Celebrating National Staff Network Day 2026: The Forward Trust Releases Annual ERG Impact Report

At The Forward Trust, we have five key staff networks that we call Employee Resource Groups. They are:

• Embrace (disability, mental health, neurodiversity).

• Proud (LGBTQ+).

• ForWomen (women).

• Race Forward (race and ethnicity).

• Lived Experience in Action (lived experience of the criminal justice system).

Over the past year at Forward, our ERGs have been instrumental in disseminating resources, organising awareness events, and helping the organisation to reflect on and improve its policies and practices for greater inclusivity.

Rosie Watson, Forward’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Coordinator, reflects on the impact report:

“A big part of my role is overseeing the ERGs. It's been exciting to see the growth in creativity and collaboration this year, making for some truly meaningful events and initiatives. We've welcomed three new leads to the ERGs, who have brought fresh ideas and increased momentum. It's been great to see our new leads grow in confidence and take ERG leadership in their stride.

“I've loved seeing the variety of events and initiatives led by the ERGs, with particular emphasis on the collaboration across ERGs. For example, a jointly-hosted webinar exploring layers of stigma experienced by women in the workplace with offending histories. If events aren't your thing, the ERGs have also been involved in initiatives like supporting the development of our Neurodiversity Hub. This means there has been something for everyone.

“This year, we hosted our first ERG Members Day, and it was truly wonderful to see members, leaders, and key stakeholders come together in person. We saw genuine connection develop at the event, along with some meaningful discussions on how to bring intersectionality to life via our ERGs.

“I look forward to what our ERGs will achieve in the coming year."

Read this year's full Impact Report.