1. INTRODUCTION

Get Me Out The Four Walls is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our Staff, Trustees and Volunteer Ambassadors, and eliminating unlawful discrimination.
Get Me Out The Four Walls is committed to ensuring that all its employees, potential employees, Volunteer Ambassadors and Members are treated no less favourably and not unlawfully discriminated against on the grounds of possessing a protected characteristic as defined in The Equality Act 2010. The protected characteristics are; colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender (including gender reassignment), marital/civil partnership status, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity, trade union membership or part/fixed term status. Get Me Out The Four Walls will ensure that it complies with all relevant current legislation covering sex discrimination, race relations, disability discrimination, data protection, human rights and equality.

Get Me Out The Four Walls aims to ensure that its employees, Volunteer Ambassadors and members achieve their full potential and that all employment decisions are taken without
reference to irrelevant or discriminatory criteria, Get Me Out The Four Walls has adopted this policy as a means of helping to achieve these aims and should be read in conjunction with our
Bullying and Harassment policy.

Get Me Out The Four Walls will aim to create a working environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination, promoting dignity and respect for all, and where individual differences and the contributions of all Staff and Volunteers are recognised and valued.

Get Me Out The Four Walls recognises that publicity and marketing materials as well as social media outputs, have an important impact in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.

2. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

Get Me Out The Four Walls committed to promoting equality of opportunity by ensuring that:

• Recruitment and employment decisions are made based on fair and objective criteria. A Job description and person specification will be created for each post. Our selection procedures are reviewed from time to time to ensure that they are appropriate for achieving our objectives and for avoiding unlawful discrimination. 
• The requirements of job applicants and existing members of staff who have or have had a disability are reviewed to ensure that whatever possible reasonable adjustments are made to enable them to enter into or remain in employment with us. Promotion opportunities, benefits and facilities of employment will not be unreasonably limited, and every reasonable effort will be made to ensure that disabled staff can participate fully in the workplace.
• Person specifications are limited to those requirements which are necessary for the effective performance of the job. Interviews are conducted on an objective basis and personal or home commitments will not form the basis of employment decisions except where necessary. The use of experience, age requirements, gender, and qualifications in the job specification will only be used if they can be objectively justified.
• Appropriate training is provided, where possible, to enable staff to implement and uphold our commitment to equality of opportunity. In certain circumstances an employee can be personally liable for discrimination against a fellow employee or job applicant.
• All staff have a right to equality of opportunity and a duty to implement this policy. Breach of the equal opportunity policy is potentially a serious disciplinary matter. Anyone who believes that he or she may have been disadvantaged on discriminatory grounds which breaches this policy is entitled to raise the matter through the Get Me Out The Four Walls Grievance Procedure.
• Get Me Out The Four Walls monitors its use of fixed term, part time employees and agency workers, and their conditions of service, to ensure they are being offered appropriate access to benefits, training, promotion and permanent employment opportunities. Get Me Out The Four Walls will monitor their progress to ensure they are accessing permanent vacancies and will ensure that the requests to alter working hours from all staff are dealt with appropriately. • Any redundancy criteria and procedures are monitored to ensure that they are fair and objective and do not directly or indirectly discriminate against any employee.

3. TRAINING

Get Me Out The Four Walls will make opportunities for training, development and progress available to all Staff & Volunteer Ambassadors, who will be helped and encouraged to develop
their full potential, so their talents and resources can be fully utilised to maximise efficiency of the organisation.

4. RESPONSIBILITY

Get Me Out The Four Walls has designated Lucinda Terry, Acting Manager as the person who is responsible for ensuring that the Equality and Diversity Policy is followed. It is vital that every employee and Volunteer Ambassador understands his or her responsibilities. Get Me Out The Four Walls takes seriously complaints of bullying, harassment victimisation and unlawful discrimination by fellow employees, Volunteer Ambassadors, Trustees and its members. Such acts will be dealt with as misconduct under the organisation’s grievance and/or disciplinary procedures, and appropriate action will be taken. Particularly serious complaints could amount to gross misconduct and lead to dismissal without notice. Furthermore, sexual harassment allegations may amount to both an employment rights matter and a criminal matter. Where harassment relates to a protected characteristic, under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, is classed as a criminal offence.

Details of Get Me Out The Four Walls Grievance and Disciplinary policies and procedures can be found within the employee handbook