Roberta Kirosingh, who was named Prospect Magazine's Parliamentary Staffer of the Year

WBS employee Roberta Kirosingh has won Prospect Magazine’s Award for Parliamentary Staffer of the Year.

It is the second prize Roberta has won in less than 12 months, after scooping a Parliament's People Award last year.

 

Roberta was honoured for her work with the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Disability. She organised events in Parliament on the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, the UK's International Inclusion Strategy, changing the media narrative on disabled people, personal emergency evacuation plans for disabled people, learning disability, and proposals for reform on disabled people's employment.

She has also organised a workshop on the government’s Disability Confident scheme, assisted with 18 Early Day Motions and 681 written questions, and secured more than 400 oral questions and references in the Chamber. 

In addition, she has been largely responsible for growing the APPG’s Parliamentary members to 204, making it one of the largest, most active, and influential APPGs in Westminster.

Roberta works closely with WBS Professor Kim Hoque, who she recently helped to develop and launch the Disability Employment Charter. The Charter outlines policy proposals in nine key areas to address the disadvantages faced by disabled employees.

Professor Kim Hoque added “The work Roberta has done on the APPG has been critical in promoting disability issues in Westminster, and has also massively raised the profile of WBS among Parliamentarians

“The support she has given me in developing the Disability Employment Charter has been stellar. Approaching 100 organisations have now signed the Charter, including all of the country’s main disability charities, and a growing number of corporates including McDonald’s, Pagegroup, and Primark, sending an incredibly powerful signal to ministers regarding the widespread appetite for change, and consensus regarding what that change should comprise. There is no way we would have made this progress in the absence of Roberta’s fabulous efforts”.

The awards are organised in association with the Members’ and Peers’ Staff Association (MAPSA) and sponsored by Octopus and Prospect Magazine to celebrate Parliamentary staffers whose work provides Members of Parliament with the support needed to best serve their constituents.           

 

Dr Lisa Cameron MP, Chair of the APPG on Disability, said “What a fantastic achievement by Roberta who has won her second consecutive award as Staffer of the Year. We couldn't do without her.

"Staff are so vital and I am very fortunate to have such a talented team. Roberta leads on the Disability All Party Group and is always there to support the most vulnerable and to promote inclusion."