trac: Equal Opportunities Policy
1. Introduction
1.1 trac is committed to implementing a policy which promotes equality of access to a full range of arts events for people of all ages, abilities, cultures and communities.
1.2 This includes eliminating, within the framework of existing legislation, (the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Equal Pay Act 1970, the Welsh Language Act 1993 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995;) discrimination in its own policies and practices and those areas over which it has influence.
1.3 The policy is set within the framework of trac’s other policies, including Culture and Welsh Language, all of which are available to members of the public.
1.4 The intention of this policy is to ensure that all employee, volunteers, contractors and partners, both potential and actual, are treated equally and as individuals regardless of age, disability, ethnic or national origin, gender, marital or parental status, nationality, political belief, race, religion or sexual orientation.
1.5 This Equal Opportunities Policy will be implemented across all aspects of trac’s work:
• the appointment of any trac committees and working groups;
• the appointment of staff, their conditions of service and employment procedures;
• policy making and funding schemes;
• all dealings with the public and partners;
• design and execution of all activities
and will involve trac in initiating and supporting appropriate action to eliminate the barriers which prevent equality of access to the arts.
1.6 trac itself will be responsible for ensuring that the policy is implemented effectively, through a process of regular consultation across all of trac’s work.
2. Employment Policy
2.1 trac is committed to a policy of equality of opportunity in its employment practice. In particular trac aims to ensure:
• that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment than another on grounds of age, disability, ethnic origin, marital or parental status, political belief, race, religion, gender or sexual orientation;
• that no job applicant or employee is placed at a disadvantage by requirements or conditions which have a disproportionately adverse effect on his/her section of the community;
• that where appropriate and where permissible under equal opportunity employment laws, employees of underrepresented groups will be given training and encouragement to achieve equality of opportunity within the organisation.
2.2 To help fulfil its commitment to equal opportunities trac will collect and monitor records of age, disability, ethnic origin and gender of staff, contractors and Directors. Volunteers and activities participants may be asked to provide details but this will reserve their right not to provide.
3. Committees and Consultative Groups
trac may appoint committees and working groups to assist it with the making of policy, defining projects and other matters. This policy will be adhered to with regards to trac’s own representatives. In the case of representatives put forward by other partner bodies invited to participate, trac will draw attention to Equal Opportunity issues. In order to achieve broad representation from all sections of the community trac will actively engage with under-represented groups to encourage individuals to apply.
4. Policy-making and activities
trac, its advisers and officers are required to take the Equal Opportunities Policy into account in policy-making and in the design and implementation of all activities. This will involve:
• consultation on policy;
• dissemination of information about trac and its schemes;
• including Equal Opportunities as a category within its auditing, monitoring and evaluation of projects
5. Consultation
trac is committed to consulting relevant groups before implementing significant changes to policy or practice. This will involve:
• making proposals available for comment in an appropriate way at an early stage;
• giving Directors a report on the consultation containing a fair digest of the comments received and drawing attention to any consensus or divergence of opinion;
• circulating to respondents the report on the consultation together with any conclusions or preliminary outcome.
6. Auditing, Monitoring and Evaluation
trac has adopted the Voluntary Arts Wales Monitoring and Evaluation procedures and will devise a reporting system which include opportunities for participants to offer information to inform our Equal Opportunities progress.
7. Targeted Programmes
Where, through its monitoring, trac identifies particular instances of under-provision, it will consider whether to establish specific targeted initiatives or programmes designed to enable particular sections of the community to reach the threshold of knowledge, experience and understanding in accessing the arts possessed by others. Such programmes will focus on issues of training, special partnership development and projects demonstrating good practice.
Reviewed and agreed by trac’s Board of Trustees on 4 July 2010.
