Shooting Star Children’s Hospices is committed to providing a working environment in which its employees know that all employment decisions affecting them, including those relating to selection, promotion and pay are made using objective business criteria and that they are based on people’s personal skills and potential contribution. All staff and volunteers must observe and promote this policy. Discrimination will not be tolerated in any form. Shooting Star Children’s Hospices will not tolerate acts that breach its Equal Opportunities Policy and all alleged acts will be taken seriously, fully investigated and where proven will be subject to disciplinary action. All alleged breaches of the Equal Opportunities Policy affecting existing employees should be dealt with in accordance with the Shooting Star Children’s Hospices grievance/disciplinary procedure as appropriate.
Equal opportunities
Shooting Star Children’s Hospices is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in employment and in the support that we offer to families using our care service. The ethos behind our work with families is more clearly stated in the Shooting Star Children’s Hospices Care Team Philosophy and the Spirituality Mission Statement.
The recruitment, selection, training, development and promotion of individuals is on the basis of their qualifications, skills, experience and performance. All employees, potential employees and volunteers will receive equal treatment regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, disability, trade union membership, sex, age, marital status, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. This will be reflected in all recruitment advertisements.
- Principles
- Implementing the policy
- Age discrimination
Principles
Implementing the policy
Shooting Star Children’s Hospices’ management and trustees have primary responsibility for the successful implementation of the policy by:
- Not discriminating in the course of employment against fellow employees or job applicants
- Not inducing or attempting to induce others to practice unlawful discrimination
- Not discriminating against volunteers in volunteer selection procedures or in the performance of voluntary work for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices
- Seeking representation from ethnic minority groups on the Board of Trustees
- Bringing to the attention of employees that they will be subject of disciplinary action for failure to adhere to this policy
Age discrimination
Specific points to be observed resulting from the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations are as follows:
- The regulations cover employment and vocational training. This includes access to help and guidance, recruitment, promotion, development, termination, perks and pay. The regulations cover people of all ages, both old and young.
- When recruiting, age related criteria or age ranges should not be used in advertisements other than to encourage applications from age groups which do not usually apply.
- All employees will have the ‘right to request’ to work beyond the default retirement age of 65 and all employers will have a ‘duty to consider’ requests from employees to work beyond 65.
- Upper age limits for unfair dismissal and redundancy will be removed.
- Pay and terms of employment should not be based on age but reflect the value of contributions and standard of job performance.
- All employees of any age should be eligible for training and development programmes (those near retirement age should not be excluded).
- An individual’s age should not be used to make judgments about their abilities or fitness. Where such a judgment is required, an occupational health or medical practitioner should be consulted
This policy will be communicated to all trustees, volunteers and staff as part of their induction.