Consulting with people across CFA about inclusion and fairness is a large part of the work ahead of the team led by ACO Steve Smith.
This week, he joined the North East Region Operational Staff Workshop to have a conversation about what it will take to build inclusion and fairness into CFA culture at a regional, district and brigade level.
Operations Manager Peter Creak opened the morning with an Acknowledgement of Country, an important new addition to the regular meetings.
ACO Inclusion and Fairness Steve Smith provided the group of 20 operations managers and operations officers with an assurance. Inclusion and fairness should not be viewed as additional work, but should be incorporated into business as usual.
“As we talk about Inclusion and Fairness, it’s important we don’t make the assumption this is just another program or initiative that will create more work for everyone. Far from it, we are talking about Inclusion and Fairness being the lens everyone should look through when planning a project, doing their everyday work or consulting with members of their team.”
The group discussed assumptions we make in our day to day interactions with the people we work with, and some of the practical ways changing practices can improve outcomes for members.
New Inclusion and Fairness Engagement Manager Jodie Henry helped facilitate a World Café style discussion, taking the group through a series of questions designed to consider how they might build on the work in their districts.
One of the leading questions the group discussed considered how leaders can support greater inclusion and diverse thinking into teams.
The discussion raised the need to change practices and the way 'things had always been done' to make way for improvements. Some suggestions included sharing who chairs meetings and the governance of or structure of member groups.
Contributing to the day’s discussion, ACO Ross Sullivan is encouraged by some of the work already being done in North East Region.
“Everyone can be a leader in this space. The first part of the work is definitely building capability and encouraging leadership across teams so they can equally develop skills to support Inclusion and Fairness.”