Equality and Diversity

We value the diversity of the communities in the Moray area and work towards providing services that are inclusive and accessible. People speak many different languages, have different backgrounds and have different needs. We try to recognise different needs and provide services that meet them.

We are committed to making sure that no service user receives less favourable treatment than another because of their religious or political beliefs, colour, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexuality, disability, race, marital status or age.

Equality and diversity - what is it?

Society today is made up of diverse individuals of varying ages, sexes and sexual orientations, race and ethnic backgrounds, physical abilities and faiths.

  • Equality is about creating a fairer society where everyone can participate and has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.
  • Diversity is about recognising that people are individuals and that each person has characteristics that shape their unique identity. Diversity describes the range of differences that exist between people. Some of them are obvious although some are not. They may include such factors as gender, age, background, ethnicity, religion, disability, personality and lifestyle. Harnessing these differences will create a productive environment in which everybody feels valued, where talents are fully used and organisational goals are met.

Recognising the differing values and needs will ensure that we deliver equality of opportunity and that our services are accessible to all members of society.

Equality and diversity may appear difficult to understand. It is important for you to understand equality and diversity is not only about respecting peoples racial differences but includes:

  • race;
  • gender;
  • disability;
  • sexual orientation;
  • age; and
  • religion and belief.

The overall aim of equality and diversity is to create better awareness and understanding of different cultures and communicate between different communities and groups.

Examples

Differences that may not be immediately apparent but which may manifest themselves in distinctive culture or lifestyle or language can take a number of forms:

  • Nationality differences – the needs of white minority communities should be recognised, for example people of Irish origin or new arrivals from Eastern Europe. Specific provision recognising cultural differences and language barriers may be needed
  • Differences in sexual orientation – policies and procedures must not discriminate between people of differing sexual orientations, however unintentionally. The existence of homophobic harassment needs to be recognised
  • Hidden’ disabilities such as sensory disabilities and mental health problems - specific account needs to be taken in the provision of services, including measures to facilitate communication and, where necessary, specific support services.

Monitoring

We recognise that having information about the people who we provide a service to is vital if we are to monitor the effectiveness of those services. We are working to create a database, which contains information on sex, ethnic origin, disability, and language needs. The information we collect will help us to deliver better services that are more tailored to our service users’ needs. For example, when you fill in a housing application form we will also ask you to fill in an equal opportunities monitoring form.

    • Why do we do this? - We monitor the services that we provide so that we assess how our staff treat customers from different backgrounds, cultures and lifestyles, so that we can identify trends, barriers to service, and ultimately improve our service. Our ultimate aim is for our customers to be treated fairly and equally, and not be discriminated against in any way. We will not tolerate any act of racial harassment and we have a very strict approach for dealing with people who harass others.

How can we achieve equality and diversity?

To achieve equality and diversity we must:

  • treat people as individuals with consideration and respect for their needs;
  • provide services and opportunities that are open to everyone;
  • provide appropriate training and development opportunities to enable the effective delivery of our services;
  • ensure that in developing policies and procedures we inform and consult customers, employees and their representatives;
  • ensure that when consulting customers about proposed policy and service delivery changes, written material is made available in a variety of formats and languages; 
  • regularly monitor and review the impact of our policies and services in order to identify changes and implement improvements;
  • incorporate equality actions and targets into the operational planning across the service; and
  • accept our responsibilities and work within the requirements set out in all relevant legislation

Equalities legislation summary

The Scotland Act 1998 reserves equal opportunities to the UK Parliament, however there is an exception which allows the  Scottish Parliamentto encourage equal opportunities and the observance of equal opportunity requirements.

The  list below gives the relevant legislation and provides a brief summary.

Race Relations Act 1965 - First piece of anti discrimination legislation in Britain. Outlawed racial discrimination.

Equal Pay Act 1970 - Gives men and women equal treatment in contractual terms and conditions of employment when they are employed on the same or broadly similar work, or on work which, although different, is of equal value.

Sex Discrimination Act 1975 - Outlaws discrimination on the grounds of gender. It also outlaws discrimination against married people in the field of employment

Race Relations Act 1976 - Outlaws racial discrimination, direct or indirect, in employment, education, the provision of goods, facilities and services and the disposal and management of premises in England, Scotland and Wales.

Disability Discrimination Act 1995 - Outlaws discrimination against disabled people in employment and in the provision of services. It also specifically outlaws discrimination in the disposal and management of premises.

Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 - The Housing (Scotland) Act, 2001, Section 106, places a duty on all local authorities to assess equalities considerations in the delivery of housing services and identifying opportunities to promote equal opportunities in the work that they do. The Act also introduced the Single Regulatory Framework (SRF). Communities Scotland now has responsibility for regulating the landlord, homelessness and factoring services provided by councils and RSLs. Housing organisations performance in the promotion of equality issues will be assessed through the SRF in terms of action planning; consultation and participation; monitoring and service delivery. The relevant Guiding Standard is GS2.1 Equal Opportunities in which the key activity is Social Inclusion.

Human Rights Act 1998 - The Human Rights Act contains a number of articles with particular relevance for the way that housing organisations handle diversity and equality of opportunity issues, including the avoidance of discrimination and the upholding of rights regarding respect for the home and possessions

Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 - Extends the application of the Race Relations Act 1976 to the police and other public authorities and strengthens the duty placed on local authorities and other public bodies to carry out their functions having due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination and promote equality of opportunity and good race relations

Disability Discrimination Act 2005 - Introduces a new duty for local authorities and other public bodies to carry out their functions in a way that eliminates discrimination and promotes equality of opportunity for disabled people, imposes a duty on those who manage let dwellings to make reasonable adjustments and widens the definition of disability.

Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 - The regulations make it unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of religion or belief. The regulations apply to vocational training and all facets of the employment relationship.

Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 - The regulations make it unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation. The regulations apply to vocational training and all facets of the employment relationship.

Civil Partnership Act 2004 - which allows same sex couples to legally register their relationship.

Gender Recognition Act 2004 - allows transsexual people to obtain birth certificates in their acquired gender.

Equality Act 2006 - Will establish the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR). The current equality commissions will be dissolved. The CEHR will have duties to promote equality of opportunity, challenge discrimination and promote human rights.

The Act makes it unlawful (subject to exemptions set out in the Act) to discriminate on the grounds of religion or belief in the provision of goods, facilities and services, the disposal and management of premises, education, and the exercise of public functions

The Act creates a duty on public authorities to promote equality of opportunity between women and men, and to prohibit sex discrimination in the exercise of public functions.

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