Equal opportunities-policy statement
Vision Statement
- We are committed to promoting equal opportunities in our organisation.
- Choice International values diversity and encourages fairness and justice.
- We want to provide equal chances for everyone at Choice International to work, learn and live, free from discrimination and victimisation.
- Choice International will combat discrimination throughout the organisation and will use its position of influence wherever possible, to help overcome discriminatory barriers.
In seeking to achieve this vision, Choice International will strive to:
- Encourage equality of opportunity for everyone and actively promote good relations.
- Eliminate any conditions, procedures and individual behavior that can lead to discrimination, even where there was no intent to discriminate, with particular regard to: race, gender, disability, sexuality, age, religion/belief and other employment issues.
Whilst recognising that individuals may experience disadvantage at more than
one level, we will:
- Offer services fairly to all people, ensuring that anyone in contact with the organisation is treated with respect, making provision for those groups within the community whose needs and expectations are less well met.
- Comply with all legislations dealing with discrimination and the promotion of equality, following the codes of practice issued to support this legislation.
- Ensure all employment policies, procedures, guidelines and circulars reflect and reinforce our commitment to equality.
- Ensure mechanisms are in place for responding to complaints of discrimination and harassment from employees, volunteers and our service users.
- Encourage disadvantaged groups and individuals to participate in the community.
- Make this policy known to all our Directors, volunteers, employees, applicants, service users and partner organisations.
- Operate procurement practices and partnership arrangements that ensure others commissioned to provide services for Choice International to have similar policies that cover equal opportunities.
- Periodically review our Equal Opportunities policy, especially when there is new or reviewed equality legislation or Act introduced.
Supporting Guidelines
- This Equal Opportunities Policy is reinforced by guidelines, specifically relating to accessibility and equality as an employer and service provider
Responsibility
- Overall responsibility for the implementation of this policy lies with the CEO and Directors of Choice International.
Equal opportunities policy- Accessibility Guidelines
Choice International will do its utmost to maximise the well-being of its local
community and service users. In pursuing this aim, it will strive for a just society
which provides all with equality.
Vision Statement:
- Our services must be accessible to and appropriate for all members of
the community who might wish or need to use them. - Choice International will take all reasonable steps to ensure its
employment arrangements and volunteering opportunities are
accessible.
In seeking to achieve this vision, Choice International will do it’s best to:
- Facilitate physical access into the buildings it controls. Future venues Choice International will use will comply with approved documents as will all new, additional features to improve access into existing buildings. Choice International will give high priority for access into as many of its existing public venues as possible. If unable to, it will provide a reasonable alternative method of making the service in question available to all groups.
- Monitor and evaluate accessibility in order to make improvements and reasonable adjustments. In particular using consultation to understand the needs and expectations of existing service users, potential service users and our workforce.
- Use communication methods that are appropriate and sensitive.
- Publicise the variety of ways in which its services can be accessed.
- Improve the accessibility of employment arrangements or physical features of the workplace to meet the needs of disabled workforce and applicants with impairments or other needs.
- Work with partner organisations and agencies delivering services on behalf of Choice International to enhance access to services across the borough.
- Explore multi-channel access to information and services that extends choice and convenience to our customers.
Equal opportunities policy- Employment, Training and Organisational Development Guidelines
Statement of Principles:
Choice International is committed to ensuring that all its workforce policies,
procedures, guidelines and circulars will reflect and reinforce Choice
International’s commitment to equality.
Choice International will, through its policies and training, seek to create a:
- Prejudice-free and supportive working environment.
- Workforce which reflects the diversity of the local population, ensuring that people from all areas of our local communities have equality chance to obtain employment and volunteering opportunities in all areas and levels of the organisation.
Recruitment and Selection
Choice International will:
- Ensure that all employees and volunteers are recruited and promoted on the basis of aptitude, ability and other relevant criteria, according to
- the relevant person and job specifications.
- Work towards ensuring that through recruitment, its workforce better represents the community it serves.
- Be committed to equality of opportunity for all people and protect against all forms of discrimination, with particular regard to: gender, race, disability, religion/belief, age, and sexuality.
- Ensure that it communicates job and volunteering opportunities to all sections of the community. We will scrutinise the recruitment process to ensure that we do not discriminate or discourage applications from any section of the community.
- Ensure that its workforce that is part of the recruitment and selection panel, are trained in equality.
- Work with disadvantaged sections of the community in support of recruitment.
- Use appropriate legislation as a framework for action to support the recruitment process in a positive way.
- Collect and use equalities recruitment information to support a fair and effective recruitment process.
Training and Organisational Development
Choice International will:
- Seek to ensure that our entire workforce is developed by the provision of appropriate and accessible learning opportunities in line with organisational needs.
- Provide training that complies with Challenge Life’s Equalities Policies.
- Include equalities training as part of its induction programme to its workforce.
- Include equalities training as part of its management development programme.
- Provide equalities awareness training as part of its corporate training and organisational development programme.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Choice International will:
- Continually monitor its workforce profile against the community profile to work towards a workforce that is reflective of the community it serves.
- Specifically monitor recruitment, promotion, and training opportunities and take up of training, pay, grievance, disciplinary and exit from employment.
- Monitor its performance against national best value performance indicators in respect of all equalities issues.
- Continue to review its monitoring processes to comply with changes in legislation.
Equal Opportunities policy – Supporting statements
Race Equality
Choice International is committed to promoting a cohesive society and eliminating unlawful racial discrimination. We will promote equality of opportunity and good relations between people of different racial, national and ethnic groups.
Disability Equality
Choice International will not directly or indirectly treat a person less favourably on the basis of their disability and will promote equality of opportunity for all disabled people.
Accessibility
Our services will be accessible and appropriate to all who might wish or need to use them. Choice International will ensure its employment arrangements are accessible to all.
Gender Equality
Choice International will not directly or indirectly treat a person less favourably due to gender, gender reassignment, or marital status.
Sexual Orientation
Choice International will not discriminate directly or indirectly on the grounds of sexual orientation.
Religion and Belief
Choice International will not discriminate directly or indirectly on the grounds of religion or belief (This is defined as any religion, religious belief or similar philosophical belief. It excludes philosophical or political beliefs unless those beliefs are similar to a religious belief, e.g. the belief has a profound effect on the person’s way of life.)
Age
Choice International will not discriminate an individual directly or indirectly due to their age.
Choice International will ensure it complies with the Single Equality Act 2010
Print Name: MANOJKANTH SOMASUNDARAM
Position: CEO
Date: January 2020
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