Introduction and commitment

Phil Barnett Associates Ltd (the company) is a consultancy that specialises in advising on the policy and practice of equality and diversity. A key part of how the company works is its constant attempt to model the values and practices it advocates.

The company has one employee – its Director, Phil Barnett. It sometimes works with other individual independent consultants. These are drawn from a multiracial, diverse network of men and women with an appropriate level of experience and expertise for the work in hand.

Equality is a core value of the company. This is signalled on its publicity material, is central to all bids for work it makes and is central to all aspects of its delivery of consultancy and training. The company is proud of its high profile, creative, expert commitment to equality and diversity.

 

Participant and learner achievement

• The company’s course participants and learners come from many ethnic and religious groups, are people of all ages, men and women, lesbians and gay men, people with disabilities, single parents, people whose first language is not English, people with learning difficulties and people from all social classes. Who you are and aspects of your background determine some of your learning needs. The company works to understand and meet needs of this sort in all training that it designs and delivers.

• The company ensures that all participants in its training are treated respectfully, are not unfairly or unlawfully discriminated against in any way and are given the support they need to succeed.

• The company, in partnership with its clients, will, where appropriate, monitor who takes its courses and programmes and their rates of achievement and success, to ensure that no group of participants is losing out unfairly or avoidably. If any particular groups are not succeeding or not taking particular courses we will endeavour to find out what causes this and put it right where it is within our control. Where it is not within our control we will inform clients of our findings and suggested solutions.

Meeting the needs and interests of participants and learners

• The company treats all its learners as individuals, encourages them to aim high, and supports them to understand, respect and defend their rights and those of others.

• The company will ensure that its learners are protected from harassment and bullying of all kinds while it is delivering training and consultancy.

• The company ensures that the learning style and needs of individuals are understood, respected and catered for within the remit provided by each client, and within any relevant national assessment and qualification framework.

 

Training, consultancy and learning

• The company will seek to meet any particular needs of participants and learners while they are attending its courses and programmes. Participants and learners with dyslexia or with other learning or physical disabilities will be provided with appropriate support while on our programmes. Where needs are particularly significant the company will, in partnership with its clients, arrange specific, and if need be, separate provision, and plans for progressing learning in a style and at a pace that suits the learner.

• Training and consultancy designed and delivered by the company is designed to foster respect for equality and diversity. Wherever possible it draws on subject examples from various cultural backgrounds. Physical disability will not be a barrier to active participation and learning. The company’s staff, consultants and trainers respect each other and learners. Participants are expected to respect each other. Disrespectful or offensive behaviour will be challenged and not allowed to disrupt the learning of others.

• All consultants, facilitators, trainers and staff actively and openly demonstrate and implement commitment to equality and diversity.

 

Leadership and Management

• Responsibility for the content and application of this policy rests with the company Director.

• All individuals working with and for the company receive a copy of the policy and discuss its application with the company Director.

• In assessing the effectiveness of its work the company seeks feedback on equality and diversity matters from its clients and learners.

• All staff and consultants working for and with the company are directly responsible to the company Director for ensuring that no unlawful discrimination, direct or indirect, results from any actions, training or consultancy delivered by the company.

• The company is a small organisation, entering into a limited number of small contracts with suppliers and others to service its needs. The policy of the company is, wherever possible, to use other local small businesses in this respect. IT support, printing, stationary and other similar services are provided by local minority ethnic led companies. All the company’s regular suppliers are informed of its equality policy.

Phil Barnett
Director

February 2007

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