Newcastle CVS. Equality and diversity policy

Transcription

1 Newcastle CVS Equality and diversity policy Contents 1. Equality and diversity statement 2. Principles 3. Aims 4. Implementation 5. Monitoring and review 6. Recruitment, selection and employment 7. Services 8. Comments, suggestions and complaints 9. Statutory rights 10. Relevant equality legislation Appendix 1 - Glossary Document details and review Author Stephanie Cole and Tom Adams Organisation Newcastle CVS Responsible person Chief executive and information manager Date released March 2010 This policy will be reviewed annually Date of next review Review 1 March 2011 Date approved by trustees Common/NCVS Policies & Procedures/Equality & Diversity Policy April 2010 Page 1 of 7

2 1. Equality and diversity statement NCVS is committed to promoting equality and diversity and will take steps to challenge discrimination and harassment in everything we do. This policy applies to all NCVS trustees, staff and volunteers. It also applies to our interactions with users, members, partners, stakeholders and suppliers. 2. Principles The trustees, staff and volunteers will work to ensure that our services meet the needs of all the communities in Newcastle upon Tyne and are equally accessible to everyone. We recognise that certain individuals and groups of people are subject to discrimination and unfair and unequal treatment on grounds of their personal and social characteristics. NCVS therefore aims to ensure that no organisation or individual to whom we provide services, job applicant, staff member, trustee or volunteer, will be disrespectfully treated or discriminated against by us on any condition or requirement that cannot be shown to be justified including but not limited to Age Being lesbian, gay or bisexual Being transgender Caring responsibilities Class Employment status Gender HIV status Learning disability Mental health Physical health or disability Political belief, unless those beliefs discriminate against others Race Skin colour Nationality Ethnicity Personal appearance Religious or cultural beliefs Trade union activity Unrelated criminal convictions NCVS regards unfair discrimination as unacceptable and will promote equality and diversity with trustees, management, staff and volunteers through a programme of training, support and monitoring. The trustees recognise the importance of developing an equality and diversity strategy as the practical means of implementing this policy. Trustees will fully involve and consult staff and volunteers in developing and reviewing our equality and diversity strategy and policy, and ensure that any new polices, strategies and services are checked against this policy. NCVS will ensure that the organisations we work with are aware of our equality and diversity policy and will encourage them to adopt similar policies. Common/NCVS Policies & Procedures/Equality & Diversity Policy April 2010 Page 2 of 7

3 3. Aims This policy aims to Ensure that all staff, trustees and volunteers are aware of our responsibility to comply with relevant equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory legislation and with the spirit of the Human Rights Act Ensure other policies and procedures prevent unlawful discrimination and harassment, and promote equality and diversity in NCVS Promote and ensure equality and diversity in the delivery of services 4. Implementation NCVS will ensure that all staff, trustees and volunteers are aware of our responsibilities under the law and this policy by Actively promoting equality and diversity in all areas of NCVS s work. This will include staff and trustee handbooks; through recruitment, selection and employment; in strategies and action plans; and, in all NCVS s policies Developing an equality and diversity plan which positively promotes work with the diverse communities in Newcastle upon Tyne and develops our own practice around equality and diversity Ensuring all new employees, volunteers and trustees understand and are familiar with the equality and diversity policy and how it is implemented in the organisation Requiring all staff, volunteers and trustees to attend equality and diversity training on a regular basis as agreed 5. Monitoring and review NCVS will review this policy annually to assess its effectiveness and to highlight areas that need to be revised and updated to reflect new legislation and good practice issues. We will collect, collate and analyse monitoring data to help us do this including on trustees, volunteers, staff, job applicants, members and individuals and organisations who use our services. We will make sure this information is handled in line with our confidentiality and data protection policies. Common/NCVS Policies & Procedures/Equality & Diversity Policy April 2010 Page 3 of 7

4 6. Recruitment, selection and employment NCVS s recruitment, selection and employment policies aim to ensure that unfair direct or indirect discrimination does not occur in our recruitment, selection and employment of staff, trustees and volunteers. The recruitment and selection policy aims to ensure That no applicant, whether internal or external, is discriminated against either intentionally or unintentionally, or receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of personal or social characteristics. That no applicant is placed at a disadvantage by requirements or conditions which have a disproportionately adverse effect on people with their personal or social characteristic and which cannot be shown to be justifiable on other grounds. All trustees and employees with responsibility for recruitment and selection are required to operate within the recruitment and selection policy and procedures. It is our policy to provide equality and diversity training to all staff and trustees responsible for recruitment and selection and/or line management of staff. This will make sure that they are aware of equality and diversity issues and carry out their responsibilities according to our adopted procedures. 7. Services NCVS is committed to equality and diversity for everyone using our services, and we also committed to prioritising and targeting our services to communities and groups in greatest need. We strive to make all our services accessible to the diverse communities in Newcastle as far as is possible and reasonable given our resources. When we review our services, we will consider how we can improve or change our services to provide greater access to communities not yet using or not making full use of our services. 8. Comments, suggestions and complaints If Newcastle CVS staff, trustees and volunteers are concerned about any equality issue, it should be raised with their line manager, the chief executive or the chair. This will be dealt with informally, through the grievance policy and procedure, or other policies and procedures as appropriate. If a user, member, partner or other stakeholder of NCVS feels we are not providing our services in line with this policy or have been treated unfairly in any way, they Common/NCVS Policies & Procedures/Equality & Diversity Policy April 2010 Page 4 of 7

5 should speak to the chief executive or chair. Our comments, suggestions and complaints policy and procedure on our website explains how this can be done. 9. Statutory rights Any action taken under section 8 is without prejudice to any statutory right to complain to an employment tribunal or other appropriate statutory body, or to involve the Equality and Human Rights Commission or other appropriate external body. 10. Relevant equality legislation NCVS recognises its responsibilities under the following pieces of legislation that combat discrimination and promote equality and diversity Equal Pay Act 1970 Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (as amended) Race Relations Act 1976 (as amended) Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (as amended) Employment Rights Act 1996 Employment Act 2002 Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 Work and Families Act 2006 The Equality Act 2006 The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 Common/NCVS Policies & Procedures/Equality & Diversity Policy April 2010 Page 5 of 7

6 Appendix 1 - Glossary Source ACAS Delivering equality and diversity booklet March 2009 Disability a disabled person is described in the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 as one who has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Diversity diversity is about recognising, valuing and taking account of people's different backgrounds, knowledge, skills, and experiences, and encouraging and using those differences to create a productive and effective workforce. Ethnicity a strict definition of an ethnic group is a group regarded as a distinct community by virtue of certain essential characteristics a shared history which distinguishes it from other groups and a cultural tradition of its own. Sikhs and Gypsies are examples. However, it has come to have a broader meaning and the expression ethnic monitoring is used in reference to groups defined by colour, race or national origin as well. Gender the word 'gender' is often used in place of the word 'sex' in equality issues. 'Gender' does not appear in legislation (except for 'gender re-assignment' - see below) but 'sex discrimination' and 'gender discrimination' are generally interchangeable. Gender reassignment gender re-assignment is a process undertaken under medical supervision for the purpose of reassigning a person's sex by changing physiological or other characteristics of sex. The Sex Discrimination Act was extended in 1999 to make it unlawful to discriminate in employment on the grounds of an employee intending to, undergoing or having undergone, gender reassignment. Genuine occupational requirements - the Sex Discrimination Act and the Race Relations Act and the Religion or Belief Regulations and the Sexual Orientation Regulations allow for circumstances where a person's sex, racial group, religion or sexual orientation is a genuine requirement for a particular job. Harassment behaviour which is unwelcome or unacceptable and which results in the creation of a stressful or intimidating environment for the victim amounts to harassment. It can consist of verbal abuse, racist jokes, insensitive comments, leering, physical contact, unwanted sexual advances, ridicule or isolation. Liability employers have legal liability for any act of discrimination (including harassment) carried out by their employees unless the employer can show that they have taken all reasonably practicable steps to prevent it. Quotas it is unlawful to select a person for a job on the basis of their gender or race in order to achieve a fixed quota of employees of that gender or race. Common/NCVS Policies & Procedures/Equality & Diversity Policy April 2010 Page 6 of 7

7 Sexual orientation whether a person is attracted to people of their own sex, the opposite sex or both sexes. Assumptions and perceptions of a person's sexual orientation are also covered by law. Targets these can be percentages of underrepresented groups that employers aim to achieve in the make up of their workforce as part of their equality action plan. It is unlawful to use a target as a reason for selecting someone, but it is not unlawful to take steps to get more qualified applicants from particular groups Transsexual a person with gender dysphoria who feels a consistent and overwhelming desire to live their life in the gender that is opposite to that assigned to them at birth. Victimisation if a person has made or is making an accusation of discrimination in good faith, it is unlawful to discriminate against them for having done so, or because they intend to do so or it is suspected that they intend to do so. Common/NCVS Policies & Procedures/Equality & Diversity Policy April 2010 Page 7 of 7