Diversity Policy
Reviewed September 2022
This is a general Diversity Policy for Re-gain. Due to the diverse nature of mental health work, projects may be required to have their own policies which are more specific to the particular service but are guided by the principles of this policy.
Re-Gain is committed to the principles of equal opportunity and welcomes diversity. Accordingly we will not discriminate against any individual, on the basis of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, disability, trade union membership or non-membership, gender, sexual orientation or identity, marital status, age, or being a fixed-term or part-time worker.
Re-Gain seeks to prevent unfavourable treatment, directly or indirectly, to any of these groups in its employment practice, its governance structure and its service delivery. In addition, we will seek to achieve the broadest representation of the community within our workforce.
Employment
Re-Gain will not discriminate in the course of employment against employees or job applicants. All individuals will be selected and treated on the basis of their relevant aptitudes, skills and abilities. This principle will apply to recruitment, promotion, training and development of prospective employees and existing employees. Within our recruitment process we will:-
i, Be committed to operating a recruitment and selection policy which complies with legal requirements and this equal opportunities policy.
ii, Select candidates carefully and fairly, ensuring no applicant is treated more or less favourably than any other.
iii, Be committed to appointing the best possible candidate to each post.
iv, Strive to provide development opportunities for existing staff by advertising all posts internally and encouraging applications from existing staff.
Where a decision is taken to advertise a vacancy internally, in the first instance, existing staff will be required to complete an application form and should meet the minimum essential criteria to be considered for the position.
Staff will also undertake a formal interview before being appointed.
The right remains to advertise externally, as appropriate, in line with our recruitment policy and procedures.
v, Be committed to attracting a wide range of applicants by using a variety of advertising media within the budget available.
vi, Use a standard application form process.
vii, Ensure that short listing and interviewing is conducted objectively by at least two people, using the same criteria.
viii, Ensure that the interviewers take part in the short listing process wherever possible.
ix, Ensure that information on ethnicity, gender, age and disability is sought on a separate form for monitoring purposes.
This information will not be identifiable by name.
Training and Development
In order to ensure effective implementation of this equal opportunities policy Re-Gain will:-
i, Endeavour to raise awareness of equal opportunities issues amongst staff, volunteers and stakeholders.
ii, Ensure that Re-Gain's commitment to training and development is incorporated within budgets.
iii, Identify all individual staff training needs through regular line management and the annual appraisal process and ensure these are addressed.
iv, Where possible, offer all volunteers appropriate training to enable them to develop their capabilities and competence in relation to their volunteering role.
Service Delivery
Re-Gain will strive to ensure that its work and the services it offers are accessible and follow equal opportunities principles by encouraging User feedback in all areas of service delivery. In order to achieve this Re-Gain will:-
Events
When organising events (i.e. conferences, seminars, training days etc) Re-Gain recognises the need to be as inclusive as possible, relevant to its membership. In the best interests of the organisation we will:-
i, Choose a venue that is geographically accessible and served by public transport, where possible.
ii, Choose a venue that is accessible to wheelchair users and others with specific needs, where possible.
iii, Choose a venue that takes account of dietary needs, where possible.
iv, Invite feedback from delegates and consider this when planning future events.
v, Assess the effectiveness of events held and feed this into future planning requirements.
Publications and written information
To ensure that publications and written information reflect Re-Gain's commitment to equal opportunities and diversity we will:-
i, Monitor reports and other written material for equal opportunities considerations (i.e. language, images, font size, glare, etc).
ii, Reproduce written material into other formats, on request, where possible (i.e. large print).
iii, Use non-offensive language in all documents.
iv, Provide electronic versions of publications where available, or when requested.
v, Ensure the electronically published information is compatible with disability aiding software.
vi, Use diverse illustrations where possible (i.e. taking into consideration gender, race, age, etc).
Monitoring of equal opportunities
All job applicants will be asked to complete an equal opportunities monitoring form. This form will only be used for the purpose of monitoring the effectiveness of Re-Gain's Equal Opportunities Policy. Monitoring forms will be separated from recruitment application forms before any short listing takes place and will not form part of the shortlisting process.
Re-Gain will also monitor various aspects of its service delivery from time to time.
Positive action
The composition of Re-Gain's workforce and Board will be monitored on a regular basis. Should inequalities become apparent action may be taken, wherever possible, to redress the imbalance. Re-Gain will endeavour to:-
i, Not discriminate in the course of employment against employees or job applicants.
ii, Not induce or attempt to induce others to practice unlawful discrimination.
iii, Bring to the attention of employees that they will be subject to action under the Disciplinary Procedure for discrimination of any kind.
iv, Where possible, make reasonable adjustments requested by disabled applicants for employment and trusteeship in order to overcome
any disadvantage they feel they may have compared to other individuals as a result of their disability.
Dealing with incidences of discrimination
The successful achievement of these objectives necessitates a contribution from everyone within the organisation and staff have an obligation to report any act of discrimination known to them. Staff and steering group members can contribute by:-
i, Not discriminating against fellow employees, clients, suppliers or members of the public with whom they come into contact with during the course of their duties.
ii, Not inducing, or attempting to induce others to practice unlawful discrimination.
iii, Reporting any discriminatory action to management.
iv, If staff feel they have been discriminated against they may raise the issue through Re-Gain's Grievance Procedure
The policy will also be reviewed periodically to ensure its effectiveness and may be amended accordingly.