Equality and Diversity Policy

Last updated: August 13, 2019

Review date: August 13, 2020

Please read this Policy Procedure (“Policy”) carefully.  The https://vyvm.co.uk website (the “Service”) is operated by Visioning You Visioning Me (“us”, “we”, or “our”). 

Our Commitment
Visioning You Visioning Me, has a commitment to equality and diversity, which is about
a. Valuing differences
b. Redressing inequality and disadvantage
c. Treating everyone in a fair, open and honest manner
d. Acknowledging the rights of volunteers, and service users to be treated with dignity and respect.

Visioning You Visioning Me:
a. recognises that every person is an individual with different needs, preferences, and abilities.
b. aims to reflect this diversity in everything we do, including making its services inclusive and accessible to all sections of the community.
c. believes that acknowledging the different life experiences and contributions of facilitators, volunteers and those who use our service will support us to be an inclusive and effective enterprise.

This policy sets out our approach to equal opportunities and applies to all aspects of our operations including but not limited to employment, treatment and conduct of volunteers, training and developmental opportunities

The Policy Statement:
Visioning You Visioning Me, will not tolerate less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, gender, gender reassignment, age, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, disability, marital/civil partnership status, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, responsibility for dependents, trade union or political activities, criminal record, place of residence, religion, faith or other beliefs, health status or any other reason which cannot be shown to be justified.

We are also committed to a policy of Equality and Diversity in service delivery and will not accept discrimination of any kind.

This commitment includes advising facilitators and volunteers of their rights and responsibilities under the Equality and Diversity Policy.

Responsibilities include facilitators and volunteers acting in accordance with Visioning You Visioning Me policy to provide equal opportunities in all aspects of our operations and actively prevent bullying, harassment, victimisation, and discrimination.

Everyone will take responsibility for ensuring that they understand that they are equally responsible and can be held liable for any acts of bullying, harassment, victimisation, and discrimination, in the course of their engagement with us.

Provision of Services
Visioning You Visioning, Me will deliver a service without discrimination of any kind.

Every users of our service will be treated in a professional manner, with courtesy, respect, and kindness and advised that Visioning You Visioning Me is an Equal Opportunities Provider.

Discrimination
Visioning You Visioning Me will not discriminate against or harass anyone including but not limited to current and former facilitators, volunteers, service users, and suppliers.

The following forms of discrimination are prohibited under this policy and are unlawful:
a. Direct discrimination: treating someone less favourably because of a Protected Characteristic.  For example, rejecting a job applicant because of their religious views or because they might be gay.
b. Indirect discrimination: a provision, criterion, or practice that applies to everyone but adversely affects people with a particular Protected Characteristic more than others, and is not justified.  For example, requiring a job to be done full-time rather than part-time would adversely affect women because they generally have greater childcare commitments than men do.  Such a requirement would be discriminatory unless it can be justified.
c. Harassment: this includes sexual harassment and other unwanted conduct related to a Protected Characteristic, which has the purpose or effect of violating someone’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating, or offensive environment for him or her.  Harassment is dealt with further in our Anti-harassment and Bullying Policy.
d. Victimisation: retaliation against someone who has complained or has supported someone else’s complaint about discrimination or harassment.
e. Disability discrimination: this includes direct and indirect discrimination, any unjustified less favourable treatment because of the effects of a disability, and failure to make reasonable adjustments to alleviate disadvantages caused by a disability.

Recruitment and Selection
We will ensure that recruitment practices fulfil the requirement of the equality and diversity policy.

Disabilities
We will will make all reasonable adjustments.

Training and Development
Our core values of inclusivity and diversity underpin all operations, connections, and engagements.

We will monitor our practices to ensure that take up of our services are reflective of the community in which we operates. 

Monitoring will be carried out on the basis of ethnic background, gender, age, place of residence, sexual orientation, and disability.

Responsibilities
The Founder of Visioning you Visioning Me has the ultimate responsibility to provide, implement and review the Equality and Diversity policy and ensure that our operations actively promote Equality and Diversity.

Breaches of this policy
We take seriously complaints of bullying, harassment, victimisation, and discrimination in the course of our activities.

Right to complain:
Should you have a concern relating to the Equality and Diversity policy please contact us. Your comments or complaints can be received via social media channels, e-mail, via post or phone.

Postal address:
The Compliments Team,
Visioning You Visioning Me
38 Beehive Court,
Beehive Lane
Ilford Essex
IG1 3RR

Email address:
compliments@vyvm.co.uk

Phone:
07939 799 078

Disclaimer
Your use of the Service is at your sole risk. The Service is provided on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis. The Service is provided without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, or course of performance.

Governing Law
This Policy shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of United Kingdom without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Changes
We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to modify or replace this Policy at any time. If a revision is material, we will try to provide at least 30 days notice prior to any changes taking effect. What constitutes a material change will be determined at our sole discretion.

By continuing to access or use our Service after those revisions become effective, you agree to be bound by the revised policy. 

Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Policy, please contact us.