Equality & Diversity Consultancy

Services: 

For UK businesses (multiple sectors: from care homes, to retail, to sports & fitness, to employee recruitment companies), government and public services / statutory sector organisations,  to voluntary sector organisations on Black Asian Minority Ethnic [BAME] communities inclusion and & meaningful engagement (including international students), and also other Diverse Communities  (LGB&T & Allies) support & engagement.

Services include:

·        E&D policy writing; documents creation and implementation strategies

·        Training, including virtual and remote/online training for organisations (from executive and senior management to frontline levels)

·        Research

·        Survey and forms development

·        Auditing & ‘critical friend’ related services

·        Monitoring; trouble-shooting solutions

·        Advocacy (for individuals encountering prejudice or discrimination)

·        Public relations and reputation retrieval

Also:

Ethnic minorities representation related services for community leads (especially for those representing communities who are mainly first generation settlers in the UK and/or whose first language is not English), regarding accessing public services; knowing how to make complaints about poor quality services; contributing effectively to public consultations from NHS and government agencies to parliamentary inquiries; communications skills training and support in communicating in writing with governmental (local as well as national) organisations and bodies/entities, as well as local and national level politicians

For Diverse Community members (including overseas nationals) using UK Immigration Services: Guidance & support on issues relating UKVI immigration services, or Immigration Tribunal appeals.

Please email alanms.888@gmail.com  and/or call +44 (0)7811 269 454 to discuss the service required


Expertise and Accomplishments:

I have over the past 10 years (since 2009) developed an exceptional national and specialist areas of expertise (BAME, multicultural inclusion, LGBT & LGBT Allies, intersectionality: immigration related, private and public sector E&D delivery auditing and policy development & delivery guidance) record on equality, inclusion, diversity. 

My name is known and respected in parliament with a number of select committees due to the quality of my work, and I am commonly sought out for providing guidance and training in regard to auditing, monitoring of performance, and policy & strategy development for local authorities, care homes, private businesses, and national and international organisations and research entities.    

Partnerships and collaborations:

The Royal British Legion (TRBL): Alan under the UKNFS in regard to Nepali-Gurkha community and its history, has enabled major partnering/collaborative activity in the domain of TRBL education services linked to Commemoration.  Link: https://uknfs.org/participation-of-the-uk-nepal-friendship-society-in-the-royal-british-legion-trbl-vj-day-75th-anniversary-commemoration/

England FA: Alan under the UKNFS successfully negotiated with the FA for the Nepali community’s Sahara UK organisation, a two-leg friendly international football match (postponed due to Covid 19 impacts) – link: https://uknfs.org/friendly-international-nepal-england-c-team-uknfs-role-and-support-to-nepal-and-the-fa/   In particular his work has led to a multiple level collaboration on educational resources based on the Gurkha football phenomenon to counteract racism. 

Advisory and consultancy services to public service organisations and the private sector:

NHS: Alan has provided commissioned E&D advisory services (diverse communities outreach and engagement, research and report writing) including on programmes, policy and operational delivery, training to GP surgeries, and CCG commissioners.

Care Homes: Alan provides diversity and inclusion services to private residential care homes, for example a number of Tricuro care homes in the Dorset and Bournemouth area)  including but not limited to E&D policy statements and related delivery strategies.

Other: UK Immigration in the age of the Hostile Environment – expertise & accomplishments:

Alan is a respected authority on UK Immigration operational level delivery in the era of the ‘Hostile Environment’ – an information resource on the latter being released in December 2019. He is often requested to advise on cases and applications, some of which have received national & international news media attention.  https://uknfs.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Open-Letter-to-the-Rt-Hon-Jeremy-Hunt-MP-the-UK-Foreign-Secretary-by-the-UKNFS-on-UK-immigration-process-human-rights-abuses-of-Nepali-citizens-1.pdf  


OCHD, and Indian international students support – Covid 19 and UK universities systems & communications failures:

Alan has over the course of Spring and Summer 2020, worked closely with Mr Pritheepal Singh, a senior member of the Indian & Sikh community, and CEO of the One Community Hampshire and Dorset multicultural organisation (https://www.ochd.org.uk/)   that he is proud to be a founder member of and director at: https://www.ochd.org.uk/founders-team/

In the South Coast of England area three universities were found particularly stress tested on international students engagement and communication fronts (there were many other such universities elsewhere across the UK) as systems proved inflexible and inappropriate regarding many aspects of international student support.  Alan stood shoulder to shoulder with Mr Singh (as did the UKNFS with OCHD) in the cases of 300+ Indian nationals, many of whom experienced extreme forms of distress and plight because of the systems & communications failings; this involved hundreds of hours of joint work by Alan (mainly on email engagements up to vice chancellor level) and Mr Singh, representations to Universities UK, the DfE (Secretary of State and Universities Minister) and Education Select Committee.  These endeavours gave badly needed support to the students and led to admissions from the universities in question that they had not done as well as they should. Two of these even directly requested guidance on improvements to make and steps to take, which Alan and Mr Singh provided – later it was clear the effects of these were being felt.

 


 

 

UKNFS related Nepali community engagement and special relationship:

Under Alan’s lead, the UK Nepal Friendship Society (UKNFS) received some years ago the great honour of H.E. the Ambassador of Nepal to the UK and to the Republic of Ireland, becoming the society’s official patron.  Signal recognition for the effectiveness of its main work, supporting the UK Nepali community on integration, inclusion, anti-discrimination issues, and educational work preserving and sharing Nepali culture in the UK.

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UKNFS CEO Alan Mercel-Sanca in an Audience discussion with H.E. Dr Durga Bahadur Subedi

Below are some example areas of Alan’s work through the UKNFS:

Census 2021 UK Nepali representation:

Under the UKNFS (UK Nepal Friendship Society, whose official patron is H.E. the Ambassador of Nepal to the UK and to the Republic of Ireland [pictured with Alan in the image above]) I led, through a national UK Nepali advice access project funded by the National Lottery, on preparing the research and a case for a formal representation to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street that comprise an formal letter presented by the Non-Residential Nepali Association (NRNA) UK President and other leaders of the UK Nepali community.  This on a request for a dedicated Nepali entry on the 2021 Census. 

I coordinated with Rushmoor Council leader, Cllr David Clifford, and Aldershot MP, the Hon Leo Docherty on arranging the Downing Street delegation, that was joined by the Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon Gavin Williamson.  News link: https://uknfs.org/uk-nepali-community-census-entry-nrna-uk-led-uknfs-facilitated-petition-delegation-to-prime-minister-10-downing-street/

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UK Nepali Advice Access project: You can read about the finding of the UK Nepali advice access project (which revealed major needs especially around communication & outreach by UK level to regional & local public service organisations, national agencies, and others; but some good practice as well as bad) at  https://uknfs.org/uk-nepali-community-advice-access-project-final-report/  

The project had some major nationally important outcomes, that I was able to support through representations and actions community leads and members asked me to undertake: these included the Census initiative, and connecting the community with the DWP on issues around ‘Universal Credit’ – with a regional forum (Wessex) being established and many detailed practical beneficial outcomes that would not otherwise have arisen:

Political level mobilisation expertise deployed to support communities afflicted by racism:

In addition to technical guidance, training, and education in regard to racism at advocate and policy advocacy levels, my expertise extends to political level effective action positively affecting & supporting whole communities and multiagency level coordination and mobilisation, as indicated in the case of anti-Gurkha racism revealed as endemic in Swindon.  You can read more here: https://uknfs.org/uknfs-support-to-our-swindon-nepali-gurkha-community-in-face-of-experience-of-community-wide-racist-asb-2/

 Parliamentary Democratic Processes initiative & Report: 

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Under the UKNFS I led on support to senior UK Nepali community leaders, who had long sought but not been able to facilitate a Westminster Palace/Parliament democratic processes learning delegation visit to Westminster.  The result was a ground-breaking tailored/bespoke tour, Q&As and talks by the head of the Parliament Education Outreach Team, and a subsequent formal delegation visit of UK Nepali community leads to the Welsh Assembly which I organised. 

Subsequently working with the community leads involved in this historically important multicultural learning and democratic inclusion initiative, through their feedback and learning I was asked to develop a UK Nepali community Democratic Processes Report.  This latter was provided to the speakers of both Houses of Parliament at Westminster, and their counterparts in Nepal’s parliament in Kathmandu – we received back an email commending the importance and great value of the report from Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon John Bercow. 

The report can be regarded as unique in its importance for a multicultural Britain, as it was the first time any particular whole, leaders level, given ethnic minority community had provided an invaluable weather check back on how the UK was doing/or not doing in terms of supporting inclusion & integration in such an important area of national life. Links: https://uknfs.org/historic-uk-nepali-communities-delegation-parliament-fact-finding-visit/  and   https://uknfs.org/uk-nepali-community-organisations-parliamentary-democratic-processes-report/ 

 

Healthcare & NHS related experience & accomplishments:

A further particularly important area of expertise I have developed in the fields of equality & inclusion, involves healthcare & the NHS.  This led under the UKNFS to my role as inclusion analyst & advisor on a major research project involving over 10% of the Nepali community of South East London’s Greenwich & Woolwich, and securing a participation at the launch of the project’s report, by NHS England equality & inclusion leads, and a subsequent letter of commendation by NHS England CEO Simon Stevens.  You can read a short version of the report here: http://uknfs.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/UKNFS-Health-Wellbeing-Nepalese-Report-Short-Version.pdf 

 

Britain – Nepal Bicentenary Exhibition of the Nepal Art Council: 

I under the UKNFS made the NAC’s concept for this exhibition, a reality.  The British Embassy and British Council had felt having an exhibition that largely concentrated on reproduction of images held in the main British museums and institutes collections and archives, would be an exceptional way to mark the 200 years of special friendship between the two countries and peoples.  However unfortunately neither were able to commit time or expertise to achieving this important outcome.

At a meeting I and a UKNFS colleague had with Mr Sagar Rana, Vice President of the NAC, Mr Rana explained about the idea, its rewards if successful, and its logistical challenges.  I believed that with effort and correct focus, the concept of the exhibition could made real. 

It was thanks to Dr Mark Watson (Royal Botanical Gardens Edinburgh, Head of Flora) that the necessary signposting introductions were made to the UK institutes top archivists and curators, and myself through the UKNFS was able to realise the dream Mr Rana had for the exhibition, which involved careful study of the archives and collections Nepal content and providing this to the NAC. 

The UKNFS was the senior UK partner in this important endeavour, which has in turn led to the creation of invaluable online Nepal culture and people information resources, and fed in to a national UK Nepali cultural & social heritage project (which will complete under my coordination in early 2020). News link: https://uknfs.org/april-2017-update-launch-of-the-nepal-art-council-uknfs-nepal-uk-bicentenary-exhibition/

 

Work with and support to international students:

Alan has in the UK been a de-facto lead in regard to responding to the particular expressed/represented practical level & E&D needs of international students in the face of, in many cases poor support (improving in some cases and some areas) for the latter by university and public service organisations of the UK.  And at the same time interest in best practice examples of practical & pastoral support to international students by UK language colleges & language college associations that he works with (ETC, IEF, etc.). 

Concerning his work, support on Asian culture sharing, and especially Nepali culture sharing (UKNFS) has been detailed. However, here it is important to refer to and evidence the ground-breaking work he has been involved in.  This in terms of, through Nepali UK international students communities creation of information resources to support international students on issues (ranging from racism and indirect discrimination and exploitation) they experience and related practical level needs they have whilst studying in the UK. 

International students information resource: http://uknfs.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/UKNFS-Nepali-internattional-students-information-resource.pdf

Dedication of support & appreciation by the Ambassador of Nepal to the UK  http://uknfs.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/UKNFS-International-Students-Resource-Dedication-from-Dr-Suresh.pdf 

2020 Covid 19 related major interventions and partnering work:

https://uknfs.org/support-for-nepali-students-marooned-in-the-uk-because-of-covid-19-nrna-uk-work-with-uknfs-to-gather-data-further-to-solidarity-initiative-between-indian-and-nepali-communities/

https://uknfs.org/important-further-update-on-support-and-action-regarding-nepali-international-students-in-covid-19-related-difficulties-in-the-uk/

 

Work on anti-racism:  this is mainly educational solutions based (as referred to above in regard to TRBL and the FA collaborations), but has also involved direct interventions too where required:

https://uknfs.org/the-uknfs-is-pleased-to-share-kent-messenger-online-have-provided-a-valuable-supportive-news-article-further-to-our-representation-of-21st-april/

 https://uknfs.org/uknfs-support-to-our-swindon-nepali-gurkha-community-in-face-of-experience-of-community-wide-racist-asb-2/

 

 


Non-BAME Diverse Communities support and achievements:

National level LGBT+ and Allies work and accomplishments:

A person standing in front of a store JBG?  I am Male Co-Chair of the national grassroots anti-LGBT prejudice in football and sport ‘Just a Ball Game?’ organisation    http://www.justaballgame.co.uk/team-jbg   -- becoming involved in working with this exceptional national organisation’s founder, lead & Female Co Chair, Lindsay England (see image above from 2019 Wembley Stadium JBG? conference/event), back in 2012 through the Olympics Legacy Anti-Homophobia in Sport exhibition project.

Time for Change – Now! Anti-Homophobia Olympics Legacy Exhibition Project (2012) Link: http://ahs-exhibition2012.co.uk/index.html 

The project involved work under my coordination, of 25 Bournemouth & Poole College art & design students, a launch attended by Stonewall, and subsequently becoming nationally important as it made history featuring in 2012 & 2013 as the main LGBT History Month feature at the National Football Museum (Manchester)

Bournemouth University Sports Faculty 'Homophobia in Sport - What's the Score?' report    Link: http://ahs-exhibition2012.co.uk/homophobia_in_sport_report.htm  --   includes link to report, end of project reflections by participants, news article, and a TUC announcement on the report findings.  An outcome of the Olympics Legacy Exhibition project, the project involved being the client for the Bournemouth University sports faculty (Sport BU), with myself as coordinator and helping develop a set of questions for 6 BU students; the project & my guidance helped Sport BU develop its own E&D policy on LGBT inclusion.

Parliamentary Select Committees work: this has focused on input to the Home Affairs Committee on the LGBT dimension of the Hostile Environment, and subsequently published input/submissions to the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) on UK immigration detention centres, and to the Women & Equality Committee (WOMEQ) Health, social care, and LGBT inquiry – see link below:

http://data.parliament.uk/WrittenEvidence/CommitteeEvidence.svc/EvidenceDocument/Women%20and%20Equalities/Health%20and%20social%20care%20and%20LGBT%20communities/Written/90975.html 

Ask for Clive (AfC) national safe & welcoming businesses & places initiative: Alan has supported AfC outreach in Dorset and neighbouring areas, through the Network; taking the county from being in a non-involved ‘bubble’ to major sign-ups of national level significance as they have included major FE colleges, sections of prisons, care homes – an example is included through this link: https://www.pooletogether.co.uk/pages/22608-ask-for-clive-campaign-launches-at-bournemouth-poole-college