CROSBY HOUSING ASSOCIATION 10 Church Road Waterloo Liverpool L22 5NB Tel: 0151 920 7300 Fax: 0151 949 0717 e.mail info@crosby-ha.org.uk Equality & Diversity Policy 1
Equality and Diversity Policy Introduction Crosby Housing Association (CHA) is an equal opportunities organisation. We are committed towards promoting equality and diversity in all our activities. We recognise the importance of valuing diversity in our organisation and understand how it can make us stronger, more resilient and sustainable and promote continuous improvement. This policy supports our commitments by providing a framework for continuous improvement. Policy aims To enable equality of opportunity in the provision of housing, services, employment and training. This policy aims to meet the needs of all staff and customers, regardless of race, religion, gender (including transgender), sexual orientation, disability or age. It supports the delivery of the action plans developed by the Diversity Project Group. Consultation The Diversity Project Group has assessed the effectiveness of its current policies in relation to Equality and Diversity. This group consists of a staff and Board members from all levels and departments of the organisation and a tenant member. CHA will liaise with the current Tenants Advisory Panel (TAP) and community groups, the police and other RSLs on a regular basis to assess the effectiveness of its equality and diversity policy. We will also liaise with potential customers about their needs and aspirations. Legal requirements CHA will abide by the following relevant legislation in ensuring that opportunities for discrimination are eradicated: Sex Discrimination Act 1975 Race Relations Act 1976 Disability Discrimination Act 1995 Equal Pay Act 1970 Race Relations 1976 (Amendment) Act 2000 Race Relations 1976 (Amendment) Regulations 2003 The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 2
The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 Civil Partnerships Act 2004 Disability Discrimination Act 2005 Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 Equality Act 2006 Equality Act ( Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 Regulatory requirements The Housing Corporation has a statutory duty to ensure that the services provided by RSLs take into account the wide diversity in contemporary society. This policy is drawn up with the Housing Corporation Regulatory Code and Guidance in mind: Housing Associations must demonstrate when carrying out all their functions, their commitment to equal opportunities. They must work towards the elimination of discrimination and demonstrate an equitable approach to the rights and responsibilities of all individuals. They must promote good relations between people of different racial groups. Housing Associations must be responsive to the individual characteristics and circumstances of residents. CHA will comply with good practice guidance from the Tenants Services Authority, Audit Commission (regulatory code, Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs) and good practice notes 4 and 8), National Housing Federation, Commission for Racial Equality and The Challenge Report. Policy details The seven equality strands Gender CHA recognise our duties under the Sex Discrimination Act, Equal Pay Act, Gender Recognition Act, Equality Act and codes of practice and strive for gender equality and the elimination of discrimination in service provision and as an employer for men, women and transgender people. Race CHA are committed to achieving racial equality both as an employer and a service provider. We work towards this by taking steps to eliminate discrimination on the grounds of race and promoting equality and good relations on the grounds of race. Disability - CHA will take steps towards disability equality in the provision of services and as an employer. We will endeavour to provide services which are 3
relevant to the individual needs of people. CHA will ensure the employment policies will not unfairly discriminate against anyone with a disability. Sexual orientation CHA want to create an environment where people are free from unfair treatment and harassment due to their sexuality and people feel safe and free to be open about their sexuality if they choose to do so regardless of their sexual orientation. CHA aim to ensure that our policies and procedures are not based on the assumption that everyone is heterosexual. Age We recognise the Employment Equality Age Regulations and will not discriminate against anyone seeking employment or employed by CHA on grounds of age. We strive for age equality in service provision and will not make assumptions as to peoples needs or aspirations in the basis of their age alone. Religion and belief CHA will not tolerate discrimination against anyone due to their religious beliefs or lack of religious beliefs. We aim to ensure that our services are delivered in a way that respects the beliefs of our customers. Transgender - CHA recognise our duties under the Gender Recognition Act, Equality Act and codes of practice and strive for the elimination of discrimination in service provision and as an employer for transgender people. We will work with other agencies to provide support services where appropriate. We recognise that people are individuals and may not fall neatly into these categories but may be in a few or none at all. CHA will ensure that its services are accessible to everyone. In particular we will: Monitor lettings to ensure that they reflect the make-up of the communities in which we work. Ensure that information is available in a variety of formats to suit the needs of our customers Actively encourage all tenants to be involved in the work of CHA. We will offer support to tenants where this is appropriate to enable them to be involved. Ensure that staff deliver fair and equal services to all our customers Monitor and respond to all incidents of Hate Crime and Domestic Violence Recruit and retain a diverse workforce, we will ensure that the workplace is free from discrimination and that staff are appropriately trained in diversity issues Monitor our performance on equality and diversity; regular reports of progress on the equality and diversity action plan will be brought before Board 4
Links to other policies This policy links to all policies and procedures within CHA. The following policies and action plans provide additional guidance: CHA BRM Action Plan CHA Disability Action Plan CHA Gender Action Plan Implementation This policy is wide ranging and cuts across all aspects of the Association s work. All other policies will pay regard to equality and diversity. Performance Monitoring CHA monitor the services it provides to ensure it does not discriminate. CHA will monitor existing workforce and future job applicants, in terms of race, disability, age and gender. CHA monitor tenant satisfaction levels. CHA will report performance in relation to equality and diversity to the Board Lettings are monitored in CORE returns Review This policy will be reviewed in 2011 Equality Impact Assessment CHA will undertake regular Equality Impact Assessments when reviewing any existing policy or procedure to ensure that any changes made meet the needs of all our customers and staff, and do not unfairly disadvantage any particular groups or individuals. Resource Implications There are no direct resource implications. 5