An Cosantóir

| 19 www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE Ethics, Values and Behaviour Card An Ethics, Values and Behaviour Card is currently under development by a sub-committee of the OCSC. The card will provide all our people with information related to ethics, values and behaviours expected of a member of the DF. This card includes a QR code which directs personnel to the information outlined below. • DF Values. • The Dignity Charter. • Our Behavioural Continuum chart. • Bystander information. • Information on consent and what is NOT consent. • Support services contact details. All personnel will receive a card, with new inductees receiving a copy in their first week of training. The card will also be available on CONNECT and IKON. Profiles of our Female Serving Members The GENAD and Public Relations Branch (PRB) developed a plan to create a number of videos that profile and represent our female personnel across the ranks and services. The videos will identify the breath of roles females are employed in, and will illustrate what type of work females in the DF are engaged in. It will further identify how females in the DF have developed and progressed through various ranks and career paths. The videos will be available on CONNECT, IKON and military.ie as well as posted to our DF social media platforms. One video has been completed - the profile of a Capt Instr in the Cdt Sch. Two (2) additional videos will be completed in Q1 '24 featuring an NCO and a Pte from the NS and AC respectively. 'It Stops Now' Key Messages A key pillar of the work to date has been the OCSC Communications Plan. The group prioritised five (5) key messages. Short videos based on these key messages were produced and socialised on all internal and external DF platforms on a staggered basis. The messages were delivered by senior male leaders, which was a key message to senior leadership from serving female personnel in the DF. The videos were complemented with an 'It Stops Now' poster campaign, which is displayed on notice boards throughout all installations in the DF. These videos were repeated again on all platforms throughout Mar & Apr '23, following the publication of the IRG DF report, with the poster campaign refreshed. They are also integrated into the Training Muster workshop. Naming of Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPVs) after Irish Female Leaders. A proposal to name the two (2) new Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPVs), after important Irish female leaders was discussed and supported by the OCSC. The DF Board (DFB) has approved this recommendation. The ACOS has further discussed with OIC A Admin that consideration will be given to naming new DF buildings and/or facilities after important Irish female leaders. OCSC Related Work Gender, Diversity and Unconscious Bias Training The Commission on the DF report recommended the introduction of "gender, diversity and unconscious bias training" 1 for all ranks. Following a tender process the Irish Centre for Diversity were selected to provide the training. At this point more than half of the organisation have undergone the training, with modules including: • Understanding gender stereotypes in society and the military. • Addressing gender equality in the military. • What is unconscious bias and its context in the military. • Understanding how biases became the 'norm' in a military context. • Impact of Unconscious Bias and individual responsibilities. • The benefits of diversity in a military context. DF Maternity Wear The availability of DF maternity wear was raised in the OCSC. ACOS raised the matter with D Ord who identified that although the DF had sufficient stock of maternity wear, some issuing stores had little or no holdings. D Ord has issued an instruction, which outlines the minimum holdings required for the five issuing clothing stores and the time requirements for issuing. The stock holdings are based on an examination of issues over the past five years. Unit logistics staff can order maternity wear as required from issuing stores and central stores for issue to personnel. Female Undergarment A mechanism to reimburse female personnel for the purchase of sports bras was established with the first payment of this allowance made in Q4 2023. Female personnel can make one claim per year, to a maximum amount of €130. Formation and Service Logs Offices will consolidate applications and submit directly to Finance Branch, Galway in order to reimburse females the cost of purchase. At the end of 2023, 149 female personnel received a reimbursement under this scheme. Conclusion For further information or updates see ACOS Space on CONNECT. I would encourage all to get involved in their respective Formation and Service OCSCs and have your voice heard. I would like to thank all members of the committees for their work and commitment to the OCSC and I look forward to another productive year in 2024. 1 Recommendation 42 Section 8.2.6 Diversity Page 101 Prof Louise Crowley who delivers SERR training in the DF Recent meeting with members of the British Army

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