeholders, including senior leaders, operational, corporate and business services teams, governance groups, colleague networks and external partners.
• Experience of facilitating groups, building consensus and translating diverse perspectives, evidence and insight into practical, measurable action.
• Strong analytical, communication and problem-solving skills, with the confidence to bring leading-edge practice and innovative thinking to organisational priorities.
• A collaborative, credible and values-led style, together with the same passion and ambition we have for our colleagues and for the children and families we serve.

Why join Cafcass?

This is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in an organisation with a unique and important purpose.

In return, you will be part of an organisation that offers:

• Flexible and hybrid working, with regular travel across England where the role requires it.
• A supportive, values-led organisation with a clear focus on improvement, colleague experience and inclusive practice.
• Access to the West Yorkshire Pension Fund, a Local Government Pension Scheme.
• 28 days' annual leave, rising to 33 days after five years' continuous service, plus bank/public holidays.

Safeguarding and inclusion

Cafcass is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment.

We are also committed to creating an inclusive and diverse working environment where colleagues feel valued, respected and able to do their best work. We welcome applications from people with a range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

If you are interested in this opportunity and want to help Cafcass deliver an exceptional experience for children and families, we would welcome your application. For enquiries, please contact Jen Skila, Chief People Officer, at [e-mail]

Be Their Voice

We are Cafcass - the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service - and we represent children in family court cases in England.

Independently advising the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests, we speak up for over 130,0000 children every year when the family court makes critical decisions about their futures, ensuring their needs, wishes and feelings are heard.

Watch our video to find out we don't just listen to children's voices but we can be their voice.

If our purpose resonates with you, and you share our ambitions for children - exceptional experiences, for every child, everywhere and every time - then if you join us, you will work alongside like-minded people in a diverse, inclusive and supportive organisation.

You will be trusted to work flexibly and independently using outstanding technology (e.g. touchscreen laptops, iPhone, all with first class support, including IT Trainers) with access to substantial resources (e.g. Cafcass Library has over 27,000 resources on social work, child protection and related topics). You will also have opportunities to develop, whatever team you join, wherever you are in the country and at whatever stage you are at in your career.

Whether you join us in one of our social work roles that work directly with children and families or our corporate and business services teams who provide technology, support and expertise, you will have the chance to make a difference for children and families. You can also find out more at www.cafcass.gov.uk/careers.

Wellbeing

The wellbeing of our colleagues is something we are truly passionate about, as demonstrated by everyone having four dedicated, additional days per year when they are encouraged to spend time focusing on their health and wellbeing.

Colleagues can also have a health and wellbeing cash plan, for which Cafcass pays the basic premium (you can upgrade to include family members), which allows them to claim back some costs of routine health expenses, including dental check-ups, eye tests, physiotherapy sessions and more.

Overall, we foster a holistic approach to supporting our colleagues, benefitting physical, mental and financial health. This is led by a dedicated in-house team, the benefits of which include meaning support is targeted and specific to what colleagues need. Our team can also offer support and guidance when it comes to specific health conditions, such as neuro-diverse conditions, cancer and the menopause.

Our wellbeing offer is further strengthened by an external Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) which provides a free confidential support service 24 hours a day. This means access to clinical and professional expertise which gives you a chance to talk about all kinds of work and personal issues.

If this wasn't enough, we are especially proud that over 125 colleagues have completed training and receive ongoing support to act as Health and Wellbeing Champions. Further... --> truncated for brevity -->

Diversity

We represent children and families from diverse backgrounds and having a diverse workforce helps us to fulfil this responsibility authentically.

It also helps us to grow, evolve and innovate, so we particularly welcome applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds as we strive to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of the children and families we work with.

We are proud to be a disability confident leader, we invite you to join our team, we are committed to actively attract and recruit individuals with disabilities including "non-visible" disabilities and mental health conditions. Our inclusive and accessible recruitment process means we aim to accommodate reasonable adjustments as needed. This commitment highlights our dedication to employing, training, retaining, and developing the careers of our colleagues with disabilities.

Our Diversity Networks provide a safe space for colleagues with shared aspects of identity and lived experience - supported by allies across the organisation. The networks help ensure we provide an inclusive working environment and a service which promotes the diversity and uniqueness of children and families from all backgrounds.

For more information watch our video here.

Ability Matters

Colleagues with disabilities and long-term health conditions.

Carers Network

Colleagues with additional caring responsibilities for someone close to them who has a disability or long-term health condition.

Faith Network

Colleagues who are part of, or have an interest in, religious or spiritual faith communities.

Kaleidoscope Network

Colleagues from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

Mental Health Network

Colleagues who experience, or have an interest in, Mental Health issues.

Pride Network

Colleagues who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans - LGBT+.

Neurodiversity Network

Colleagues who are neurodivergent, or support someone who is.

Together

'Together with Children and Families' (which we just call 'Together') is the name of our relationship-based practice framework. It applies to the work of every individual in Cafcass, from Social Workers to Leaders and includes our Corporate and Business Support teams.

It is at the heart of what we do and is made up of our values, how these values work in practice, the tools to use to incorporate these values in our work and the impact this will have on the children and families we serve.

This framework encourages us to be pro-active and to look for the strengths in ourselves and others. It also enables us to build positive relationships with our colleagues, our partners and most importantly, with the children and families with whom we work.

We look forward to telling helping you learn more about Together should you join us.

Benefits

We know if you join us you want to be rewarded in a variety of ways, including time away from work to spend time with those important to you, manage your financial present and future, whilst also be trusted to manage your work/life balance.

Therefore, in addition to our unique, holistic approach to supporting your health and wellbeing we also provide:

• Generous holidays
  28 days holiday (including three for Christmas) rising to 33 days with five years continuous service, which could include your current employment. You can also sell any you do not need.
• Excellent pension
  13.7% employer contribution to Local Government Pension scheme, potentially building on your current pension.
• Flexible working
  Most colleagues work in a hybrid way, having the benefits of working both from the office and home, we also accommodate flexible working requests (e.g. 9-day fortnights).
• Exclusive discounts
  Generous discounts with wide range of companies covering leisure, technology, travel, personal finance, fashion and supermarkets.
• Professional fees
  Social work colleagues have their annual Social Work England membership fees reimbursed.
• Car leasing schemes
  We offer a personal car leasing scheme which provides vehicles at competitive rates through a third party.

This list is just a selection of main benefits and we have a range of policies and processes that allow us to support our colleagues - and their families - and we look forward to providing you with further information about these in due course.