Plymouth City Council proudly hosted its inaugural Neurodiversity Conference last Thursday, during National Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
Organised by the Council employee Neurodivergent Network, the event brought together Council staff, partners, and organisations from across the city to learn, share, and challenge perspectives on neurodiversity in the workplace. The conference saw an impressive turnout, with 100 people in attendance.
Councillor Chris Penberthy, Cabinet Member for Communities who attended the conference, emphasised the importance of understanding and celebrating neurodiversity. He said: "Neurodiversity is a vital aspect of our community.
"By recognising and valuing the unique strengths of our friends, family and colleagues who are neurodivergent, we can create more inclusive and innovative communities and workplaces.
"This conference is a testament to Plymouth City Council’s commitment to fostering an environment where everyone can thrive."
Joe Savage, Chair of the Plymouth City Council Neurodivergent Network, added: "Our network organised this conference as part of a week-long initiative during neurodiversity celebration week to reshape how we think about neurodiversity. We aimed to provide a platform for learning, sharing, and challenging our perspectives.
“The Neurodivergent Network is dedicated to supporting Plymouth City Council staff on an ongoing basis, offering resources, advocacy, and a colleague community where neurodivergent individuals and their wider social networks can connect and thrive along with any individual who wishes to learn more about and advocate for our movement, celebrating alongside us.
“We hope that this will be the first of a series of conferences and activities in the future.”
The conference featured exhibitions from leading Plymouth employers, insights into workplace support programmes, and valuable networking opportunities. Attendees had access to resources for supporting neurodivergent colleagues and were treated to presentations on a range of topics, including empowering futures through education, training, and career support, navigating recruitment at PCC, fostering inclusivity, creating equal workplaces, inclusive sports and legal awareness, embracing neurodiversity, and empowering neurodiverse talent.
Understanding and celebrating neurodiversity is crucial for employers and managers. It not only fosters a more inclusive workplace but also taps into the diverse talents and perspectives that neurodivergent individuals bring. By embracing neurodiversity, organisations can enhance creativity, problem-solving, and overall productivity.
Organisations who attended, included:
- Eat That Frog
- Plymouth City Council HR
- Neurodiverse Wellbeing Hubs
- OCSW
- Skills Launchpad
- Seetec Pluss
- Barnardo's
- Pushed
- Unite the Union
- DELT
- CaterED/FullyCaterEd
- Babcock/NPEN
- City Collegea
- Foster for Plymouth Team