So long as we enjoy the light of day, May we greet one another with love.
So long as we enjoy the light of day, May we pray for one another.
365 Meditations for a peaceful heart and a peaceful world.
Marcus Braybrooke Pub. Godsfield, London
Foreword
This Equality and Diversity Strategy is our response to the changing climate within society and the quest for individual equality of opportunity. It must be viewed primarily as an ’overarching’ point of reference for the wider policies on diversity issues.
Through this Strategy our organisation will address the issues in terms of our workforce, service delivery and the cultural issues which will be subject to public scrutiny. The Lancashire Forum of Faiths (LFoF) expects and encourages staff to respect diversity and the level of success we achieve is dependent upon the way in which all staff translate the strategy into daily working practices, service delivery, people management and staff interaction.
The diverse communities that we serve, as well as our staff, need to be confident that we understand their needs and are able to perform our duty in a manner that is sensitive, reflect their feelings and dignity and does not compromise operational integrity.
I commend this strategy to you as a means of progressing fairness and equality for all. Together we can move the culture of our organisation to meet the needs of our communities and workforce in a way that clearly values and respects people of diverse backgrounds.
Joy Sabour
Former Chairperson, Lancashire Forum of Faiths
UK society is among the most culturally diverse in the world. It is therefore vital for an organisation, such as the Lancashire Forum of Faiths, to recognise, respect and value diversity. The issues are important and require a strategic approach so that the services delivered and support provided is consistent across the Organisation. This, in turn, has clear implications for staff; an organisation that recognises the importance of respecting diversity should seek to create and support a diverse workforce. This means that the Forum has to create a working environment where people from different backgrounds can all feel valued.
Diversity develops and complements established approaches to equal opportunities. It allows organisations to develop equality policies and procedures in ways which take into account organisational needs and culture, and the way employees need to be able to balance their personal and working lives.
Diversity requires equality to be dealt with in a strategic, co-ordinated manner. It broadens the concept of equal opportunities beyond the issues covered by law. It welcomes difference and seeks to avoid bias on the basis of issues that unfairly block personal development. It also acknowledges that organisational cultures may need to become more flexible and adaptable in order to realise the full potential of a diverse workforce.
This strategy is aimed at being inclusive of all sections of the community. The issues discussed have implications for us all. For instance issues surrounding gender could be largely about the importance of work/life balance, and this subject is likely to be important to all staff throughout their career. Issues around faith could be about the importance of allowing suitable breaks to accommodate for prayer times. The unifying theme is that of respect for an individual’s right to be different.
Therefore by appealing to all sections of society, we can broaden the range of potential employees and members of the Forum. However, recruitment, of both members and staff, is of little value without effective retention. A more flexible and supportive working and Forum environment should enable this to be increased. In addition a good understanding of diversity issues can actually increase the operational efficiency of staff. The cornerstone of any business case for equality should be that inequality is inefficient and uneconomic.
Socio-economic and demographic trends in the UK show that the population is ageing, becoming more ethnically diverse and more mobile. The growth in asylum seekers and refugees increases the diverse nature and challenging needs of the population as a whole. Equality and diversity issues are high on the Government agenda. Modernising Local Government (1999) highlights the challenges of the diversity agenda to include raising awareness; leadership; management capability, and delivering equal opportunities. The need to recognise and respond to diversity has been highlighted in a number of recent reports and initiatives including the McPherson Report, the Community Cohesion Task Force, and the Communities Plan.
This agenda has also been accentuated by recent legislation which introduces major responsibilities and rights for groups who commonly experience disadvantage including:
The Disability Discrimination Act (1995) which introduced measures to end discrimination faced by disabled people
The Race Relations (Amendment) Act (2000) places a statutory duty on public sector bodies to eliminate unlawful discrimination and promote equality of opportunity and good race relations between different racial groups
European Directives (Article 13) which forbid discrimination on the grounds of religion, belief, disability, age, sexual orientation and ethnic origin.
Employment Equality Religion or Belief Regulations 2003 makes it unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of religion or belief - defined as any religion, religious beliefs or similar philosophical belief (or no beliefs)
Sex Discrimination Act 1975 / 1986
Equal Pay Act 1970
The Lancashire Forum of Faiths is determined to ensure that we offer equal access to our services, meetings, membership, volunteers, and employment opportunities to everyone in the communities that we serve, because we value the richness that diversity brings among our members, staff and volunteers. The LFoF will take action, both individual and with its partners, to make its services relevant, accessible and culturally sensitive to the needs of all the people it serves.
The Lancashire Forum of Faiths is committed to the principle of equality of opportunity in employment and is opposed to any form of less favourable treatment being accorded to employees or job applicants, on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, sex, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief.
The Organisation will ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and treated on the basis of relevant aptitudes, skills and abilities. This policy should apply in all employment situations, including:
Job advertising/recruitment procedures
Opportunities for promotion, transfer or training
Conditions of employment/organisation benefits and training
The Forum is committed to becoming a leading organisation for the promotion of equality and diversity, for challenging discrimination and for promoting equality and diversity in service delivery and employment. The Forum will encourage, influence and support others to promote equality and diversity and to adopt best practice.
To embed equalities in all our work
To involve the community of Lancashire actively in all our work and ensure our work has direct relevance for faith communities as well as the other equality target groups
To deliver the functions and services, that the LFoF is responsible for, in a way that ensures access for all and prioritises action to benefit those from the faith communities
To have and implement exemplary employment policies and practices and to have employees within the Forum that reflect, at all levels, the resident community of Lancashire
To work in partnership with the statutory sector to develop excellence in equality and diversity initiatives and outcomes
To encourage others to promote equality and diversity and to adopt best practice
1. To embed equalities in all our work
We will ensure that all strategies integrate equalities and address issues relevant to the equality target groups, as well as challenging disadvantage and discrimination, where appropriate.
We will work with local, sub-regional and regional partners to share equality and diversity information and good practice to inform the development of strategies and policies.
All officers have responsibility for ensuring their work takes into account the specific needs of target groups and that it:
is anti-discriminatory
prioritises actions ad resources to those in greatest need
We will review, monitor and evaluate our strategy annually
2. To involve the community of Lancashire actively in all our work and ensure our work has direct relevance for faith communities
We will actively seek out methods of working in partnership with equality target groups and communities
We will ensure our website complies with current accessibility standards
We will publicise the availability of accessible information
We will organise and support events that celebrate the lives, cultures and faiths of people living in Lancashire, promote tolerance and raise the profile of important issues for the equality target groups and socially excluded groups
We will ensure our events and activities are accessible to communities and provide guidance to staff on access issues
3. To deliver the functions and services, that the LFoF is responsible for, in a way that ensures access for all and prioritises action to benefit those from the faith communities
We will work towards ensuring that all relevant communities in Lancashire benefit from the LFoF’s work
We will maximise the opportunity to raise the profile of Lancashire as a diverse sub-region
We will assess the impact of our work and our functions on the equality target groups
We will research issues of inequality and social exclusion to highlight need and facilitate information-sharing concerning these issues
We will provide information and support to residents of Lancashire on how the LFoF works and assist groups with responding appropriately to opportunities for engagement
We will provide accessible information and publicity and seek out opportunities to communicate with relevant forms of media
We will ensure our events, projects and programmes of work take into account the needs of the equality target groups, and where appropriate promote equality and diversity and challenge discrimination and disadvantage
4. To have and implement exemplary employment policies and practices and to have employees within the Forum that reflect, at all levels, the resident community of Lancashire
We will develop and implement conditions of service for staff that:
are amongst the models of best practice
are fair, not discriminatory and provide equality of opportunity
balance the needs of individual members of staff with those of the Forum
ensure they are treated with dignity and respect at work
We will develop and implement positive action measures in recruitment and in learning and development initiatives. We will:
Distribute information widely on job vacancies and encourage job applications from under-represented groups.
Have a Complaints procedure which can be used by any employee or job applicant who feels s/he has been treated unfairly.
Provide a variety of training courses for staff on equal opportunity issues including recruitment and selection
Monitor and review our policies
Have implemented a package of flexible working arrangements.
We will ensure that staff have the right to celebrate and honour faith days through use flexible working and annual leave, if the days are not statutory holidays
We will promote our policies and procedures that enable staff to challenge unfair and discriminatory behaviour
We will ensure that staff reflect the community and membership that they work with
To work in partnership with the statutory sector to develop excellence in equality and diversity initiatives and outcomes
We will ensure that local and other partners recognise the organisation as a champion for equality and diversity in all its activities
We will work towards the organisation successfully exercising its influence outside its direct partnership activities e.g. with the local media, local private sector employers to challenge discrimination and promote equality and diversity
6. To encourage others to promote equality and diversity and to adopt best practice
We will make the case to local, sub-regional and regional decision-makers for changes that will drive the equality and diversity agenda forward and deliver improved outcomes
We will work with local, sub-regional and regional partners to share and promote the adoption of best practice
No employee or volunteer should have to suffer discriminatory treatment from any member of staff, Committee Member, volunteer or service user. All complaints of discrimination, abuse, victimisation or harassment will be treated seriously and investigated promptly, confidentially and sensitively.
The Grievance Procedure is designed to deal with issues regarding equal opportunities. If, following a thorough investigation any complaint is upheld such matters will be dealt with under the organisation’s Disciplinary Procedure or other appropriate measures if a service user is involved.
All Executive Committee Members and Project Managers have the responsibility for the implementation of the Organisation’s Equal Opportunities Policy and will offer help, advice and guidance to any employee on any Equal Opportunities matter.
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