About us

Working in partnership with all colleagues, the networks aim to create a more inclusive work environment and tackle barriers to progression to help develop strong productive working relationships. We have seven networks that support colleagues who share a common characteristic.

Colleague networks

• Black and Minority Ethnic Equality Workers Forum regularly meet to discuss common issues that affect all minority ethnic employees and their communities.
• Care experienced working network. A care experienced person is a person who has at any time lived in: foster care, residential care, kinship care, lived at home under social work supervision or been adopted. This network supports colleagues who share this lived experience to develop strong, productive working partnerships with managers and colleagues
• DRIVE (Diversity, Race, Inclusion, Value, Equality) network acts as a voice for black, Asian and ethnic minority employees, engages with senior management and across the organisation to ensure that the voices of BAME and white ethnic minorities employees are heard, and that action is taken.
• SHINE is a colleague network open to colleagues of any religion, those who are spiritual but do not have a religious affiliation and anyone open to learning about different faiths and beliefs as an ally.
• SPARC (Supporting People’s Abilities Regardless of Circumstance) network gives colleagues with disabilities and long-term health conditions a stronger voice and a more inclusive and supportive environment.
• STRIDE network welcomes all colleagues who identify as part of the LGBT+ community and/or as supportive allies. They are committed to celebrating the diversity of LGBT+ identities and raising awareness of the issues that LGBT+ people face in the workplace and wider society.
• Women’s network's purpose is to build a community to inspire, empower and support each other get the most out of work and our careers.

Professional networks

• Change Community of Practice is a community of people, across the City of Edinburgh Council, who are passionate about changing our organisation for the better and confident in how to do it.
• Veterans' network is a community of current and former Armed Forces personnel working across The City of Edinburgh Council. They welcome individuals from all services, ranks, and cap badges, united by shared values of leadership, resilience, teamwork, and service. Whether you served for 1 day or 30 years, as a regular or Reservist, deployed or home-based, this is your network.
• Sustainability network aim to build a community to inspire, empower and support each other to be more sustainable in our work and careers. Members will help shape colleague behaviours and can be powerful agents of change in tackling climate emergency and support the Council and Edinburgh reach its target of net zero emissions by 2030.