Equal Opprotunities Policy
1.0 AIMS OF THE POLICY
1.1 The policy aims to challenge discrimination in all areas of our organisation. We aim to ensure that the Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop reflects and meets the needs of the communities it intends to serve, and able to provide a focal point of information delivery for people whose first language is not English. Equal opportunities will be incorporated into all areas of work.
1.2 We aim:
1.2.1 To ensure that the make-up of the management committee and staff team at all levels reflect the multi-cultural aspect of the society.
1.2.2 To ensure that premises are accessible for all people in the community including for people with disabilities. This may mean adaptations or conversion work.
1.2.3 To increase awareness within the multi-cultural communities who face discrimination and the effects of discrimination in society in general.
1.2.4 To consider establishing specific projects to promote equality of opportunity.
2.0 DECLARATION OF INTENT
2.1 We recognise that people from black and minority ethnic, asylum seekers and refugee communities in society are discriminated against because of their race, gender, ethnic or national origin, physical, sensory, or mental disability, marital status, age, social class, religious belief, sexual orientation and if they are HIV positive.
2.2 Accordingly, we are strongly committed to positive action to remove / counter discrimination in all aspects of our work in our practice as employers in the way that we work with other organisations and in all our work with service users.
2.3 Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop is committed to taking positive action to fight unlawful discrimination in every respect of its work.
2.4 Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop is an equal opportunities employer. The aim of its equal opportunities policy is to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, marital status, HIV antibody status, AIDS or disability, nor should they be disadvantaged by requirement. Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop will strive to redress any imbalance that may become evident.
2.5 Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop will endeavour to establish a broad base for consultation to identify priorities and needs as reflected by the black and ethnic minority, migrants, asylum seekers and refugee communities whose first language is not English and in all campaign work will maintain the objectives stated above.
2.6 The Management Committee shall review the content and effectiveness of the policy whenever a new staff appointment is to be made, and at other times as may be necessary. The Bi-Lingual Advice & Information Coordinator is responsible for the policy's day to day implementation.
2.7 Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop will monitor and review the composition of its Management Committee with the aim of promoting a broad-based representation.
3.0 RECRUITMENT OF STAFF
3.1 A written job description and person specification shall be prepared in respect of every vacancy that arises and every new post that is created. It shall be checked and agreed by the staff and honorary officers for direct and indirect discrimination, including culture-bound assumptions and ageism before the recruitment procedures commence. Applicants should be made aware that general life experience and voluntary as well as paid work are valued.
3.2 All jobs must be advertised externally and as widely as possible. In addition to whatever channels the organisation may choose to utilise, the vacant post must also be advertised in black and ethnic minority and refugee communities’ press. Adverts should clearly state the minimum requirements for the post.
3.3 At both the short-listing and the appointment stage, brief notes shall be made on each application indicating clearly why the applicant has or has not been short- listed or appointed. A form will be drafted for this purpose.
3.4 No interview, for any post should be conducted by a panel consisting of three members of the Management Committee. All interview panels must include women and shall be suitably representative of the various the black and ethnic minority, migrants, asylum seekers and refugee communities whose first language is not English within the membership of the organisation. Members of staff will be involved at all stages of the selection process in an advisory role. Whenever possible, an external assessor shall be invited to join the panel in a non-voting capacity.
3.5 An open invitation will be given to short-listed applicants with a disability to discuss their specific needs and requirements. Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop will take all reasonable steps to ensure that the specific needs of disabled employees are met.
3.6 During each interview, notes should be taken and at the end of the interview a form should be completed for each candidate, assessing their response to the topics and themes raised. These should be reviewed at the end of the interview process by the panel to see that each candidate has been treated fairly.
3.7 Questions on the following topics are forbidden in an interview. Any candidate who is asked these questions has the right to refuse to answer. It is the responsibility of the Chair, or any other member of the panel to stop such questions being asked: marital status sexual orientation occupation of partner number of children/domestic arrangements (it should be made clear that the organisation aims to be flexible to individual requirements)
3.8 An equal opportunity section should be included on the application form. The equal opportunities policy, and the purpose of monitoring should be clearly explained.
4.0 TRAINING
4.1 New staff should be inducted into the Staff Development and Training Policy and made aware of training opportunities available to them, and be positively encouraged to take them up. All reasonable facilities will be offered to staff to take study leave.
5.0 SUPPORT
5.1 All workers should have access to support. If a worker feels isolated, provision should be made for support from other parts of Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop or outside the organisation.
6.0 DISCIPLINE and GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
6. 1 It will be made clear to all employees that discrimination, abuse or harassment on the grounds of race, gender, disability or sexuality -if proven- is a dismissable offence.
7.0 THE SCOPE OF THIS POLICY
7.1 This policy applies to:
a.all staff employed by Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop irrespective of funding agent.
b.all aspects of promotional, educational, and campaigning functions of Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop members and affiliate organisations. Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop would expect its membership to concur with and actively promote these objectives.
8.0 IMPLEMENTATION
8.1 Equal opportunities will be considered in all aspects of the service the organisation provides. This will be reviewed regularly and monitored for effectiveness.
8.2 Language or behaviour designed to be offensive to the users and members outlined in our statement is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop.
8.3 The profiles of the service users will be monitored and reviewed regularly to evaluate the effectiveness of the organisation's ability to provide responsive and accessible services. Changes will be introduced if it is found that services are under used by certain groups of people or individuals.
8.4 We will also review the image and work of the organisation regularly. We aim to ensure the Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop is accessible to all our individuals who are in need members and users in the community.
8.5 We aim to ensure that the premises are physically accessible to all Centre members and users in the community. We will obtain specialist advice to make the buildings accessible to those with disabilities and wherever possible take conversion work as appropriate.
8.6 Any publicity of the organisation will state commitment to equal opportunities and will promote positive images of people of from black and minority ethnic, asylum seekers and refugee communities. We strive to produce information and publicity materials in different ethnic community languages; e.g. main languages spoken by service users.
8.7 Employment procedures and practices will be undertaken strictly in accordance with the following and all other relevant legislation: -Race Relations Act 1976 -Sex Discrimination Acts 1975-85 -Equal Pay Act 1970 -Disability Discrimination Act 1995 -Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
8.8 In order to implement this equal opportunities policy; Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop accepts that it needs to ensure that all members and staff involved in selection and recruitment within the organisation are given adequate and appropriate training in: i.interview techniques ii.codes of practice iii.disciplinary and grievance procedures as contained in the Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop staff manual.
9.0 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY POLICY IN SERVICE DELIVERY
9.1 Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop's commitment Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop is committed to ensuring equality of access to all its services by people from black and ethnic minority, asylum seekers and refugee communities whose first language is not English. The Management Committee will take action to provide genuine equality of opportunity to counter past discrimination and to monitor the outcome. The Management Committee will aim to ensure that people from black and ethnic minority, migrants, asylum seekers and refugee communities whose first language is not English shall not be denied access or receive a poor service on the grounds of age, race, gender, disability, being a lesbian or gay man, marital status, ethnicity or religious belief. The Management Committee will aim to ensure that all its services will be provided in line with this anti discrimination policy. In order to promote equality of access the executive will aim to ensure the following:
i.that services are based on consultation with those who receive the services and positive steps are taken to include excluded groups in decision making.
ii.that all services are flexible and responsive to the changing needs in the community.
iii.that information on services is widely available and where necessary targeted to ensure maximum awareness of provisions in the appropriate ethnic languages spoken by people from black and ethnic minority, migrants, asylum seekers and refugee communities whose first language is not English.
iv.that systems are developed to audit and monitor service delivery and consumer satisfaction. v.that an accessible complaints procedure will be developed to ensure against discrimination in service allocation and delivery. vi.that positive action programmes will be developed to target the needs usually excluded groups. vii.that in advertising and publicity Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop will be presented as an organisation committed to promoting equality of access to employment and services.
9.2 Corporate Organisational Arrangement -All Management Committee members and chairperson of Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop will be responsible for the overall implementation of the equal opportunities policy their respective services. -All staff have a duty to implement Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop's Equal Opportunities Policies. -The Bi-Lingual Advice & Information Coordinator shall be the secretary of the Equal Opportunities Policy committee that will be the corporate mechanism for achieving greater equality by:
i.devising and advising on corporate priorities.
ii.receiving and monitoring organisational work programmes.
iii.overseeing the work and pursuing the recommendations of the Management Committee iv.overseeing priorities and performance of the organisation as a whole. The Chairperson and the Bi-Lingual Advice & Information Coordinator will manage and oversee the development and implementation of Equal Opportunities work corporately and with the appropriate executive sub-committee chairs.
9.3 Key tasks in developing and implementing policy Sub-committees may be set up to develop action plans based on this statement. This should include short or long term objectives. developing and producing mechanisms for consumer consultation.
i.establishing guidelines for service monitoring
ii.design training packages for the organisation which ensure that staff feel confident to promote the policy.
iii.progressing and updating the corporate equal opportunities work programme
10.0 REVIEW
10.1 The Management Committee of the Multi-Lingual Community Rights Shop will monitor and review the effectiveness of this equal opportunities policy on an annual basis.
11.0 INFORMATION
11.1 This document shall be circulated to all employees and job applicants.
