Focus groups

In parallel to the Steering Committee, we have a number of Focus Groups to address issues that GOS ICH staff and students have said are important.

The GOS ICH Focus Groups are here to address the issues that staff and students have said are important.  

They act as your voice recognising the differing needs of individuals and are committed to helping GOS ICH promote the value of different identities and create a culture that is respectful and inclusive, irrespective of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and religion. The Focus Groups identify problems, propose relevant actions and monitor the effectiveness of these actions, liaising with the EDI Committee to influence organisational and cultural change across the Institute.

We would like all staff and students at GOS ICH to feel able to approach, join and influence these groups.

 

Allied Health Professionals Focus Group

​​​​​​Aims and Objectives 

  • To establish a network of AHPs that provides a channel for communication, support and mentorship, providing a forum through which colleagues can identify and share challenges pertinent to AHPs.
  • To promote AHP activities within the UCL GOS Institute of Child Health and wider UCL community.
  • To develop and pilot an academic career framework that addresses specific needs for AHPs working in academic institutions.

Contact details 

Community and Public Engagement Fous group 

Aims and objectives: 

  • Help create and support a sense of community at GOS ICH
  • Break down barriers to encourage collaboration across the Institute
  • Create both communal physical and virtual spaces to encourage social communication and activitie

Focus group Lead: Claire Smith.   Contact: ICH.Community@ucl.ac.uk

Data Focus group 

Aims and objectives:

  •  Collect and analyse data relevant to the EDI Initiative Identify which data types are required to monitor the overall goals of EDI
  • Locate existing data sources and arrange collection to achieve longitudinal datasets
  • Conduct staff and student surveys and other data-gathering exercise
  • Analyse and interpret the data to identify trends, successes and areas for future improvement

Focus group Lead: Joseph Lam and Joseph Ward. Contact: ICH.EDI@ucl.ac.uk

Disability Visibility Focus Group 

Aims and objectives: see webpage

Focus group Leads: Grazia Manzotti, Diana Margot Rosenthal    Contact: ICH.EDI@ucl.ac.uk

Early-Career Researchers Focus group 

Aims and objectives:

  • Provide a safe and confidential platform where researchers can openly discuss, address and try to resolve issues including induction, employment rights, probation and promotion
  • Reach out to colleagues in GOS ICH Research programmes and groups to identify issues and problems pertinent to ECRs

Focus group Leads: Jenny Lange, Nushrat Khan

Contact ICH.EDI.Researchers@ucl.ac.uk

Mentoring Focus Group 

Aims and objectives:

  • Promote awareness of mentorship and its benefits for career and personal development amongst all staff and students of GOS ICH
  • Provide training where needed to all staff and students of GOS ICH so that they acquire appropriate skills and knowledge as mentees and/or mentor.
  • Develop a mechanism and robust support structure by which all staff and students at GOS ICH are each able to establish and maintain positive mentorship relationships as mentees, mentors or both.

 Focus group lead: Vania de Toledo;   Contact: ICH.Mentoring@ucl.ac.uk

Parents and carers focus group 

Aims and Objectives:

  • Support staff and students who have current or future caring responsibilities 
  • Disseminate information about UCL policies and resources to parents and carer
  •  Organise workshops, meetings, practical sessions and talks for parents and carers throughout the yearProvide a maternity and paternity mentoring scheme to support new parents during the transition of both leaving and returning to work

Foucs group lead:  Kimberley Reid: Contact: ICH.EDI@ucl.ac.uk; mailing list: edi-carers

Professional Services Staff Focus Group

 Aims and Objectives:

  • To establish a network of PSS staff that provides a channel for communication, support and mentorship, providing a forum through which colleagues can identify and share challenges pertinent to PSS staff;
  • Over time, to develop and improve these channels of communication, both within ICH and beyond;
  • To identify problems faced by PSS staff including, but not limited to, those around EDI, work-life balance, workload, career/promotion;
  • To enable a discussion of these problems and identify relevant actions to be taken forward;
  • To liaise with the EDI Committee to influence cultural change across the institute;
  • Where relevant, to liaise with contacts outside the Institute, to enable the group to learn from practice elsewhere at UCL;
  • Where relevant, to work with other relevant Focus Groups at ICH to work on shared initiatives

Focus group leads: Hatty Goddard and Sarah Birchenough. Contact details: h.goddard@ucl.ac.uk and s.birchenough@ucl.ac.uk

Wellbeing focus group 

Aims and Objectives:

  • Promote the physical and mental wellbeing of all staff and students through informative and interactive event
  • Provide a regular forum where staff and students can relax and take part in activities that will improve their wellbeing
  • Canvas opinion from staff and students on the type of events that would be of interest

Contact: ICH.EDI.Wellbeing@ucl.ac.uk