Following our first national conference in 2020, the NPAA in partnership with the NPCC, College of Policing and Devon & Cornwall Police are hosting a second Neurodiversity in Policing Conference. This year’s event, themed “Think Different – Think Big”, is being run as a series of online presentations, talk cafés and workshops from the 16th to 30th November. Guest speakers include Matthew Syed, Margaret Heffernan and Vice Admiral Nick Hine.
The event is open to all NPAA members, police employees and volunteers, and staff from the wider criminal justice community. If you are an NPAA member, you should have already received an email about the event – details are available on our web forum (note you will need to be logged in to view the thread.)
If you are not a member and would like to be sent the conference programme and booking form, drop us a message via the contact page using the “Media/Comms & General” option. (Note that the conference is not open to members of public.) Alternatively, join us to get access to our members’ forum and/or regular email updates – it’s free and only takes a few minutes – simply fill in the form on the membership page with your details and work email address.
New discovery report outlines recommendations for improving diversity and inclusion in policing
The College of Policing has released a discovery report on workplace adjustments (also known as reasonable adjustments) supporting disabled and neurodivergent officers and staff in the police service.
The report was commissioned by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) as part of the Police Uplift Programme, the Government’s commitment to recruit an additional 20,000 officers by March 2023. Research was carried out by the College and PurpleSpace, the professional networking hub for disabled employees, with Force leads and individual officers and staff invited to participate in surveys run over the early part of 2021.
The report features quotations and personal stories, benchmarking studies from the public and private sector, and recommendations for change. Good practice by some police forces is highlighted, but the research also identifies a widespread lack of understanding of the importance of workplace adjustments in enabling disabled and neurodivergent staff to realise their potential. Key focus areas for improving inclusion across policing include strong leadership, effective employee networks, culture and language in relation to disability and neurodiversity.
A working group chaired by Deputy Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman, the NPCC’s lead for disability, is reviewing the recommendations. DCC Blakeman said: “Our colleagues’ stories show us that simple adjustments can make a huge difference, empowering individuals to give their best and helping forces to build strong inclusive teams that are reflective of our communities.”
Some key takeaways from the individuals, HR business partners and diversity leads taking part in the survey:
25 police forces had achieved Disability ConfidentLevel 2 accreditation, with a further five Forces and the College of Policing achieving the top Level 3 tier (Disability Confident Leader)
45% of Force Diversity & Inclusion strategies made reference to neurodiversity
53% of HR departments were confident in the ability of first and second line managers to have proactive and inclusive conversations with their staff about disability
69% of individuals had personally experienced, or were aware of a colleague having experienced, refusal of a reasonable adjustment request
Click on the image above to view the report page on the College of Policing website, or click on the link to download the PDF (133 pages). (A 3 minute video summary of the key points is available from Rank Success.)
The NPAA would like to thank the College of Policing and NPCC for the opportunity to participate in this project. ∎
From an autistic Police Constable to Police Sergeant – how one officer successfully challenged the system and improved career prospects for neurodivergent colleagues
Sergeant Suzanne Burke
Back in April we published a blog by Suzanne Burke, a Constable with the Metropolitan Police Service, in which she spoke candidly about her experiences as an autistic police officer. For several years, Suzanne had tried unsuccessfully to achieve promotion, having passed the exams but finding the final interview stage to be an insurmountable obstacle.
Suzanne volunteered as a Police Federation representative in order to help colleagues who are neurodivergent themselves or need advice and support in managing neurodivergent colleagues. With the help of the Federation, Suzanne obtained funding for a National Autistic Society workplace assessment and secured the reasonable adjustments she needed. Since writing her blog, and with this additional support in place, Suzanne was successful in achieving promotion to the rank of Sergeant.
Suzanne said: “I’m now in a Metropolitan Police Service that is getting better all the time and there’s a willingness to change, even right up at the top.”
Read more about Suzanne’s personal journey in the Summer 2021 issue of the MPS Federation London Beat Magazine (click on the links for the online magazine and a PDF download of the article). ∎
