Disability networks including cancer, chronic pain, neurodiversity and stammering at Defra

Background

The Civil Service Disability Network (CSDN) connects disabled employee networks across the Civil Service. As at July 2022, CSDN has members drawn from almost 60 different departments, agencies, and government organisations and at all levels. Our members are usually the chair or vice chair of their respective network. If your organisation’s disability network has not yet joined us, we would like to welcome you into membership.

Aims

Established more than twenty years ago by disabled civil servants and those with an interest in disability inclusion policy in the Civil Service, CSDN aims to:

• Support disabled employee networks across government and contribute positively to corporate activities.
• Explore the barriers faced by people with disabilities and long-term health conditions across government, and share good practice, suggesting ways that working practices and procedures can be improved.
• Enhance the levels of attainment and working conditions for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions in the Civil Service.
• Increase the proportion of people with disabilities and long-term health conditions working at all levels right across the Civil Service.

Key activities

• CSDN contributes to the Civil Service inclusion agenda. We provide advice and information to support policy development by engaging whenever necessary with other bodies to inform and change working practices.
• We respond as required to consultations on new and changing Civil Service policies as they impact people with disabilities and long-term health conditions in the Civil Service.
• We proactively represent disabled staff in cross-Civil Service groups, working groups and in other meetings.
• We act as a link between senior management and people with disabilities and long-term health conditions.
• We promote equality of opportunity, inclusion, and diversity across the Civil Service.
• We also provide advice and support and act as a forum for cross-network dialogue on disability issues across the Civil Service.

Support for individuals

As a staff network within the Civil Service, we are unable to provide assistance to non-Civil Servants. We do not have individual members of CSDN and are unable to advise or support individual members of staff. We believe that support to individuals is something that is best undertaken within their own organisation and we encourage Civil Servants who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to become a member of their own organisation's Disabled Employee Network.

We are sure your local network will welcome you into membership and will be able to offer you all the support or advice and signposting that you need. However, if you are having difficulty finding out who to contact and need us to put you into contact with your organisation's own local network, please do get in touch with us. We will forward your email to the CSDN representative in your organisation who will contact you directly.

Establishing your own disabled employee network

If there isn’t already a disabled employee network in your organisation, we will be very happy to help you establish one and to support you to help it grow and develop. We can offer access to information, networking and encouragement to help you to do this, and then we will gladly welcome you into CSDN membership too.

Our sub-networks

CSDN has a number of sub-networks which support employees with specific disabilities and long-term health conditions.

• Civil Service Deaf and Hard of Hearing Network
• Civil Service Dyslexia and Dyspraxia Network
• Civil Service Eating Disorders Network
• Civil Service Neurodiversity Network
• Civil Service Stammering Network
• Civil Service Visual Network
• Civil Service Working Through Cancer
• We also have a sub network for Diabetes.