REACH – Civil Service Senior Disability Network
Updated 9 July 2026
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Background/Who Are We?
REACH was established in 2019 and is a network to support disabled employees at Grade 7 and above across the Civil Service to realise their full potential.
As of June 2026, we had around 150 civil service members from across HMG and an Executive Committee of chairs, pillar leads (leading on delivering our strategic deliverables) and ordinary EC members.
Although an independent network, we work in close partnership with other EDI forums and networks across the Civil Service, including the Civil Service Disability Network.
Purpose/Vision
Our primary focus is to increase disability representation at senior levels by building a strong talent pipeline of disabled employees into the Senior Civil Service and unblocking the unique challenges disabled staff may encounter in these senior leadership roles.
Aims/Objectives
- Supporting colleagues to progress their career through senior grades, particularly those looking at promotion or experience in Professional roles.
- Working in partnership with other Civil Service groups covering disability issues (eg CSDN, teams within the Future Civil Service Directorate, DELTA etc) to provide peer to peer support and sharing insights and experiences
- Identifying and supporting members to act as visible disability role models, provide support to ensure the Civil Service remains an inclusive employer, particularly for people with disabilities, championing disability inclusion and promoting disabled talent.
Key Activities
- Support candidates with applications, mock interviews, and Reasonable Adjustments
- Advocate for the social model of disability and promote talent development schemes for disabled civil servants.
- Establish a mentoring and sponsorship programme to support members to progress
- Host workshops and events for members and allies across government to share good practice on recruitment and career development
- Supporting related reviews in policy/idea development for policy leads
- Increase visibility of senior role models and career development
- Working with CSDN and other teams to utilise information sources to support activities
Get Involved
Membership is open to any Civil Servant Grade 7 or above who considers themselves disabled/having a disability and/or those living with a long term health condition.
We always welcome any interest in joining the Executive Committee. EC members are expected to play an active role in supporting delivery of the aims and objectives of the network through key activities. The EC meets once monthly.
We also welcome support from ordinary network members on delivering discrete activities or elements of our strategic deliverables.
Further Information or Contact Us
Anyone interested in joining the network or the EC should contact Rachael.Cerpnjak@hmrc.gov.uk or Deborah.naughton@justice.gov.uk