Ministry of Justice: Training

(asked on 21st June 2021) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Written Statement of 15 December 2020, HCWS652, on Unconscious bias training, what steps he has taken to phase out unconscious bias training in his Department.


Answered by
Chris Philp Portrait
Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
This question was answered on 29th June 2021

In December 2020, the Government Equalities Office commissioned the Behavioural Insights Team for a summary of the evidence on unconscious bias and diversity training. The report highlighted that ‘there is currently no evidence that this training changes behaviour in the long term or improves workplace equality in terms of representation of women, ethnic minorities or other minority groups’. It also states that there is emerging evidence of unintended negative consequences.

In light of these findings, Ministers concluded that the unconscious bias learning provision did not achieve its aims and should be phased out in the Civil Service.

The Ministry of Justice has taken the following actions to phase out Unconscious Bias training.

In December 2020, department Senior Leadership Group directors, along with HR practitioners in Learning & Development and Diversity & Inclusion, were alerted to the withdrawal of Unconscious Bias training. Guidance explained that MoJ group should also look to wind-up the use of unconscious bias stand-alone products.

The same information was also cascaded through the Diversity & Inclusion and Learning & Development networks in department business areas, staff support networks and through subject champions.

The Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing team is currently refreshing the strategic approach to diversity and inclusion. In the meantime, staff who are looking for diversity training are encouraged to make use of 'Inclusion in the Civil Service', a revised version of Diversity and Inclusion that has been added to the Civil Service Learning website. This includes four modules:

  1. Equality, diversity and inclusion in the Civil Service
  2. Our inclusive workplace
  3. Our customers
  4. The legal framework

Unconscious Bias has also been removed from the department Learning Management System and the 'Essential Learning' learner pathway has been updated to include 'Inclusion in the Civil Service' instead.

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