Diversity, equality + inclusion
Effective Date: 17th December, 2024, Version: 1.0
Purpose
This policy establishes a framework to promote an environment where everyone, regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion, or background, feels valued, respected, and included.
Contact Information:
Website: www.graduatefashionfoundation.com
Confidentiality: We are committed to protecting the privacy and dignity of all parties
involved.
Introduction
This policy underlines the charity's commitment to fostering an environment that values diversity and inclusivity. It ensures equitable treatment for all, promotes understanding and respect for diverse perspectives, and embeds equality principles into every aspect of the charity's operations and decision-making.
Definition
Equality: Ensuring individuals are treated fairly and afforded the same opportunities, regardless of their background or characteristics.
Diversity: Recognising, respecting, and valuing differences in people, including but not limited to gender, race, age, disability, and cultural background.
Inclusion: Actively creating environments where everyone feels valued, supported, and able to fully participate.
1. Purpose and Objective
The purpose of this Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Policy is to promote an environment where everyone, regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion, or background, feels valued, respected, and included. The charity strives to foster an inclusive culture where diversity is celebrated, and discrimination is actively prevented. This policy supports the charity’s mission by ensuring that EDI principles are at the core of its operations, from recruitment practices to service delivery.
Objective:
To create a workforce and community that reflects diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.
To ensure all individuals have equal access to opportunities and are treated with respect and dignity.
To provide clear, transparent, and accessible procedures for addressing any concerns regarding discrimination or harassment.
The charity is committed to moving beyond accidental diversity to embrace intentional inclusivity across all its operations. This means taking proactive steps to ensure equitable representation of underrepresented groups in public-facing and operational roles, including models, speakers, judges, and trustees.
2. Commitment to Diversity
The charity is deeply committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. This includes:
Building a Diverse Workforce:
We aim to recruit and retain staff, trustees, and volunteers from a variety of backgrounds, reflecting the diversity of the communities we serve. We understand that diversity strengthens the organisation by bringing together a wide range of perspectives, experiences, and ideas. Our recruitment practices will prioritise diversity while ensuring that candidates meet the necessary skills and qualifications.
Inclusive Services and Programming:
The charity’s services, events, and initiatives are designed to meet the needs of diverse groups. We strive to offer equal opportunities and access to services for all individuals, particularly those from marginalised communities. This includes promoting diversity in our partnerships, such as our collaboration with Fashion Academics Creating Equality (FACE) and ensuring diverse representation in event programming (speakers, judges, etc.).
Addressing Industry Limitations:
We acknowledge that there may be challenges in achieving full diversity, particularly in industries with limited diversity in academia or certain professional sectors. While setting specific diversity quotas may not always be feasible, we focus on making continuous efforts to diversify where possible and ensure our goals align with our values.
3. Anti-Discrimination Measures
The charity is dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment by actively preventing discrimination in any form. This includes, but is not limited to, discrimination based on race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, or religion. This policy outlines specific measures to identify, address, and prevent discriminatory behaviour within the charity.
Zero Tolerance for Discrimination:
We do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or bullying in any form, whether verbal, physical, or through exclusion. Any such behaviour will be treated seriously, investigated, and addressed promptly, following the charity’s grievance and complaint procedures.
Inclusive Language and Practices:
All staff and volunteers will be encouraged to use inclusive language and to create an environment where everyone feels respected. This includes reviewing and revising communications, materials, and practices to ensure they are inclusive of all identities.
3 Reasonable Adjustments:
The charity will provide reasonable adjustments for individuals with disabilities to ensure they can fully participate in the workforce and charity programs. This may include modifying job duties, providing accessible facilities, or offering additional support where required.
4. Procedures
To ensure that EDI principles are effectively implemented and that any concerns are addressed, the charity has established clear procedures:
4.1 Hiring Practices
The charity commits to using inclusive hiring practices, ensuring job descriptions, advertisements, and selection processes are free from bias. Recruitment processes will include diverse interview panels whenever possible.
The charity will actively seek to engage underrepresented groups through targeted outreach (such as through the FACE prize) and will continue working towards diversifying its board, particularly through initiatives like offering awards to non-white students (under-represented groups).
4.2 EDI Training and Awareness
Regular training sessions will be conducted to raise awareness of EDI issues and to ensure that all staff, trustees, and volunteers understand their responsibilities under this policy. This training will include topics on unconscious bias, anti-discrimination, and inclusive practices.
The charity will collaborate with external experts to ensure that training is up-to-date and relevant.
4.3 Complaint Mechanism
If any individual experiences discrimination or harassment, they are encouraged to report it using the charity’s formal complaint procedure. All complaints will be treated with confidentiality and handled promptly.
The charity will investigate all complaints fairly, ensuring due process, and take appropriate corrective action where necessary. If a resolution cannot be reached internally, external mediation will be sought.
5. Responsibilities
5.1 Trustees
Trustees are responsible for ensuring that the charity adheres to this EDI policy and provides oversight in its implementation.
Trustees must actively contribute to creating an inclusive environment and lead by example in their interactions with staff, volunteers, and beneficiaries.
5.2 Staff and Volunteers
All staff and volunteers are expected to uphold the principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion in their daily activities and interactions. They should report any discriminatory behaviour they witness or experience to their line manager or a designated trustee.
Staff and volunteers should also participate in EDI training and contribute to fostering an inclusive environment.
5.3 EDI Officer (if applicable)
The EDI Officer or equivalent role (if applicable) will monitor and evaluate the charity’s EDI efforts, ensuring compliance with this policy. This role will also oversee training, diversity tracking, and the resolution of complaints.
6. Compliance, Monitoring, and Review
To ensure the charity’s ongoing commitment to EDI, the policy includes provisions for regular monitoring, evaluation, and review:
Annual Audits:
An annual audit of the charity’s recruitment practices, diversity representation, and complaints will be conducted. The findings will inform future EDI initiatives and improvements.
Tracking Diversity:
The charity will track diversity data related to recruitment, staff composition, volunteer engagement, and service delivery. This will help identify areas where further efforts are needed to improve diversity and inclusivity.
Regular Reviews:
This policy will be reviewed annually, ensuring it aligns with current legal requirements and best practices in the charity sector. The review will include consultation with staff, volunteers, and beneficiaries to ensure the policy remains effective.
7. Conclusion
The charity is committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone is treated with respect and dignity. Through the implementation of this Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) policy, we will ensure that all individuals have equal access to opportunities, that discrimination is actively prevented, and that the charity continues to reflect and serve the diverse communities we work with. This policy is a living document that will evolve as we continue to learn and improve our efforts to champion equality, diversity, and inclusion in everything we do.