Equality and Diversity; It's a bit of a buzz phrase that's
everywhere at the minute, and yet you often hear 'Equality and
Diversity; what does that mean?'
Equality - is about fairness. Put simply
is the idea that no matter who you are, you have the same equal
chances and opportunities as the next person. However…
Diversity means difference - no two people on
Earth are the same. Therefore giving the same treatment to
all will not create equality; what one person finds easily
achievable, might be more challenging for another. Sometimes
it's not the person themselves; it's the people around them that
can make it difficult to achieve something.
So; put Equality and Diversity together and it's all about
making a level playing field for everyone to have a chance, no
matter who they are, even if that means tailoring services
differently to make them accessible to all.
We are currently doing a lot of work on the way we approach
Equality and Diversity. We are refreshing training for all of
our staff, and being critical of our current policies and
procedures. We are putting things in place to ensure new
policies and procedures are always created using customer input to
ensure fairness for all.
What are the areas to consider?
The Trust is committed to;
- ensuring that its services are accessible to all,
- promoting equality of opportunity for all
- a zero tolerance attitude towards any form of discrimination or
harassment.
Respect for Equality and Diversity extends to everyone, but
specifically, the Trust will monitor the following areas to review
quality and consistency.
Sexual
Orientation - this includes individuals
who are straight, gay, lesbian or bi-sexual.
Disability - this
includes anyone with a physical and / or mental impairment,
and those associated with them (I.e. family/carers)
Age -
Faith / Religion -
Race /
Ethnicity - this includes
colour, nationality, ethnic / national origins, language and
culture
Gender - this includes
males, females and transsexuals (including those who are due to
undergo gender reassignment surgery)
Transgender -