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FAIRNESS
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DIVERSITY POLICY
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PART A - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
STATEMENT |
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Warrington Housing Association wishes it to be known that it is committed to fairness and diversity in all areas of its work.
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We strive to:-
1) ensure equality of opportunity and appropriate treatment for all persons in the provision of housing services and employment of staff to provide these services.
2) ensure that no person or group of persons applying for housing, or for contracts with the Association, will be treated less favourably than any other person or group of persons because of their race, colour, ethnic or national origin or because of their religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, physical or other disability, appearance or marital status.
3) actively assist minority groups to benefit from its housing services.
4) identify the needs of minority groups in its area of operation by establishing close relationships with those groups.
5) be aware of the diverse needs of people from the range of communities and groups which we serve and endeavour to accommodate these needs as an employer and landlord.
6) help fulfil our commitment to equal opportunity, by collecting and monitoring records of the ethnic/racial origin, the gender and disabilities of all those applying for housing and all those seeking employment from the Association.
7) have regard to the commitment to equality of opportunity of agencies which provide goods and services to the Association.
8) be mindful of our commitment to equal opportunity in the composition and operation of our Board of Management and Association membership
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The Association
will do the following:-
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Monitoring
and record keeping of details of ethnicity, sex and
other matters is central to the delivery of fair
housing and employment policies. We have considered
the possibility of target-setting and monitoring
other variables such as religion and sexuality but
have decided that this is not appropriate in the
communities in which we operate.
The Housing Manager has been nominated to monitor
the effectiveness of the fairness and diversity policy
for the delivery of housing services, and the Chief
Executive for employment and to recommend and implement
any changes. Reports will be made to Board on performance
against targets.
All information given is strictly confidential.
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2) Review Records Annually |
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The Association
will analyse the information collected and will review
its policies and procedures and take remedial action
if necessary.
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| 3) Review
Personnel Policies/Procedures |
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Personnel
policies and procedures will be reviewed periodically
to ensure that they do not operate contrary to
the Fairness and Diversity Policy.
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4) Obtain
Information from Applicants for Housing and Employment
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The Association
will obtain relevant information from applicants
for housing and employment to enable effective monitoring
of the Fairness and Diversity Policy.
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PART B - POLICY APPLICATION
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This policy
will be reviewed on an annual basis following the
publication of the monitoring reports to Board.
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We will ensure
that all applicants for and allocations of accommodation,
and all other housing management functions are dealt
with appropriately and fairly.
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To rehouse a percentage of applicants at least equal
to the percentage from BME communities in Warrington.
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To ensure
appropriate and fair treatment the Housing Manager
will monitor the various stages of processing applications,
and the actual allocation of properties. Annual
monitoring will mean that any problem areas can
be identified and rectified immediately.
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Our hope is
that all our customers are satisfied by the quality
and range of services that we deliver. We monitor
our performance by issuing periodic comprehensive
questionnaires, inviting complaints and compliments
and issuing a customer feedback form when undertaking
day to day maintenance.
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That the service-delivery
satisfaction measures from customers from BME communities
would be equal to the satisfaction of that of all
tenants.
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The Association
has mechanisms in place to consult with tenants both
on an ad hoc and regular basis, through residents'
associations and tenants' focus groups.
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That the proportion
of members of these groups from BME communities is
at least equal to that of the scheme or estate they
represent, or of the broader association, as appropriate.
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We
publish Terms and Conditions of Employment for
all staff
and require that all staff comply with the Association’s
Fairness and Diversity Policy. All staff will receive
training and guidance on the Fairness and Diversity
Policy to ensure they clearly understand the legal
position and also the aims of the Association.
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We would normally
expect to employ a percentage of applicants at least
equal to the percentage from BME communities in Warrington.
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Oversight
of the Diversity and Fairness Policy and its application
in practice is ultimately the responsibility of the
Board. Board has a crucial role in representing the
diverse communities and groups which the Association
serves.
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We would normally
expect that the percentage of members from BME communities
will be at least equal to the percentage from BME
communities in Warrington.
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| We seek to
prevent any form of harassment and cases reported
to us will be dealt with promptly and properly. Our
policy on harassment is issued with tenant handbooks
and available from the office and on our website. |
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We procure
goods and deliver our services through a range of
suppliers and agents. We endeavour to ensure that
suppliers and agents are aware of our commitment
to diversity and fairness and would seek to address
the matter if we had reason to believe that suppliers
or agents did not share our commitment.
In the case of companies acting as agents for the
Association and working in the homes of, or in close
proximity to, our tenants, we will hold copies of
the agents’ equal opportunities policies on
file, except where such a requirement may seriously
compromise the delivery of service to tenants.
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We work to
meet the needs of individual members of the diverse
communities we serve, both in the provision of social
housing and in the delivery or facilitation of other
services and amenities.
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PART
C - EMPLOYMENT |
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Warrington
Housing Association will ensure that all job applications
and employees receive appropriate and fair treatment.
When recruiting WHA will ensure that only necessary and
relevant experience and qualifications are considered,
each post will have a full detailed job description.
All candidates will then be assessed objectively, and
equally against their ability to fulfil the required
duties.
All selection procedures will ensure that individuals
selected or promoted have been done so on the basis of
their experience, skills and abilities.
Staff involved in the selection procedure will be trained
by the Association to ensure that all selections are
completely objective.
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TERMS
AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
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All
staff in comparable posts will receive the same staff
facilities and benefits and the Association will not
discriminate in the provision of these. The Terms and
Conditions of Employment will be reviewed periodically
to ensure that they reflect equal opportunities practice.
All staff are required to ensure that their personal
conduct within the Association i.e. when dealing with
tenants, and the general public, reflects the Association’s
commitment to the Fairness and Diversity Policy.
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Monitoring
will take place at the various stages of the selection
and recruitment process to ensure fairl treatment for
all regardless of sex, ethnic or national origin, race,
age, marital status etc. The recruitment process will
be reviewed regularly and changes made to rectify any
problems should they arise.
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COMPLAINTS
AND GRIEVANCES
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Any
complaints or grievances in relation to discrimination,
victimisation, sexual or racial harassment should,
in the first instance, be raised with the Chief Executive
who will normally deal with the complaint within
14 daysIf not satisfied with the response, an appeal
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giving full details may be made in writing to the
Chairman of the Association, c/o the Gateway, 89
Sankey Street,
Warrington, WA1 1SR, who will investigate the complaint
and arrange for it to be considered by the Association’s
Board.
As a registered Housing Association we have to comply
with standards set by the Government backed Housing
Corporation. You can ask their Merseyside Regional
Office to investigate your complaint.
Individuals who feel they have been the victim of racial
discrimination have a right to take proceedings in
an industrial tribunal or a designated County Court
depending on the particular type of case.
Additional advice and assistance may be available from:-
The Citizens Advice Bureau, The Equal Opportunities
Commission, The Commission forRacial Equality
Appendix
Targets
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Target |
%age |
Source |
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Allocations |
2.1% |
2001 UK Census ( Warrington LA figures) |
Customer Satisfaction |
93% |
Customer survey 2003 |
Representation |
1.66% |
BME tenants as proportion of all tenants |
Staff |
2.1% |
2001 UK Census ( Warrington LA figures) |
Board Membership |
2.1% |
2001 UK Census ( Warrington LA figures) |
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