Policy Statement
Sefton Support Group subscribes to the view that equality and diversity are all-encompassing principles. Adherence to these principles ensures that every person receiving a service from this charity will have their individual needs addressed and be treated equally and without discrimination. This applies regardless of the individual’s ethnic background, language, culture, faith, gender, age, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that could result in discrimination.
Our charity aims to celebrate differences (e.g., ethnic background) between individuals. It avoids treating people unequally and recognises that unequal treatment can result in the loss of dignity, respect, self-esteem, and self-worth, as well as an individual’s ability to make choices.
Sefton Support Group acknowledges that discrimination can occur in various ways, both consciously and unconsciously. It can manifest through:
- Staff/volunteers abusing their position and power over clients.
- Staff/volunteers holding and communicating prejudicial views and attitudes.
- Clients being made to feel ashamed, unworthy, or undeserving.
- Staff/volunteers forming attitudes and behaviors based on inaccurate or incomplete knowledge of different individuals.
To prevent any form of discrimination, we engage in careful monitoring, supervision, and training.
Sefton Support Group also expects clients to respect the ethnicity, culture, religion, gender, and any disabilities of staff/volunteers and not discriminate against them. The charity does not tolerate any form of racist or discriminatory behavior from any source and integrates these principles into its external contractual relationships.
Policy Aims
The charity’s approach to equality and diversity aims to:
- Ensure that no person applying for a service is refused admission on discriminatory grounds when all other admission criteria are met.
- Ensure the quality of services is not affected by any type of discrimination.
- Work with each client to determine their needs and preferences, taking into account their gender, culture, and personal choices.
- Encourage clients, staff, and volunteers to interact with mutual respect for individual differences.
- Develop an attitude of self-awareness among staff, volunteers, and clients to prevent discriminatory behavior, including offensive or abusive language.
- Ensure that clients, staff, and volunteers are aware of procedures for handling complaints and allegations of discriminatory behavior.
- Ensure that all complaints and allegations are properly addressed in a non-discriminatory manner.
Policy in Practice
Sefton Support Group expresses its commitment to equality and diversity by:
- Respecting clients’ ethnic, cultural, and religious practices.
- Accepting clients as individuals.
- Demonstrating leadership and management practices that promote equality and diversity.
- Fostering an ethos throughout the charity that reflects these values.
- Expecting all staff/volunteers to adhere to equality and diversity policies and behave in a non-discriminatory manner.
- Providing training, supervision, and support to staff and volunteers.
- Maintaining a code of conduct that strictly prohibits discriminatory behavior among staff, volunteers, and clients.
This is the Equality and Diversity Policy of Sefton Support Group.
