Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy

Introduction

The Equality and Human Rights Commission states:

“that every organisation should have an equality policy to ensure equal opportunity, and share it with staff and (as appropriate) with customers, clients or service users and others who may be interested in it, such as organisations considering contracting with them”

The aims of a policy and supporting action plan are to:

Set the tone expected in the organisation
Set out people’s roles and responsibilities for eliminating discrimination, practising equality and promoting diversity and inclusion
Identify our commitment to learning and development for the management committee, freelancers/contractors, and volunteers
Monitor progress towards a more inclusive organisation

Commitment

We promote equality and diversity in the workplace by:

Treating everyone fairly through our policies, procedures and systems
Creating a culture that is inclusive and welcoming to everyone to enable them to contribute to the organisation’s mission
Actively promoting equality and diversity through our volunteering policies and management procedures
Ensuring that all individuals (paid or voluntary) engaged in the delivery of Rainbow Pooch Pride activities adhere to the legislation, and understand and follow our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy.
Adopting practices that maximise the abilities, skills and experience of all individuals (paid or voluntary) engaged in the delivery of Rainbow Pooch Pride activities.
Role modelling expected behaviour
Making sure everyone is given the chance to develop to their full potential
Ensuring there is equal access to opportunities e.g. learning and development and promotion
Ensuring we communicate well and by giving everyone opportunities to fully engage
Providing LGBTQIA+ awareness training for all individuals (paid or voluntary) engaged in the delivery of Rainbow Pooch Pride activities
Designing and providing services and facilities that meet the diverse needs of our clients and enable people to be included and to participate fully
Providing venues, spaces and materials which are accessible and inclusive
Enforcing this equality and diversity policy
Management committee to regularly monitor implementation and effectiveness of the policy

Equality Act 2010

Under the Equality Act 2010 nine characteristics are protected by law, these are:

Age
Disability
Gender reassignment
Marriage or civil partnership
Pregnancy or maternity
Race (which includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins)
Religion or belief
Sex
Sexual orientation

Our commitment to Equal Opportunities and Diversity will be demonstrated through our policies, practices and all of our work. We fully support the principles of equality of opportunity, diversity and inclusion in recruitment, volunteering and in the design and delivery of our services and facilities.

We oppose all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination. All individuals (paid or voluntary) engaged in the delivery of Rainbow Pooch Pride activities have a responsibility to ensure the principles of this policy are upheld.

Scope

This policy applies to all individuals (paid, voluntary or participatory) engaged in Rainbow Pooch Pride activities.

Responsibilities

Rainbow Pooch Pride will not discriminate unlawfully against service users, suppliers, contractors, visitors, or other people involved with the organisation.

Equality of opportunity will be applied throughout Rainbow Pooch Pride. Responsibility for promoting equality within Rainbow Pooch Pride rests with the Management Committee, the Project Manager, and all individuals engaged in the delivery of Rainbow Pooch Pride activities whether paid or voluntary.
Rainbow Pooch Pride can be held legally responsible for any act of discrimination in provision of its services and facilities.
Rainbow Pooch Pride has both a legal and moral obligation to ensure that no individual appointed to provide services is subjected to unlawful or unjust discrimination. Everyone should be treated fairly, with dignity and respect.
Rainbow Pooch Pride expects that each person should be aware of their behaviour towards others. At all times people’s feelings will be valuedthat people find offensive will not be tolerated.
Rainbow Pooch Pride will not tolerate any individual appointed to provide services,or joining as a volunteer or member, being discriminated against either directly or indirectly.
Disciplinary proceedings may be taken against any individual (paid or voluntary) engaged in the delivery of Rainbow Pooch Pride activities that is found guilty of discrimination.

Management Responsibilities

The Management Committee and Project Manager have a legal obligation to ensure that any individual appointed to provide services or volunteer does not unlawfully discriminate. They have a duty to promote and sustain equality of opportunity by:

Positively promoting the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion
Ensuring all individuals appointed to provide services or volunteer are made aware of this policy during induction
Making sure all employment practices are fair
Taking all reasonable actions that people engaged in our activities are aware that direct or indirect discrimination or any form of harassment or bullying is unacceptable
Taking all reasonable actions towards establishing and maintaining an environment free from harassment, bullying and discrimination
Ensuring all individuals appointed to provide services and volunteers are aware of how to report incidents of discrimination, harassment or bullying – through the Grievance Procedure
Monitoring and informing the Management Committee of any instances of harassment, bullying or discrimination
Taking prompt action to stop harassment, bullying or discrimination by arranging a disciplinary hearing where it is deemed that the matter warrants such action

Individual Responsibilities

Individuals appointed to provide services and volunteers commit to the following responsibilities:

Individuals appointed to provide services or volunteers who witness what they believe to be discrimination should report it to the Project Manager as soon as possible.
Individuals appointed to provide services and volunteers can be held personally liable as well as, or instead of, the organisation for any act of unlawful discrimination.
Individuals appointed to provide services or volunteers who commit serious acts of harassment may be guilty of a criminal offence.
Acts of discrimination, harassment, bullying or victimisation against all individuals appointed to provide services, volunteers or members are disciplinary offences and will be dealt with under the disciplinary procedure.
Discrimination, harassment, bullying or victimisation may constitute gross misconduct and could lead to dismissal without notice.
No person should behave in a way that could be regarded as offensive, harassing, bullying or discriminatory.
It is essential that everyone guards against discrimination based on possible preconceptions, stereotyping and prejudice.
If anyone is bullied or harassed by a service user, suppliers, contractor, visitor or others, or if you witness someone else being bullied or harassed, you are asked to report this to the Project Manager who will take appropriate action.

Employment and Recruitment Practices

Rainbow Pooch Pride’s current scope is to recruit volunteers on an unpaid basis and to limit paid employment to freelance contractors engaged under individualised Service Level Agreements.

Rainbow Pooch Pride will avoid unlawful discrimination in employment and recruitment processes.
No volunteer or contractor will be placed at a disadvantage by conditions or requirements which adversely affect one group more thanthe role description.
For paid roles Rainbow Pooch Pride is committed to equal pay for work of equal value in accordance with the role description.
Rainbow Pooch Pride is committed paying no less than minimum wage
Equality and inclusion will be addressed in all policies and procedures.

Role descriptions will be limited to those criteria that are necessary for the effective performance of the job. Candidates will be assessed objectively against the requirements for the role, taking account of any reasonable adjustments that may be required for a candidate with a disability. Where qualifications are part of the selection criteria, other equivalent, recognised and relevant qualifications will be accepted. Interview questions and assessments will relate to the requirements of the role. Rainbow Pooch Pride is committed to ensuring that:

No applicant will be treated less or more favourably than another specifically with regard to the protected characteristics (Equality Act 2010).
No applicant will be placed at a disadvantage by conditions or requirements that adversely affect one group more than another and cannot be strictly justified in terms of the requirements of performing the job.
Consideration will be given to filling vacancies on a job share basis.
The disclosure by any job applicant of a criminal conviction will not necessarily exclude them from taking up a post at Rainbow Pooch Pride. All disclosures of this nature will be referred to the Management Committee to consider the relevance to the organisation and the nature of the position for which they are applying. In accordance with legislation, spent convictions are not considered by Rainbow Pooch Pride.

Rainbow Pooch Pride will comply with its obligations in relation to statutory requests for Service Level Agreement variations. Rainbow Pooch Pride will also make reasonable adjustments to its standard working practices to overcome barriers caused by disability.

Positive Action

To address under-representation in certain jobs within Rainbow Pooch Pride, we will actively seek to encourage job applications from under-represented groups by advertising job vacancies in specific press and through networks.

Advertising

All advertising material, role descriptions, and supporting literature, will avoid presenting people in a stereotyped role. Any advertising in Wales will be produced in both English and Welsh.

Service Development and Delivery

Rainbow Pooch Pride commits to actively designing and delivering its services, projects and activities in a way that encourages and enables participation from all beneficiaries. To achieve this, we will:

Positively promote the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion in services and projects
Ensure all all individuals appointed to provide services and volunteers are made aware of this policy
Keep up to date with the changing needs of beneficiaries and potential new beneficiaries
Make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled beneficiaries can access services
Make sure any proposed changes to services and projects consider the equality impact of those changes
Regularly monitor and evaluate services and projects.

Learning and Development (paid and voluntary roles)

Rainbow Pooch Pride will encourage the management committee, all individuals appointed to provide services, and volunteers to attend training in LGBTQIA+ awareness to better understand their rights and responsibilities.

Monitoring and Review

This policy will be monitored periodically to judge its effectiveness and will be updated in accordance with changes in the law. We will report to the Management Committee quarterly on any actions or activities undertaken to improve equality of opportunity.

Any information provided by role applicants and volunteers for monitoring purposes will be used only for these purposes and will be dealt with in accordance with the Data Protection legislation.

Rainbow Pooch Pride is committed to improving its equality and diversity practice. We will monitor progress in the following areas:

Recruitment of individuals appointed to provide services
Learning and development (paid and voluntary roles)
Promotion
Volunteer recruitment
How the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy is working in practice

Grievances

Individuals appointed to provide services or volunteers who believe they have been or are being discriminated against or harassed in any way should pursue the allegation through the Grievance Procedure.
Where there is evidence of discrimination, harassment, bullying or any deliberate act contravening this policy, the complaint will be dealt with through the Disciplinary Procedure.
Members or visitors who believe that they have been discriminated against by Rainbow Pooch Pride could pursue their complaint through the Complaints Policy.

Appendix 1

Definitions

Diversity is about recognising and accepting the different elements and abilities that make us individual and understanding and respecting that we all have different beliefs and live our lives in different ways.

Direct Discrimination happens where someone is treated less favourably than another person because of a protected characteristic.

Indirect Discrimination can occur where a provision, criterion or practice is in place which is discriminatory in relation to individuals who have a protected characteristic such that it would be to the detriment of people who share that protected characteristic compared with people who do not, and it cannot be shown to be a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

Associative Discrimination is where an individual is directly discriminated against or harassed for an association with another individual who has a protected characteristic.

Perceptive Discrimination is when an individual is directly discriminated against or harassed based on a perception that he/she has a protected characteristic, even if the person does not possess the characteristic.

Discrimination arising from disability is when an individual is treated less favourably because of their disability and this treatment can’t be justified as a reasonable act in managing the business (this is different to direct disability discrimination).

Harassment is defined as unwanted, abusive or insulting behaviour towards another individual, regardless of the intent of the harasser and must be related to a relevant protected characteristic or be of a ‘sexual nature’. It causes the recipient to feel threatened, humiliated or harassed, may interfere with work performance, undermine job security, or create a threatening, hostile, degrading or intimidating work environment.

Harassment can occur both inside and outside the workplace and can be verbal, written, or physical. Generally, harassment:

includes bullying, nicknames, jokes, ‘banter’, gossip, inappropriate questions, excluding an individual, insults or unwanted physical contact
can also apply to an individual who is harassed because they are perceived to have a protected characteristic, whether that is real or perceived
can also apply to an individual who is harassed because they are associated with someone with a protected characteristic
can also apply to an individual who witnesses harassment because of a protected characteristic which in turn has a negative effect on their dignity at work or the working environment, irrespective of whether they share the protected characteristic of the individual that is being harassed. While the Equality Act 2010 protects against harassment related to most protected characteristics, other legislation such as the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 may also apply.