|
|
Age Concern Preston and South Ribble
1: POLICY STATEMENT
Age Concern Preston and South Ribble aspires to become a leading organisation in
promoting equality and diversity.
We will not accept any form of discrimination in our work with and for older
people. We believe in challenging discrimination wherever it occurs. We will
treat job applicants, employees, volunteers and service users with respect and
fairness irrespective of age, gender, gender identity, marital status, race,
ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief.
We seek to promote a culture in our organisation that is inclusive, where
difference is celebrated, and where people will feel respected and valued. We
are committed to the welfare of all older people and to maintaining their
dignity and worth to society. We aim to provide responsive and accessible
services to older people. We will work towards becoming an organisation where
our employees, volunteers and service users are representative of all sections
of society and reflect the rich and diverse communities of Preston and South
Ribble.
2: THE SCOPE OF THE POLICY
We believe that the principles and practice of equality and diversity should be
intrinsic to the way that we work. They underpin all that we do and the values
that we stand for. We undertake to maintain these principles in our dealings
with all individuals, groups and organisations. This commitment encompasses all
aspects of our work. It extends from our responsibility as an employer, both to
existing staff and volunteers, and to potential staff or volunteers, to the way
that we provide and deliver our services.
3: OUR COMMITMENT
We support both the ethical and business case for equality and diversity and
believe it to be good management practice. As part of the operation of this
policy we undertake the following commitments:
• To create an organisational culture in which individual differences of staff,
volunteers and service users are recognised and valued.
• To create a working environment that promotes dignity and respect for all.
• To deliver services that take account of the diverse population of older
people in Preston and South Ribble.
• To ensure non-discriminatory practice in all areas of our work.
• To ensure all our policies, procedures and practices are compliant with the
principles of equality and diversity and do not impact adversely on any specific
groups.
• To develop a practical and coherent strategy setting out how we intend to
progress our commitment to equality and diversity.
• To view breaches of this policy seriously and deal with them appropriately
according under the organisation’s relevant procedures.
• To monitor and review this policy regularly.
4: EQUALITY AT WORK
Through our employment policies we aim to promote diversity and achieve equality
of opportunity for all sections of our workforce. We are committed to equality
in diversity in the recruitment and selection of staff and in all our practices
within the workplace.
We value the contribution of our volunteers and recognise that they bring a
dimension to our work which adds to our understanding of and response to older
people’s needs. We are committed to establishing clear principles for volunteer
involvement, treating all volunteers fairly and equitably in line with the
values of the organisation.
5: SERVICE PROVISION AND DELIVERY
We will strive to ensure that our services are accessible to all older people.
We are committed to identifying and overcoming any barriers that older people
face in accessing our services and will engage and consult with our diverse
local communities to ensure the appropriate provision and delivery of services.
We will not enter into contracts or partnerships with organisations that
knowingly discriminate and will seek to share and benefit from best practice on
equality and diversity with our partner organisations.
6: IMPLEMENTATION
All employees and volunteers have a responsibility to observe this policy and to
ensure that equality of opportunity is continuously provided for in the
organisation’s activities. Supervisors and managers have a particular
responsibility for ensuring that this policy is fairly and consistently applied
in all areas under their control.
An Equality and Diversity Strategy will be drawn up by the Equality and
Diversity Officer to take forward the practical application of the aims and
objectives of this policy.
7: LIABILITY
Employers can be held liable in law for acts of discrimination committed by
their employees / volunteers. Individual employees / volunteers can be held
personally liable for acts of discrimination that they commit, authorise,
contribute to or condone.
All employees and volunteers must ensure that there is no discrimination in any
of their decisions, behaviours or actions. All employees and volunteers have a
responsibility to guard against any form of discrimination and to avoid any
behaviour which goes against the spirit of this policy.
8: BREACHES OF POLICY
Any staff or volunteers observing breaches of this policy should make this known
to their supervisor, manager or volunteer co-ordinator.
If staff or volunteers have an issue that they wish to raise under the terms of
this policy, then they should utilise the organisation’s relevant procedures
including the Grievance Procedure and, if appropriate, the Harassment Policy.
Service users who have an issue that they wish to raise under the terms of this
policy should be advised to make use of the appropriate Complaints procedures.
No employee, volunteer or service user will be victimised or suffer any
detriment as a result of having raised any complaint under this procedure or
provided evidence during any investigation of a complaint.
9: MONITORING
Any issues raised under this policy should be referred to the Equality and
Diversity Officer who will monitor such incidents with a view to improving
organisational practice in this area.
The organisation will carry out monitoring procedures in relation to staff,
volunteers and service users to ensure compliance with this policy. We will
regularly review our monitoring procedures to ensure that they are sensitive to
the diverse individuals and groups that make up our staff, volunteers and
service users.
We will utilise monitoring information to ensure the effectiveness of the policy
and to consider positive action in line with legislation where appropriate. All
monitoring information will be subject to rigorous standards of confidentiality.
10: TRAINING AND COMMUNICATION
We will ensure that the policy is effectively communicated and that proper
training and guidance is given to ensure that all employees and volunteers fully
understand their own responsibilities as set out in this policy and according to
law. We will endeavour to fully explain the purpose and usage of our monitoring
procedures with all those whom we request such information from.
11: ASSOCIATED POLICIES
This policy should be viewed in conjunction with the following policies and
procedures:
• Recruitment, and Selection Policy
• Recruitment of Ex Offenders Policy
• Volunteering Policy
• Volunteering Recruitment and Selection Policy
• Harassment Policy
• Disciplinary Policy and Procedure
• Grievance Procedure
• Comments, Compliments, Suggestions and Complaints
• Public Interest Disclosure Policy (Whistle blowing)
12: LEGISLATION
The following legislation has been taken account of in the formation of this
policy:
• Sex Discrimination Act 1975 Amendment 1982
• Race Relations Act 1976 Amendment 2000. Amendment Regulations 2003
• Disability Discrimination Act 1995 Amendment 2004
• Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999
• Employment Equality [Sexual Orientation] Regulations 2003
• Employment Equality [Religion or Belief] Regulations 2003
• Human Rights Act 1998
• The Gender Recognition Act 2004
• The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006
• The Equality Bill 2006 (ongoing)
Adopted Date
Next review Date Sept 2007
|
55 plus 
