The SEEN community is a rapidly growing group of support networks, each working in different sectors across the UK workforce.
The phenomenon began life in October 2022, with the launch of Civil Service SEEN – an official UK Government staff network for civil servants and some public sector workers. Since Civil Service guidelines meant they were unable to offer membership to workers in, for example, the NHS and the BBC, they encouraged others to establish their own groups, and the idea has been taken up in a growing number of fields of work.
The fact that the founding network has a page on the UK Government’s own Cabinet Office website lends it unquestionable credibility, and the rapid uptake of their initiative indicates an undeniable groundswell of feeling and need.
Since then no fewer than fifteen new sectors have founded their own SEEN groups, and the number continues to increase. We’ve set out details of each of the SEEN groups below – in their own words as it were, with extracts from their own ‘about us’ pages – together with links to their respective websites and social media feeds.
We are proud to be part of such a network, and agree with the original Civil Service SEEN that, “It’s Time to Be SEEN”.
Civil Sevice SEEN
“Civil Service SEEN is a staff network committed to promoting and supporting sex equality and equity between women and men in our workplaces, and helping all staff to thrive at work and fulfil their potential. The focus of our network is on challenging sex discrimination and upholding rights and protections that relate to sex (including the protections provided to those with the protected characteristics of sex, pregnancy and maternity and sexual orientation, as set out in the Equality Act 2010). We recognise that to achieve this and ensure sex equality and equity sometimes requires treating women and men differently, according to our different rights and needs.
We are also committed to the protected belief (covered by the protected characteristic of religion and belief in the Equality Act 2010) that biological sex is binary and immutable, that biological sex matters for both women and men in our everyday lives, including for our rights and needs in the workplace, and that biological sex must not be conflated with, or replaced by, the concepts of gender or gender identity.
The law requires the rights of people with different protected characteristics and protected beliefs to be balanced in the workplace, and we are committed to helping to achieve that balance. We respect colleagues’ beliefs (including beliefs regarding gender identity) and colleagues’ lack of belief in either gender identity or in the importance of binary sex (because lack of belief is also protected). We want to ensure different protected characteristics and protected beliefs are clearly defined, so that everyone’s rights can be properly understood and protected and appropriately balanced where necessary.
As a part of our mission we want all civil servants to feel safe to exercise their legal rights under the European Convention of Human Rights to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and association, provided they manifest their rights lawfully and respectfully and within the Civil Service Code. We wish to encourage a diversity of voices and open and respectful dialogue and tolerance between those with differing beliefs and experiences. SEEN is a secular network and our work will be focused on evidence-based analysis. We are not aligned with any religion or with any external interest group. We are committed to the Civil Service Code’s core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity, and impartiality.
We also aim to be a source of expertise for staff on the protected characteristics of sex, pregnancy and maternity, and sexual orientation, as well as the importance of taking these fully into account to meet staff rights and needs.”
SEEN in the City
SEEN in the City is a Sex Equality and Equity Network for Financial Services professionals committed to promoting and supporting sex equality and equity between women and men in our workplaces. Our focus is on challenging sex discrimination and upholding rights and protections relating to sex. These include the protections provided to those with the protected characteristics of sex, pregnancy and maternity and sexual orientation, as set out in the Equality Act 2010. We recognise that to achieve this and ensure sex equality and equity sometimes requires treating women and men differently, according to our different rights and needs.
We are also committed to the protected belief (covered by the protected
characteristic of religion and belief in the Equality Act 2010) that sex is binary
and immutable, that sex matters for both women and men in our everyday
lives, including for our rights and needs in the workplace, and that sex must
not be conflated with, or replaced by, the concepts of gender or gender identity.
https://x.com/seencitynetwork
SEEN in HR
We are SEEN in HR, a group of Human Resources professionals who hold sex realist and gender critical beliefs. We believe it is important to uphold the Equality Act in UK workplaces as it is written and intended.
We aim to do this by working with people in a broad range of disciplines in HR and by holding our professional body to account for giving guidance based on what the legislation, including case law, says.
We welcome members from public and private sector organisations who work in any of the wide range of disciplines across HR. Yo can be members of other SEEN groups as well as of SEEN in HR, after all HR people work in all sectors.
To ensure privacy, we have a process for welcoming new members and membership is confidential.
To get in touch with us about becoming a member contact us as SEENinHR@gmail.com
SEEN in Health
SEEN is a staff network representing the protected characteristic of sex.
We are committed to promoting and supporting sex equality and equity in our workplaces.
We are for all NHS employees and staff delivering NHS services from NHS locations.
We welcome members who support our mission.
We recognise that the NHS is a complex system and will keep our membership criteria under review.
https://x.com/seeninhealth
Evidence Based Social Work Alliance
As a coalition of qualified practitioners, academics and social work students, we came together in response to our individual concerns regarding the uncritical use of gender identity theory in social work and other professions. As a group we believe social workers have a responsibility in law, underpinned by professional ethics and values, to promote and uphold the safeguarding of children. Gender questioning / confused children and young people are presenting to the profession and we are being silenced in our attempts to understand and discuss the evidence-base approaches to exploring this phenomenon.
Local Authority SEEN
We are a network of staff in local authorities committed to upholding the importance of biological sex and sex-based rights, as defined by the Equality Act 2010.
We have no political, religious or organisational affiliation.
https://x.com/LocalAuthSEEN
Local Authority SEEN
