Role description: CLP Women’s Officer

CLP Women’s Officer

The Women’s Officer is the key representative of women members on the executive of the CLP, and works to ensure that women are fully involved in the work of the local party, as well as, taking a leading role in making sure that the campaigning work of the constituency reaches out and engages with women voters.

As Women’s Officer, you need to be friendly and approachable, organised, able to run events and above all be prepared to work hard to ensure that women members have a real voice within the local party.

Key Responsibilities and tasks

The key responsibilities of this role include:

• Making sure that women members are included in all of the party’s activities and that meetings are relevant and accessible to women.
• Reaching out to women in the wider community through local campaigns, and working with women’s organisations in the constituency to engage women voters, highlight issues, and get a better deal for local women.
• Bringing women together to empower each other and gain the knowledge and skills they need get involved.
• Running events for women members, including training, policy development and social events.
• Working to recruit more women into the Labour Party and helping to make sure that women members make the jump from member to activist.
• Listening to women’s views and ensuring that they are reflected in Labour’s policy making.
• You will be on the CLP’s executive committee, and play a key role in decision making and strategy within your CLP.

Activity

This role is varied, exciting and can make a real difference to your local party – not just to women members but in terms of how the whole CLP operates. You can choose how to focus your role and what to make your priority depending on what sort of activities that local members want to see.

There are many different strands to the work of a Women’s Officer, but fundamentally the role comes down to two key aims:

• Building a party for women – this means working to make sure that women in your local part are supported, involved and engaged
• Campaigning with women – playing a leading role in making sure that your local party campaigns to win women’s votes

Part of your role will focus on making sure that the voices of Labour women are heard within your local party.

You should ensure you get in touch with all women members introducing yourself as the Women’s Officer and providing your contact details, and welcome new women members when they join through a one to one chat, emails, telephone contact or social events. You will be able to get this information from your CLP Secretary.

Work with other CLP Officers to set up a women’s forum in the constituency, if one does not already exist. This then provides a team to support you in your work. Through this, you can then organise training to encourage women members to become more involved in the party and in community activity – for example as party officers, school governors or local councillors. A good start would be to survey the interests and training needs of women members.

The other part of your role involves looking outside of the party to women in your local community, and exploring what you can do to make sure Labour is effectively engaging with women voters. Why not set up a campaign team to recruit local women who have expressed support for the party, to canvass amongst women, run street stalls and campaigns that affects women in the local area and identify key stakeholders in the community to get involved.

You could think about making contact with local branches of women’s voluntary organisations, set up consultation meetings, exchange speakers and run joint campaigns. Ensure that women from the local women’s sector are invited to contribute towards policy discussions and speak to trade union women in your CLP about encouraging women in the workplace to join and become active in the Labour Party.

Meetings

As CLP Women’s Officer, it is your role to ensure women members are able to get fully involved and that their views and concerns are reflected and listened to. Local meetings are a fantastic opportunity to increase women’s participation in the CLP. At each CLP meeting, you should:

• Actively encourage women members to get involved in meetings and contribute to discussions
• Report back on your activity, campaigns and community work and highlight any forthcoming events or campaigning
• Introduce yourself to any women members attending a meeting for the first time

Contacting women members in your CLP

As part of your role, you will be in regular contact with women in your CLP, and should be aware when a new member joins so you can get in touch to introduce yourself and welcome them to the CLP. Your CLP Secretary will be able to provide you with a list of women members, and you should ask them to let you know when a new woman joins your CLP.

Useful links and contacts

The Labour Women’s Network (LWN) is a membership organisation providing expert training to Labour women considering seeking selection, as well as campaigning for 50:50 representation at every level of the Labour Party. You can visit their website and contact them on www.lwn.org.uk. If you have any questions about the role of Women’s Officer please contact the Labour Party’s Stakeholders Team.

There are many other contacts and resources to assist you in your role. Keep up to date with our latest campaigns, find out more about Campaign Technology team, find resources for role holders and check our online training offer at www.labour.org.uk/resources. You can also purchase and download membership recruitment and campaign materials from the Campaign Shop.

For useful guides and resources on membership engagement and how to use Organise to full effect, visit help.labour.org.uk, and if you need support or advice, you can contact your national or regional office.

Training resources are available at achieve.labour.org.uk.