Policy Statement

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Blossoming Communities will robustly maintain equality for all facilitators, volunteers and participants.

 

They aim to:

 

• make genuine efforts to comply with the spirit and letter of the equality laws

• promotes a good and harmonious environment in which facilitators, volunteers and participants will be treated with dignity and respect,

• not discriminate against or harass any person on any grounds.

 

There are 9 protected characteristics as set out below.

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• Age Discrimination

• Disability Discrimination

• Gender Reassignment Discrimination

• Marriage and Civil Partnership Discrimination

• Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination

• Race Discrimination

• Religion or Belief

• Sex Discrimination

• Sexual orientation

 

Types of discrimination

 

Direct

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• This happens when someone treats you worse than another person in a similar situation because of your characteristic.

 

Indirect Discrimination

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• Indirect discrimination happens when an organisation has a particular policy or way of working that applies to everyone, but which puts people of your characteristic group at a disadvantage.

 

Harassment

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• Harassment occurs when someone makes you feel humiliated, offended or degraded. Harassment can never be justified.

 

Victimisation

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• This is when you are treated badly because you have made a complaint of discrimination under the Equality Act. It can also occur if you are supporting someone who has made a complaint of discrimination.

 

Failure to make reasonable adjustments.

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Under the Equality Act employers and organisations have a responsibility to make sure that disabled people can access jobs, education and services as easily as non-disabled people. This is known as the ‘duty to make reasonable adjustments’.

 

Procedure

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If any type of discrimination is alleged to have happened to a facilitator or volunteer via a participant, Blossoming Communities will be informed and will investigate. If discrimination is proven, depending on the severity or persistence of the alleged discrimination the participant will be spoken to, receive a letter to demand that this discrimination desist, or the matter may be passed to the Trustees. If discrimination persists Blossoming Communities the management will take steps to protect their staff, measures may include; not allowing the participants  back into activities / or informing the police.

If any type of discrimination is alleged to have happened between 2 participants, Blossoming Communities will investigate. Both sides will be spoken with and appropriate action will be decided upon.

 

Review

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This policy and procedures will be reviewed every  24 months. It will be reviewed in April 2025.