Jesters Kids Club Equal Opportunities Policy 

Jesters is committed to taking positive and proactive steps to ensure that we provide a safe and caring environment, free from discrimination, for everyone in our community.

Jester’s equal opportunities procedures aim to help everyone involved in Jesters to counteract and eliminate both direct and indirect discrimination in decision making, employment practices and service provision and to ensure that our services strive to achieve equality of opportunity for all.

Jesters aims to provide a welcoming and caring environment that promotes and reflects cultural and social diversity and is equally accessible to all. Jesters will endeavour to challenge any offensive behaviour, language or attitudes with regards to race, ethnicity, nationality, class, religion, culture, gender, language, sexual orientation and disability.

Jesters recognises that achieving the objectives of our equal opportunities policy relies on the active involvement of parents/carers, as set out in the Partnership with Parents/Carers policy. As such, Jesters will both welcome and encourage parents and carers to get involved in the running and management of Jesters, and to comment on the effectiveness of its policies and procedures.

Jesters will facilitate regular opportunities for consultation with parents/carers about the service that Jesters provides, as a means of monitoring the effectiveness of the equal opportunities policy.

Equal Opportunities Procedures
To realise our objective of creating an environment free from discrimination and welcoming to all, Jesters will:

 Ensure that its services are open and available to all parents/carers and children in the local community.

 Ensure that issues of race, ethnicity, nationality, class, religion, culture, gender, language, sexual orientation and disability do not inhibit a child from accessing Jester’s services.

 Treat all children and their parents/carers with equal concern and value.

 Have regard for promoting understanding, respect and awareness of diversity and equal opportunities issues in planning and implementing the Club’s programme of activities.

 Help all children to celebrate and express their cultural and religious identity by providing a wide range of appropriate resources and activities.

 Ensure that Jester’s recruitment policies and procedures are open, fair and non-discriminatory.

 Endeavour to recruit a staff team that reflects the make-up of Jester’s local community.

 Ensure that all members of staff are aware of, and understand, the Equal Opportunities policy as it relates to all aspects of its work.

 Encourage and support staff to act as positive role models to children by displaying and promoting tolerant and respectful behaviour, language and attitudes and challenging any discriminatory incident, according to the provisions set out in the Staff Disciplinary Procedures, the Behaviour Management, and Dealing with Racial Harassment policies.

 Treat seriously any member of staff found to be acting, or have been acting, in a discriminatory way, according to the provisions of the Staff Disciplinary Procedures policy.

 Work to fulfil all the legal requirements of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.

The Team Leader will be responsible for ensuring that the Equal Opportunities policy is implemented and that its effectiveness is regularly monitored. They will be responsible for ensuring that:

 Staff receive appropriate training.

 The Equal Opportunities policy is consistent with current legislation and guidance.

 Appropriate action is taken wherever discriminatory behaviour, language or attitudes become apparent.

All Jester’s policies and procedures will be kept under review to ensure they do not operate in a discriminatory manner or in anyway against its commitment to equal opportunities.

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Jesters Kids Clubs, Main Road, Bicknacre, Essex, 
Main Office Tel: 01245 222384