Parents and Carers Together

Welcome. Our network brings parents and carers together on one platform to address the needs of a diverse community

About PACT

UCL Parents and Carers Together (PACT) is a volunteer-led grassroots network that was established in May 2014 to raise awareness of the needs of working parents and carers.
The network directly meets the second strategic objective of the UCL 2020 Strategy: to 'improve the consistency of experience and support of staff and students around pregnancy, maternity, paternity, childcare and caring responsibilities.'

Issues commonly facing parents and carers include:

part-time working
flexible working
techniques and strategies for communicating with colleagues and/or managers
dealing with discrimination and stereotypes
managing expectations of other staff
challenging inappropriate comments
emerging technology and its impact
establishing work-life balance.

Core aims

To support staff members who are balancing new or ongoing caring responsibilities with work
To raise awareness of UCL policies that support parents and carers
To open up discussion about the matters facing parents and carers working in universities
To empower individuals throughout and beyond life at UCL
To help the institution realise and achieve its strategic aims and aspirations, notably UCL 2034, the Equality, Diversion and Inclusion Strategy 2015 - 2020, and the UCL Grand Challenge of Human Wellbeing.

Structure of PACT

Steering Group

Chair
Clare Hewitt - c.hewitt@ucl.ac.uk

Members of the wider PACT network

PACT is for anyone with caring responsibilities, whether for adults or children, that impact in some way on their working life or wellbeing. The network is open to all staff groups. We also work closely with UCL Human Resources who have consulted the PACT members to help shape policy and training.

What does PACT do?

PACT aims to be responsive to its members' needs. Bi-monthly events provide an opportunity for parents and carers to gain expert advice and insights from UCL colleagues and external service providers. It is also a chance to meet other members with a view to sharing stories, tips and strategies relating to work and/or home in an open and informal environment.

The group also maintains a virtual presence on MS Teams

We have run many sessions for our members and are always open to suggestions. Here are some examples and recordings can often be found on the MS Teams site:

Staff network and HR policies to support parents at UCL
Making flexible working arrangements on return to campus
Dealing with grief and loss
Managing conflicts with children
Bilingualism for children
Dementia friendly session
Leave entitlement at UCL
Caring for elderly parents: personal perspective from senior UCL colleagues
Approaches to flexible working at UCL
Maternity coaching series: A unique and novel support series which has never been provided previously.

We also have special interest groups which have separate channels on our MS Teams site. These are the Staff Dementia Network and the Parents and Carers of Neurodivergent Children Support Group.

Awards and Nominations

PACT won the 'Provost's Excellence Award' in 2016 for its service to UCL staff members and for providing coaching and practical support
PACT was runner up for the 'Provost's Excellence Award for Service to Staff' in 2017 and was shortlisted from 97 entries.
In 2019, the work of PACT Network was recognised at the Professional Services Conference and was awarded Outstanding Contribution to Staff Experience

Join the PACT network

Join the UCL PACT online community on MS Teams.

If you would like to join the email network, please subscribe to our mailing list.