The Department for Work and Pensions wins a gold at the Diversity Awards

The annual awards give recognition to the best equality and diversity practitioners across the UK.

In 2003, the Department won a silver award in the category of Champion Practitioner. This year the Department reached the final stage in eight out of the ten award categories and came away with two gold and two silver titles.

Jane Saint, Jobcentre Plus Director of Human Resources, said I am delighted that the work achieved by my colleagues in the Department and Jobcentre Plus has been recognised by these prestigious awards.

The Department’s vision for diversity and equality is that the services we deliver to our customers, and the contribution of our staff, celebrate the diversity and individual talents of all members of our society.

The awards went to:
* Jobcentre Plus North West Region, won the Gold Standard Champions award for the Diversity Innovation & Awareness category for their Accessing Ability programme - a personal development programme for black and Asian ethnic minority staff;

* Jobcentre Plus Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth, won the Diversity Team Champions category for their 20:20 programme - a coaching and development programme for staff promotion;

* Dolon Sinha, Jobcentre Plus London Region Diversity & Equality Team, HR who won the Silver Standard award for the Diversity Manager of the Year;

* Mary Thoreau, DWP Diversity & Equality Division, who won the Diversity Champions in Innovation and Awareness for the Diversity Toolkit - designed for staff to enable understanding of what diversity means to them as employees.

DWP was an associate sponsor of the event, held at the Hilton Hotel in London, which was hosted by TV personality Richard Blackwood. HRH The Duke of Gloucester, poet Benjamin Zephaniah and singer Joan Armatrading were among the guests.