Developing an Equal Opportunities Policy

Having an Equal Opportunities policy sends out a clear message that your group is taking on board its responsibilities and legal obligations concerning anti-discrimination and equal opportunities.  In some cases, an Equal Opportunities policy will be required before your group can get funding, register for disclosures or enter into a service level agreement or contract to deliver services with your Local Authority or other agencies.

An Equal Opportunities policy means that your group can expand on the basic rights given in equality legislation and extend particular attention to those groups of people who would usually be subjected to discrimination in society and/or who are under-represented in the organisation. 

Your Equal Opportunities policy should consider all aspects of your activities. Equality legislation covers employment and training, the provision of goods and services, and facilities. Your policy should demonstrate that your group is complying with these legal requirements.

As with all types of policy, the most effective equal opportunities policies are those which you develop yourself. Do not be tempted to download and use a template policy as it is. Use it as a guide, but discuss and agree your own policy as a team. Equalities should be embedded in everything you do and it should involve everyone.  Involve your committee members, users, clients, general members, volunteers and staff.  They will be able to offer valuable suggestions and often first hand experiences which will inform your policy and make it much more relevant to their needs. Once the policy is agreed make sure that everyone has a copy and that you put in place an ongoing commitment to regular reviews.

What to include in your Equal Opportunities Policy 

Declaration of Intent 

Start your policy with a statement about your group’s commitment to equal opportunities – your declaration of intent. This can be as little as one or two sentences or longer according to the size and activities of your group and whether or not you employ paid staff.

How you will implement your intentions 

Continue with a clear indication of how your group will implement your intentions listed in the statement at the beginning of your policy. If your group is small and does not have employed staff this may be quite simple and fairly short. You might only need to think about recruitment of volunteers and the provision of goods, facilities or services. If your group is a sizable organisation with paid staff then you might want to break this section down into areas such as, recruitment, staff development, working patterns, membership recruitment and the provision of services.

Monitoring and reviewing 

Finally, your policy should include details on how you will monitor and review things and how you will deal with any complaints of discrimination.

Appendices 

You might want to include as an appendix a list of definitions (call it a Jargon Buster if you like!) so that everyone understands the policy. For example you might want to include the legal definitions of what is meant by direct and indirect discrimination, harassment etc.

It is also good practice to include an appendix which lists the current Equality legislation to which your policy refers and which your group should be using as a legal framework. This should be updated as and when new laws are passed.

For more information visit your local support organisation

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Last Updated 05/09/2012 15:05