help@rarechromo.org
Understanding Rare Chromosome and Gene Disorders

Equal Opportunities Policy

Introduction

Unique – Rare Chromosome Disorder Support Group is fully committed to equality of opportunity and service provision and is opposed to all forms of unfair or unlawful discrimination. We aim to be an inclusive organisation in which individual differences are recognised and valued and this policy is intended to ensure that all members, member families, potential members & their families, as well as anyone seeking information and advice from us, are treated equally, fairly, respectfully and with dignity at all times. We aim to encourage and value diversity and provide equality for all.

Scope

This policy and related procedure apply to all beneficiaries and member families of Unique and to anyone affected by a rare chromosome disorder, regardless of their gender, age, sexuality, ethnic origin, religious beliefs, marital status, nationality or ability, who may wish to become a member of the group.

Principles of the policy

Discrimination in respect of disability, race, colour, age, marital status, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, ethnic or national origins shall not be tolerated. All decisions on membership and provision of services will be made objectively, without unlawful discrimination and positive steps will be taken to ensure everyone is treated fairly, with dignity and respect. Membership is free for families and individuals affected by rare chromosome disorders. Unique receives no government funding and relies entirely on voluntary donations. In the event that it is not possible to provide access to all services to every member at all times, Unique will make every attempt to respond to the needs of individuals affected and ensure that appropriate help is sourced so that people in need of support are assisted where possible to gain access to our services.

All employees & volunteers have a legal and moral obligation not to discriminate and to report any incident of discrimination against any Unique member, member family or any other individual or group of individuals accessing services provided by Unique. They are strongly encouraged to do so by the Chief Executive officer and the other members of the management team. Any employee who is found to be in breach of this policy by discriminating or being involved in discriminatory acts will face disciplinary proceedings, as laid down in the disciplinary policy. When recruiting unpaid volunteers who are not employees of Unique, there will be no discrimination on grounds of gender, age, sexuality, ethnic origin, religious beliefs, marital status or nationality. All volunteers appointed by Unique to act on our behalf will be regularly monitored by the Senior Management Team to ensure they are not discriminating in any way against members or those individuals & their families living with rare chromosome disorders who may wish to access our services. If they are found to be breaching this policy they will be dismissed from being a Unique volunteer and barred from acting on our behalf.

Implementation

This policy is reviewed and assessed annually by the board of trustees in consultation with the Senior Management Team. The Chief Executive Officer has overall responsibility for the implementation of the policy and for monitoring it to ensure all aspects of it are adhered to at all times throughout the organisation. The Chief Executive Officer will ensure it is disseminated to all new staff as part of their induction process and that staff are kept fully informed and consulted on any proposed changes. All new and existing unpaid volunteers appointed by Unique to work on our behalf will be given a copy of this policy and appropriate mechanisms will be put in place for monitoring purposes. In addition, it will be displayed on the organisation’s website, www.rarechromo.org and a printed copy will be made available on request.

Law Relating to this policy

Equal Pay Act 1970
Sex Discrimination Act 1975
Race Relations Act 1976 (and Amendments 2000, 2003)
Disability Discrimination Act 1995
Religion or Belief Regulations 2003
Sexual Orientation Regulations 2003
Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006

Related Unique Documents

Disciplinary Policy
Disciplinary Procedure

Last edited by Beverly Searle BSc(Hons) PhD CBiol MRSB 5th January 2018