Helen Ketcher

Helen joined Equality Works in 2006, having previously worked in equality and diversity roles with a range of public sector organisations. She has particular expertise in local government and the health sector, as well as an interest in equalities monitoring and Equality Impact Assessment support.

She is responsible for managing our relationships with a number of key client organisations. This includes the Equality and Human Rights Commission, for whom we recently delivered a Capacity Development project for the Voluntary and Community Sector in Yorkshire and Humber as well as consultancy support for Equality Impact Assessment. She also manages our relationship with NHS East Midlands – a Strategic Health Authority for whom we recently carried out a large scale audit comprising a Baseline Assessment of Equality and Human Rights across all NHS organisations in the region.

Helen delivers training across a range of subjects, including equality and diversity courses. She has particular experience of training in a workshop setting and delivering one-to-one support. She works across all organisational levels, from senior managers to front line staff and has also worked with volunteers. For her work with the Lake District National Park Authority, Helen conducted Training Needs Analysis while accompanying volunteers round the park.

In consultancy, Helen has been involved in a range of projects, including audits and consultation. She was also part of the team that produced Equalities Guides for emda, the East Midlands Development Agency. These were resource guides for project managers seeking to mainstream equalities into emda-funded projects.

In her previous role as Equality and Diversity Advisor for Central Manchester and Manchester Children’s University Hospitals NHS Trust, she provided guidance and support to operational management teams at four different hospitals, with a focus on equality in service delivery. She was also responsible for external communications with stakeholders during development of the Trust’s Disability Equality Scheme.

Helen has also worked for Construction Skills, a Sector Skills Council and national training provider, where she developed and managed positive action work with partner organisations to tackle the under-representation of women and BME people in construction training and employment in the south west.

As Diversity Support Officer for Devon and Cornwall Police, Helen provided quality assurance support to ensure hate crimes were recorded and responded to appropriately, and that victims were offered support. She co-ordinated a series of events giving police officers the opportunity to meet community representatives and gain a better understanding of the diverse needs and expectations of the community they serve.