About mariahegarty
Maria Hegarty
Managing Director,
Equality Strategies LtdI established Equality Strategies Ltd to provide support, training, research, evaluation and mediation services that would help organisations to deliver more effective equality and diversity management strategies.
The following are some of areas of expertise I have developed.I work directly with public and private organisations promoting and implementing diversity initiatives at enterprise level;
I delivered the equality and diversity reviews/audits for Tipperary Institute, the Waterford Institute of Technology, Jury's Inn Custom House, the Irish Aviation Authority and COPE Ltd. These Reviews involve a comprehensive examination of the policies, practices, procedures and perceptions that operate within the workplace (through full staff surveys and focus groups across all functions in the organisation) and the production of an Promoting Equality and Diversity Action Plan to enhance the achievement of equality outcomes.I work directly with SME's consulting and implementing corporate diversity initiatives, for example, Parke Nursing Homes, Cúil Didin Nursing Home, Respond Housing Association, Monkstown Leisure Centre, KidsInc, National Children's Nurseries Association, Roscommon Disability Support Group and Longford Women's Group. This work involves the development of equality policies and diversity management strategies following best practice guidelines, holding focus groups with staff to highlight their rights and responsibilities and training managers to ensure they can implement diversity policies and strategies. The deliverables include new equality policies and diversity management strategies following best practice guidelines, greater awareness and commitment among staff and managers that are more competent at implementing equality polices and corporate diversity strategies.I have designed and delivered equality and diversity training courses for those responsible for implementing equality initiatives, devising equality action plans and monitoring and reviewing the impact of equality and diversity strategies. We have delivered training programmes in Trinity College Dublin, Jury's Inn Custom House and for the Southern Network of Local Authority Equality Officers.I have developed organisational equality and diversity strategies for Non-Governmental organisations working on social inclusion. This involved developing and delivering staff training sessions, holding focus groups to address the equality dimension to the work and writing up the framework.I work directly with intermediary organisations in the public and private sector promoting and implementing equality, social inclusion and diversity initiatives at enterprise level;I worked with the national social partners in Ireland to deliver the Technical Support Project for the Equal Opportunities at the Level of the Enterprise programme, established under national social partnership agreement.I worked with Chambers Ireland to deliver Irelands project as part of the International Labour Organsiation Project "Equality is my business", a training and awareness-raising campaign on combating gender stereotypes in small and medium sized companies in 15 EU-EFTA countries.I worked with NorDubco, the North Dublin Development Coalition involving the Local Authorities, Local Development Partnerships and universities.I work directly on diversity initiatives at international, national and regional level;I am contracted as the diversity expert on the European Commission Directorate-General for Justice as the Diversity Expert on Project VT 2009/005 - Support for Voluntary Initiatives promoting diversity management at the workplace across the EU.I am contracted as the national expert in the European Commission Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities "EU Network of Experts in gender equality, social inclusion, health and long-term care".I was an expert and provided technical support for the International Labour Organisation Project "Equality is my business", a training and awareness-raising campaign on combating gender stereotypes in small and medium sized companies in 15 EU-EFTA countries.I provided the Technical Support Project for the Equality Authority, the national equality body in Ireland, for the Equal Opportunities at the Level of the Enterprise programme, established under national social partnership agreement. This involved conducting research, facilitating networks of enterprises, managing a panel of management consultants to provide equality services to SME's, supporting projects delivered by the Trade Unions, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the Irish Business and Employers Confederation and reporting to the steering committee.I provided technical support to a panel of Diversity Experts and Management Consultants to work directly with SME's to deliver equality and diversity initiatives all over Ireland.I designed, developed and delivered the WeCan Project, funded by the European Union, which involved six strands of activity with over 20 labour market inclusion projects all over Ireland. The media and promotion aspect of the project was particularly innovative and involved the making of a documentary and action research with journalists monitoring their experience and reporting of social inclusion issues.I managed the Support and Research/Evaluation Service for the Department of Education and Science's Women's Education Initiative (WEI) consisting of thirteen projects around Ireland delivering responses to educational disadvantage among women. Wrote and produced the "Women's Education Initiative - Submission on the Green Paper on Adult Education', "Women's Education Initiative - Report 2000 Mainstreaming Implications' and promotional material for the Initiative. Organised successful WEI final Conference in Dublin Castle with over 200 delegates and an exhibition. The WEI was mainstreamed in 1999.I was a manager providing Technical Assistance for the EU EMPLOYMENT Integra Programme consisting of 88 projects nation-wide delivering pilot innovative and transnational actions to combat labour market exclusion. Worked with the team responsible for the Co-ordination of the EMPLOYMENT Initiative, a Human Resource Initiative of the European Union. In the latter capacity, I co-ordinated a team from all the EU EMPLOYMENT Initiatives to research and write a submission to TEASTAS on the development of an effective accreditation system. I conduct research into the efficacy of organisational and national equality and diversity initiatives;I conducted primary research and wrote Hegarty, M and McNally. 2004."Promoting Equality of Opportunity in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises". Dublin: Equality Authority.I wrote, for the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, a policy paper on promoting equality and managing diversity, as part of their series of papers for the European Year of Equal Opportunities.I conducted research - literature review, held interviews with stakeholders and held focus groups with ethnic minority groups in Dublin City, and wrote the report, published in May 2008, to establish the Dublin City Integration Framework for the City municipality, Dublin City Council.I conducted research as the Gender Equality Expert for DG Enlargement Interim Evaluation of EU pre-accession programmes in Croatia and Turkey.I conducted the National Women's Council of Ireland mid-term review of gender equality outcomes arising from the national social partnership agreement, Towards 2016, an agreement between Government and the social partners in Ireland.I conducted desk research, worked with the social partners and wrote "A Strategic Policy Framework for Equality Issues - Forum Report No. 23' for the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF).I carried out primary research for the Department of Education's on their Vocational Education Training Scheme (VTOS) and co-wrote the report, a report for the Partnership 2000 Working Group on Women's Participation in Labour Market Programmes.I have written and developed manuals to support activity to implement equality and diversity initiatives:I edited the Manual published by Area Development Management Ltd. (ADM) titled "Gender Mainstreaming the Local Development Social Inclusion Programme 2000-2006', Dublin: ADM. Developed and wrote F&A'S Equality Proofing guidelines for staff delivering equality proofing for the organisation.As a member of the Associate Faculty for the National College of Ireland:I lecture on the FETAC Level Six Advocacy for Older People Programme.I designed and lecture on their FETAC Level Six Mediation Theory and Skills Programme.Qualifications Certified Member of the Mediators Institute of Ireland (MII) 2011PULSE Trainer - PULSE Institute, Canada 2010PULSE Professional - PULSE Institute, Canada 2009 Master Certified Trainer - Managing Workplace Conflict - Mediation Training International USA, 2009Part II Advanced Mediator Training - Mediation Training International, USA, 2008Part I MAG Training - Mediation Solutions, Mediation Institute Ireland & Association Conflict Resolution, USA, 2003Masters in Equality Studies - University College Dublin, 1999Bachelor of Social Studies (First Class Honours) - Trinity College Dublin, 1988Certificate of Qualification for Social Work (CQSW), 1988Continuing Professional Development Training2011 - Employment Law for Mediators - MII2009 - Associate Fellow, National College of Ireland - Lecturer on Mediation and Advocacy programmes2005 - Training Trainers Course on Anti-Racism delivered by the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism.2004 - "Theories of "Race' and "Ethnicity': An Introduction", Trinity College, Dublin. PublicationsHegarty, Maria. 2008. "Towards Integration a City Framework". Dublin: Dublin City CouncilHegarty, Maria. 2006. "Equality Proofing - emerging practices and challenges" in O' Broin et al "Taming the Tiger". Dublin: TASCHegarty, M and McNally. 2004."Promoting Equality of Opportunity in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises". Dublin: Equality AuthorityI edited the Manual published by Area Development Management Ltd. (ADM) titled "Gender Mainstreaming the Local Development Social Inclusion Programme 2000-2006'. Dublin: ADMI conducted desk research, worked with the social partners and wrote "A Strategic Policy Framework for Equality Issues - Forum Report No. 23' for the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF)Ronayne, T., Hegarty, M., and O'Brien, C. 2000. "To Earn or to Learn?: A Study of Factors Influencing the Participation of Older Unemployed Adults in Education and Training Programmes'Ronayne, T. and Hegarty, M. (1999) "Women's Participation in Education, Training and Employment Programmes'I wrote the national consultation report for the Combat Poverty Agency and the Office of Social Inclusion on the National Action Plan Against Social Exclusion 2003-2005;I carried out an analysis of models of good practice in education provision for members of the Traveller community for the Irish Traveller Movement (ITM);I conducted research and wrote Hegarty, M. (1999) "Briefing Paper on Developing an Agenda for Women Experiencing Poverty and Social Exclusion in Ireland'.Hegarty, M. & Reilly, N. (2000) "Building Together: An Examination of Urban Development Schemes in Dublin's South Inner-City'.I researched and wrote a report on Childcare, Hegarty, M (2000), "Sustainability-Current Challenges for Community Based Childcare Services' for the Ballymun Partnership, the Fingal Center for the Unemployed and the Women's Resource Center Ballymun.
