FOR the sixth consecutive year children’s services group Core Assets has once again been named as one of Britain’s best employers for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff by leading gay rights charity Stonewall.

Headquartered in Bromsgrove, Core Assets has been placed 55 out of an overall entry of more than 400 companies to Stonewall’s annual Workplace Equality Index 2016, an annual audit of workplace culture for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff.

Executive director at Core Assets, Estella Abraham said: "As an organisation committed to diversity and equality in the workplace our ranking reinforces our commitment to all of our LGBT employees and associates. Year on year the Top 100 becomes more competitive, so our 2016 ranking is an acknowledgement of the hard work everyone has put in to make the Core Assets the only international independent provider of children and family social services to feature in the index.”

Ruth Hunt, chief executive of Stonewall, added: “Core Assets and all of those employers that secured a place in the Stonewall Top 100 Employers 2016 list performed fantastically this year. We have had more submissions than ever before and so making the list is a huge achievement. I’d like to thank all of those organisations for their continued efforts to ensure that their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff feel comfortable to being their whole selves to work and are accepted without exception.”

Photocaption (LtoR): Alison Banks, executive director at Core Assets, and Steve Jacques, LGBT diversity champion at Core Assets.