Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
Chigwell Therapy Centre Equality
September 2022
Chigwell Therapy Centre is committed to the following principles:
•We will foster an environment in which individual differences are recognised and valued.
• Every centre user is entitled to a working environment which promotes dignity and respect to all. No form of intimidation, bullying or harassment will be tolerated.
• We will ensure that everyone is treated equally, which we believe is good management practice and makes sound business sense.
• We will regularly review all practices and procedures to ensure fairness.
• Breaches of this policy will be regarded as misconduct and could lead to withdrawal of the right to use the centre.
This policy will be monitored and reviewed regularly
1. Policy Statement
We recognises that discrimination and victimisation are unacceptable and that it is in the interests of Chigwell Therapy Centre to utilise the skills of the centre users and volunteers. To that end, the purpose of this policy is to provide equality and fairness for all in our centre.
It is our aim to ensure that no centre user receives less favourable facilities or treatment (either directly or indirectly) on grounds of age, disability, gender / gender reassignment, marriage / civil partnership, pregnancy / maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.
Our aim is to have a community which is truly representative of all sections of society and to ensure that each user feels respected and able to do their best.
All centre users will be treated fairly and with respect. Selection for any benefits will be on the basis of aptitude and ability. All users will be helped and encouraged to develop their full potential and the talents and resources of the users will be fully utilised to maximise the efficiency of the organisation.
Our users will not discriminate directly or indirectly, or harass clients because of age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation in the provision of our services.
This policy and the associated arrangements shall operate in accordance with statutory requirements. In addition, full account will be taken of any guidance or Codes of Practice issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, any Government Departments, and any other statutory bodies.
Responsibilities of Management
Responsibility for ensuring the effective implementation and operation of these arrangements will rest with the Director. All centre users will ensure that they and their clients operate within this policy and its arrangements, and that all reasonable and practical steps are taken to avoid discrimination. We will ensure that:
i. All users are aware of the policy and the reasons for the policy
ii. Grievances concerning discrimination are dealt with properly, fairly and as quickly as possible
iii. Proper records are maintained.
b. The Director will be responsible for monitoring the operation of the policy in respect of users and potential users.
Director’s responsibilities
Responsibility for ensuring that there is no unlawful discrimination; the attitudes of users are crucial to the successful operation of fair practices. In particular, all users should:
i. comply with this policy and other relevant arrangements
ii. not discriminate in their day to day activities or induce others to do so
iii. not victimise, harass or intimidate other users or groups who have, or are perceived to have, one of the protected characteristics
iv. ensure that no individual is discriminated against or harassed because of their association with another individual who has a protected characteristic.
v. inform Katie if they become aware of any discriminatory practice.
Third Parties
Third-party harassment occurs where an employee is harassed, and the harassment is related to a protected characteristic, by third parties such as clients. We will not tolerate such actions against its users. Anyone concerned should inform Kate at once. We will investigate fully and take all reasonable steps to ensure such harassment does not happen again.
Rights of Disabled People and people who identify as having mental / physical impairments
Chigwell Therapy Centre attaches particular importance to the needs of disabled people or people who identify as having mental / physical impairments.
Under the terms of this policy, centre users are required to:
Make reasonable adjustments to maintain the services of disabled / impaired employees or employees who become disabled / impaired, by, for example: providing training, special equipment, and reduced working hours. If required, CTC will seek advice on the availability of assistance from external agencies
Give full and proper consideration to disabled / impaired people who apply for jobs.
Reasonable adjustments should be made in order to accommodate particular aptitudes and abilities, to allow making the job easier to complete.
Monitoring
CTC will ensure that this Equality and Diversity Policy is translated into practice consistently across the centre as a whole.
This policy will be reviewed annually and may include the routine collection and analysis of information on users by gender, marital status, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, religion / beliefs, job title. Information regarding the number of users who declare themselves as disabled or having an impairment will also be maintained..
Where appropriate, equality impact assessments will be carried out on the results of monitoring to ascertain the effect of the relevant policies. This will give Chigwell Therapy Centre an idea of how our services affect those who experience them.
The information collected for monitoring purposes will be treated as confidential and it will not be used for any other purpose, in accordance with the CTC Data Protection Policy.
If monitoring shows that CTC, or areas within it, are not representative, then an action plan will be developed to address these issues. This will include a review of recruitment and selection procedures, CTC policies and practices, as well as consideration of taking positive legal action.
Grievances/Discipline
Centre users and volunteers have a right to pursue a complaint concerning discrimination or victimisation according to the procedure set out in the Complaints Policy and Procedures.
Our Counsellors
Chigwell Therapy Centre relies on the support of volunteer counsellors who are usually trainee counsellors, these are people who are enrolled in counselling and psychotherapy training programmes who come to Chigwell Therapy Centre on placement in order to develop their clinical practice towards qualification.
We apply our equality and diversity principles, practices and relevant policies also to our relationships with them. This means that we aim to recruit a diverse range of counsellors, and to apply equality principles consistently in the way we organise their time and activity and listen to and respond to their needs and preferences.
Our Clients
Chigwell Therapy Centre applies these same principles to our relationship with clients. Our mission is to provide affordable therapy to adults who seek our help and are able to benefit from our range of psychological therapies. One of our strategic objectives is to improve access to services for those most in need by tackling barriers such as cost, inequality and stigma and by targeting vulnerable groups.
To this end we monitor the diversity of our clients and will take action where we can, to ensure that our services are accessible to all adults in our local area. It is our intention to provide equally good client experience and outcome for all clients and to respond to inquiries from the public professionally and fairly so that all those who can benefit from our help are able to make positive choices.