EQUALITIES STATEMENT

The CLD Trust Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

  1. Introduction and Key Messages

The strategy document sets out the CLD Trust’s commitment to respecting and valuing diversity and is based upon the following key messages: 

  • Every person is unique and that uniqueness needs to be recognised in how we meet their needs;
  • All people share a common humanity which means they should not be disadvantaged in achieving their best in life;
  • Recruitment focuses on employing staff with the skills and experiences to meet the needs of our clients;
  • We listen to the views and opinions of every client and every person who works for or is involved with our organisation;
  • We support all our clients and staff members to have a strong sense of their own identity and to be confident in who they are;
  • We all have a responsibility to promote equality and diversity and to challenge discrimination.
  1. Key legislation underpinning this strategy
  • Equality Act 2010

The Act provides a legal framework to protect the rights of individuals and advance equality of opportunity for all.  The nine substantive pieces of legislation that are addressed under this umbrella legislation include the following:

  • the Equal Pay Act 1970
  • the Sex Discrimination Act 1975
  • the Race Relations Act 1976
  • the Disability Discrimination Act 1995
  • the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003
  • the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003
  • the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006
  • the Equality Act 2006, Part 2
  • the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007

Further information can be found at the Equality and Human Rights Commission here.

  • Human Rights Act 1998

The Human Rights Act gives effect to the human rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights. These rights are called Convention rights.

Examples of human rights within the Convention include the following:

  • the right to life;
  • the right to respect for private and family life;
  • the right to freedom of religion and belief.

The Human Rights Act means you can take action in the UK courts if your human rights have been breached.  The full legislation can be found here.

The CLD Trust is accredited by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).  The BACP’s own strategy related to equality, diversity and inclusion can be found here.

  1. Recruitment

No staff member or applicant should be treated less fairly in recruitment on the grounds of the following legally protected characteristics:

  • Age
  • Disability
  • Gender Reassignment
  • Marriage and Civil Partnership
  • Pregnancy and Maternity
  • Race
  • Sex
  • Sexual Orientation
  • Religious Belief

Employment application forms will not request this information.  Where this information is requested for the purposes of monitoring, this will be collected through a separate form which is not available to the selection panel or interviewers.  Applicants will not be required to complete this form.  Individuals will be recruited, selected and managed through objective criteria giving due regard to their individual merits and abilities, according to the requirements of the role.  The person specification will clearly outline the needs of the Trust for the role. 

As part of the staff recruitment process The CLD Trust will ensure that any applicant who fulfils the basic criteria, and is not in employment, education or training and/or has been unemployed for six months or longer will automatically be offered an interview.  Any disabled applicant who fulfils the basic criteria is also interviewed.  The CLD Trust is committed to making reasonable adjustments to facilitate disabled people working in the agency in a safe and supportive way which allows them to meet the demands of their role.

  1. Respect for people

Every individual who represents the CLD Trust has a personal responsibility to act in a courteous and respectful manner at all times, ensuring that their language and behaviour is in keeping with the principles of this strategy.  Any challenge to discriminatory behaviour or language from clients or their families should be made in a calm and constructive manner and the matter reported without delay to a manager or the CLD Trust’s Chief Executive.  They will escalate the concerns as appropriate. Any breaches of the commitments set out in this strategy by a CLD Trust employee will be addressed in accordance with the disciplinary and whistleblowing guidance set out in the staff handbook.  Support will be offered to any staff member who feels unable to challenge an issue of discrimination.

  1. Supporting our Clients

Counsellors and all other staff at the CLD Trust have a responsibility to act as positive role models in relation to inclusion and diversity.  Staff should always show an appropriate level of interest in, and respect for, a client’s racial, cultural and religious background.  All reasonable efforts should made to respect a client’s identity and to support any specific needs in terms of service delivery that arise related to their identity, e.g. the need for a counsellor of a specific gender.

All staff have a responsibility to improve their knowledge of different cultures and religious practices through training and other sources.  All those supporting clients should be able to talk about sexual sexuality and sexual identity in the context of relationships, self-esteem, and making choices without being exploited.  Additional training and learning should be completed where there are gaps in knowledge and experience.  Disabled clients and clients with additional learning needs should be supported to access appropriate services that can meet their needs.  Reasonable adjustments to the services provided will be explored on an individualised basis.

  1. Stocktake for 2023

Each year, to support this strategy, the CLD Trust undertakes a stocktake and sets some priorities to help us to meet the commitments set out above.  The following are the priority areas for 2023 to 2024.

Obstacles to inclusion

Action

Timescale

Equality of access to mental health support services is impaired by poor public transport, poverty and related rural challenges.

Outreach service across the county to be developed

By September 2023

Specific communities struggle to access mental health services, e.g. travellers, newly arriving refugee communities.

Specific outcomes regarding ‘hard to reach’ communities to be achieved through the Strong Young Minds Plus project.

Outcomes to be set in June 2023 with a view to delivery by May 2024.

The extent to which counsellors and other staff have experience and understanding of gender dysmorphia is not consistent.

Training on this topic to be provided in 2023-24

By March 2024

 

Date of this version: April 2023

Date of planned revision: April 2024