Equal Opportunities

 

Action needed

 

• All organisations and groups that employ paid staff or have volunteer workers should have an equal opportunities policy including Recruitment of Ex-Offenders in place.

• Organisations that employ paid workers have a legal obligation to abide by a range of legislation including the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, Sex Discrimination Act 1975, Race Relations Act 1976, Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 and the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003.

• A policy should set out your commitment to promote equality of opportunity for staff, volunteers, helpers, members and users.

• “The fact that a person has a conviction should not necessarily make him or her unsuitable to work with children or vulnerable adults.  The person’s suitability should be looked at as a whole in light of all the information available.  Employers (and voluntary groups) receiving Disclosure information should consider the relevance of the information in relation to the position being considered”. (The Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003, A Guide and Training Pack for the Voluntary Sector, Sue Wheatley)  You need to consider who will see the information and decide on suitability.

 

Equal Opportunities Policy including Recruitment of Ex-Offenders (128Kb PDF file)