MEETING THE NEEDS OF LGBs

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MEETING THE NEEDS OF LGBs

• Law
• Working in groups develop action plans
• Five steps

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EMPLOYMENT ACT (2003)

• Part One Pride not Prejudice

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SEXUAL ORIENTATION REGULATIONS (2007)

• Unlawful to discriminate when exercising public
  functions
• Ensure services do not disadvantage anyone on
  grounds of sexual orientation
• Ensure employees/agents do not disadvantage
  anyone on grounds of sexual orientation
• Need to take steps to ensure environment is one
  in which LGB people are able to access services
  as effectively as heterosexuals
• Staff will need to treat LGB users as courteously
  and professionally as they do other users,
  whatever their own views
• Commissioners/planners ensure LGBs fair access to
  services they need

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EQUALITY ACT 2010

• Public Sector Equality Duty
• April 2011

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149. Public sector equality duty

• (1) A public authority must, in the exercise of
  its functions, have due regard to the need to
• (a) eliminate discrimination, harassment,
  victimisation and any other conduct that is
  prohibited by or under this Act
• (b) advance equality of opportunity between
  persons who share a relevant protected
  characteristic and persons who do not share it
• (c) foster good relations between persons who
  share a relevant protected characteristic and
  persons who do not share it.

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Continued

• (2) A person who is not a public authority but
  who exercises public functions must, in the
  exercise of those functions, have due regard to
  the matters mentioned in subsection (1).

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Continued

• (3) Having due regard to the need to advance
  equality of opportunity between persons who share
  a relevant protected characteristic and persons
  who do not share it involves having due regard,
  in particular, to the need to
• (a) remove or minimise disadvantages suffered by
  persons who share a relevant protected
  characteristic that are connected to that
  characteristic
• (b) take steps to meet the needs of persons who
  share a relevant protected characteristic that
  are different from the needs of persons who do
  not share it
• (c) encourage persons who share a relevant
  protected characteristic to participate in public
  life or in any other activity in which
  participation by such persons is
  disproportionately low.

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Continued

• (4) The steps involved in meeting the needs of
  disabled persons that are different from the
  needs of persons who are not disabled include, in
  particular, steps to take account of disabled
  persons disabilities.

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Continued

• (5) Having due regard to the need to foster good
  relations between persons who share a relevant
  protected characteristic and persons who do not
  share it involves having due regard, in
  particular, to the need to
• (a) tackle prejudice, and
• (b) promote understanding.

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Continued

• (6) Compliance with the duties in this section
  may involve treating some persons more favourably
  than others but that is not to be taken as
  permitting conduct that would otherwise be
  prohibited by or under this Act.

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158 Positive action general

• (1) This section applies if a person (P)
  reasonably thinks that
• (a) persons who share a protected characteristic
  suffer a disadvantage connected to the
  characteristic,
• (b) persons who share a protected characteristic
  have needs that are different from the needs of
  persons who do not share it, or
• (c) participation in an activity by persons who
  share a protected characteristic is
  disproportionately low.

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Continued

• (2) This Act does not prohibit P from taking any
  action which is a proportionate means of
  achieving the aim of
• (a) enabling or encouraging persons who share the
  protected characteristic to overcome or minimise
  that disadvantage,
• (b) meeting those needs, or
• (c) enabling or encouraging persons who share the
  protected characteristic to participate in that
  activity.

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ACTION PLANS

• Handout legal requirements
• In small groups discuss whether you believe your
  agency is meeting its legal requirements
• List both positive and negative examples
• How can you change this?
• Feed back to main group

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Five Simple Steps

1. Awareness training for all staff and management
   (include specific training on trans issues)
   identifying issues and needs
2. Ensure policies and procedures up-to-date
   (Equality Impact Assessments Single Equality
   Scheme) and staff are aware of them
3. Procedures to identify clients assessment of
   needs
4. Develop specialist programmes/services to meet
   needs and tackle discrimination
5. Consultation and evaluation

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Finally

• Resources www.galyic.org.uk