Equality Policy

1. General

Equality is not about treating every one the same; equality is about valuing the person as an equal regardless of who they are and treating people according to the needs in order to achieve an equal and fare outcome. As a club, we value diversity, recognising that it brings a range of skills, knowledge and new ideas to the Club. This Club believes that freedom from discrimination and equality of opportunities are at basic human right.

Under the equality act 2010, some of the duties that we, as an athletic club have, are;
a) Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other suchlike conduct.
b) Not to discriminate against anyone due to their age, disability, gender, race, religion and beliefs, sex and sexual orientation.
c) To make reasonable adjustments [see paragraph five]

3. Ensuring Acceptable Behaviour

Members/Coaches/Officials/Volunteers working on behalf of the club shall;
a) Treat everyone with respect and dignity.
b) Treat people fairly and according to their needs avoiding making assumptions.
c) Be patient and helpful, particularly if someone has difficulty communicating, understanding or has disability issues.
d) Communicate clearly and avoid using jargon.
e) Be courteous and polite.
f) Be aware of the effect your own behaviour and body language may have on others.
g) Recognise and guard your own prejudices. We all have a right to hold our own thoughts, beliefs and ideas, but this does mean we have a right to express these thoughts if they lead to discrimination, cause offence or harass people.
h) Not act in a way that would humiliate, offend, intimidate or abuse someone. Do not allow others under your charge to act in this way.
i) Where possible, tell people if their behaviour has been unacceptable. Tackle things, however small, at an early stage so they do not get worse.

4. Responding to Complaints and/or Allegations

Everyone has the right to complain in good faith about discrimination. If someone complains to you about discrimination you should;
a) Handle the initial complaint by following the Club’s complaints procedure.
b) Listen to the complaint with care.
c) Do not make judgments or promises.
d) Do not discuss the complaint with anyone other than the Clubs Welfare Officer.

5. Reasonable Adjustments

a) The Act describes reasonable adjustments as “an adjustment that is needed to help overcome the barrier for a disabled person”. For an adjustment to be considered unreasonable, and therefore not carried out, the cost of inconvenience would have to far outweigh the benefit.
b) The law requires that organisations [athletic clubs fall within this category] make reasonable adjustments in anticipation that they will have disabled members. Thus an athletic club cannot wait until a disabled athlete makes a request to join a club before taking action. The club should identify what reasonable adjustments should be made to enable disabled athletes to participate in the Club activities and should then set out a reasonable timetable for the implementation of these adjustments.

6. Risk Assessments

a) If the club has carried out a risk assessment that indicates an event or training session might be unsafe for a disabled athlete, the athlete’s coach should discuss this with the person who carried out the risk assessment, along with the athlete, to see if a compromise can be arrived at.
b) The person carrying out the risk assessment must be able to show that they have sufficient knowledge or experience in the area of disability, or have consulted with an appropriate disability organisation, or have been advised by someone with the necessary knowledge.
c) A positive and sensible approach to risk management can, in most cases, encourage the inclusion of disabled athletes in most activities.

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