Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy

Section 1Purpose and scope

Being The Cure exists to work with children and families in one of the most diverse boroughs in the country, and delivers free provision to children including those with special educational needs and disabilities, children in foster care and children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

This policy replaces the Equal Opportunities policy. The policy applies to trustees, staff, volunteers, children and families, contractors and partner organisations.

Section 2The legal position

The protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

• As a service provider, BTC must not discriminate. Section 29(1) applies to a person concerned with the provision of a service to the public or a section of the public, expressly whether or not for payment. Free provision is fully within scope.
• Section 29(7) applies the duty to make reasonable adjustments to a service provider. The duty is anticipatory: BTC must consider in advance what disabled children and adults are likely to need, not wait to be asked. Adjustments must be made at BTC’s own cost and cannot be charged to the person needing them.
• Unlawful conduct includes direct discrimination (section 13), indirect discrimination (section 19), discrimination arising from disability, failure to make reasonable adjustments, harassment (section 26) and victimisation (section 27).
• In employment, BTC must not discriminate in recruitment, terms, training, promotion or dismissal, must make reasonable adjustments for disabled workers, and must take reasonable steps — from October 2026, all reasonable steps — to prevent sexual harassment, including by third parties, under section 40A.

Section 3Reasonable adjustments in practice

• Registration asks about disability, special educational needs, medical conditions and communication needs, and the answers are used to plan rather than merely recorded.
• Each activity is reviewed in advance for physical access, sensory load, communication and the need for additional adult support, and adjustments are recorded on the activity risk assessment.
• Where BTC uses premises it does not own, accessibility is checked before booking and is a factor in choosing the venue.
• Written materials for families are available in plain English and, on request, in other formats or languages.
• Behaviour is addressed with regard to disability, because applying a behaviour rule without adjustment can itself be discrimination arising from disability.
• A decision to end or restrict a child’s place is reviewed against the reasonable adjustments duty before it is taken, and the review is recorded.

Section 4Equality in governance, recruitment and procurement

• Trustee and staff recruitment is open, advertised where practicable, and assessed against stated criteria. Reasonable adjustments are offered at application and interview.
• The Board reviews the diversity of its own membership against the community BTC serves, and records what it will do about any gap. This is a recommendation of the Charity Governance Code and is done because a board that does not resemble its community makes worse decisions, not to satisfy a duty.
• Partners and contractors are expected to meet equivalent standards, and that expectation is written into partnership agreements.

Section 5Concerns and monitoring

A concern about discrimination, harassment or victimisation may be raised under the Complaints Policy, the Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policy, or the Whistleblowing Policy, whichever fits, and may be raised with the Chair where the CEO is involved. Reports and their outcomes are recorded, and the Board reviews the pattern annually together with participation data, so that under-representation among the children and families BTC reaches is visible.