Model answers

Section 1 What is equality?
Q1 Describe what is meant by 'equality'. (1.1)
Your Answer:
Equality is the discussion of when things are equal and when they are not equal, and if there is a right balance. Equality ensures that people are treated fairly regardless of their charateristics of age, sex, disability, race, religion and socioeconomic class. This fairness is achieved by the Equality Act 2020 which outlaws discrimination based on the grounds of a person's individual characteristics. Equality also aims to establish societies, organisations and groups that are inclusive for the purposes of outlawing discrimination and dealing with inappropriate attitudes and behaviour, to celebrate differences and exploite potential with regards to personal beliefs and values.
Equality helps people to acheive their potential without irrelevant details of birth, or friendship to whoever is in charge. In this way people are enabled to succees or fail under their own efforts by removing barriers to achievment and any unfair advantages that another person may have. It also ensures that there are no generalisations based on a single belief that belongs to an individual or group identity. These generalisations are often simplicistic and inaccurate and misrepresent the people they are aimed at.
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Q2 Define the following terms: (1.2)
Your Answer:

Stereotyping > Definition:

Stereotyping is an image of someone that is fixed as it is widely held. It can be a negative image as a generalisations ignore a persons individuality.

Labelling > Definition:

A label is a classifying name for a person or thing. It is a short word or phrase used to describe somebody.

Protected characteristics > Definition:

There are nine protected charactersisticsm and they are race, belief, religion, sex and sexual orientation, transgender, pregnancy and maternity, age, disability, civil partnership and marriage.
The Equality act of 2000 states that a person cannot be discriminated against on the grounds of these protected characteristics.

Equal opportunity > Definition:

Equal opportunitiy ensures that a prerson has equal access to opportunity regardless of their social satus and their individual characteristics. Equal opportunity has the aim of helping people to achieve their full potential.

Positive action > Definition:

Positive action is a lawful way of allowing employers to target groups for training and employment where such groups are under-represented, or disadvantaged as the result of some discrimination, past or present, or an exclusion, or a particular experience.

Discrimination > Definition:

Discrimination is an unjust distinction made in the treatment of different groups. An individual must not be discrimated against on the grounnds of their individual characteristics.

Discrimination by association > Definition:

Discrimination by association happens when a person is discriminated against on the grounds of being associated or linked to someone who has protected characteristics.

Prejudice > Definition:

Prejudice is a preconceived opinion or feeling about somebody without any knowledge, thought or reason.
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Q3 Describe three examples of equal opportunities within society. (1.3)
Your Answer:
1. 
My first example of equal opportunity within society is the education system which includes schools, universities, colleges and other education sectors. Education employs the use of equal opportunities with the aim of ensuring that all people will achieve their potential. Not all students will have the same ability and so the aim is not to get all students to achieve the same, but to remove barriers to education. The entry requirements to undertake a course must be fair thus removing a barrier to education.
While attending a lecture for the role of disability advisor with Bristol City Council's Equalities and Diversity Team, I learnt that in Victorian times women were forbidden to go to university because it was though that sitting in a lecture hall would interfere with their child rearing posture. As things have changed since then it is is an example of a barrier to education being removed and creating an equal opportunity for women.

2. 
A second example of an equal opportunity refers to the health service. Everyone has the right to equal access to benefits from the healthcare and medical system in the UK. As this is based on equal opportunity there are criteria which must not be included to make treatment fair. The criteria which equal opportunities must not include are benefits based on life expectancy, benefits from the health service in relation to life expectancy, and individual wealth and power.
While training as a disability advisor in 2002 I learnt of the concept of 'User Groups' which suggests equal opportunities to me as it gives a voice to any user of a health service for a better deal. To my knowledge user groups have now been implemented in the health service and I have heard there is one for psychiatric services which holds meetings in Exeter.

3. 
My final example of equal opportunity in society concerns employment. The requirements for the job asdvertised must be appropriate. Recruitment, selection and monitoring of equal opportunities for a job are now a necessary part for any employer advertising that job. In the employment sector the Equal Pay Act of 1970 created an equal opportunity for women such that if a woman is doing the same or similar job under comparable circumstances, she is entitled to the same money and conditions as a man.

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Q4 Describe three examples of inequality within society. (1.4)
Your Answer:
1. 
The first of three examples of inequality that I will describe is mental illness. People are judged on the status of their mental health. A person may be treated unfairly and not ofdfered a job opportunity because of their mental health issues. A reason for this is that someone with mental health issues may be considered a risk when compared to another person that does not have a mental health history.
I can illustrate this example with my own interview for a post with Royal Signals branch of the Terratorial Army (TA). I passed the aptitude test, successfuly field stripped a machine gun, but at the medical examnation I was asked if I had ever been to hospital. My reply was ' Once to have a knee repaired after a road accident, secondly for a puncture wound, and finally psychiatric outpatients'. On the grounds that I had a mental health issue I was discriminated against for a position in the army.

2. 
Disability, including both physical, and learning disability, is the second example of inequality in society that I will describe. Again someone may be treated unequally because of their disability. A person may be treated less fairly by considering that they are less able to do a job that another person that does not have a disability. I know that the police only employ physically fit people in their force which suggested to me one of the reasons for being rejected for the police force after I applied to them for work. I wondered if having an operation after a road accident made me unfit, but it may have been my mental health issues and a criminal record as well.

3. 
My final example of inequality within society refers to belief. A person may be treated unequally because of their religious beliefs. This will occur within societies where there is a lack of tolerance and knowledge of a person's religious belief, and even of the belief itself. I have experienced some intolerance in relation to belief. Due to some intrusion when I was asleep on psychiatric medication on a university campus, I experienced increased confusion which I later called missing time. I turned to Professor John E. Mack's books 'Abduction' and 'Passport to the cosmos' for reassurance from a higher power or personal belief. Either it was intolerance to my belief, misinformation, or disinformation, but my 'being abducted by students' became the doctor saying that I had claimed to be 'abducted by aliens'. I felt disrespected and humiliated that my beliefs were not heard, and that there appeared to be little knowedge about my beliefs and history. Protesting my innocence did little to help.



Section 2 What is diversity?
Q5 Describe what is meant by 'diversity'. (2.1)
Your Answer:
A definition for diversity is embracing or celebrating the things that make people different from one another, such as their individual characteristics. Diversity can be explored in terms of the protected characteristics age, gender, sexual orientation, race, belief and disability, and also the following examples of characteristics, personal and cultural identities, education attainment and general work experience.
Diversity means we can experience diverse cultural activities, and there are cultural festivals where people can come together to celebrate the UK's diversity and also celebrate their own. An example of diversity that interests me is neurodiversity where my illness of schizophrenia with its negative stigma can be viewed positively. For example medicine states that schizophrenics have abnormally high dopamine levels, but mindfulness suggests that people who have high levels of this neurotransmitter are more susceptible to a religious experience.
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Q6 Identify diversity that exists within society looking specifically at the following variations: (2.2)
Your Answer:

Interests > Diversity that exists within society:

In the past I have attended meetings with Friends of the Earth to discuss how to address environmental issues such as GM crops. Reading and discussing books is another interest and I use the internet for the social media group Goodreads to do that. Civil partnerships can be formed such as the time I did fundraising to raise money to buy and furnish houses for people showing abstinence from alcohol and drugs. attending a chess club, attending a martial arts club, a cycling club, and travel and touring. I also use social media such as Twitter where I can be in touch with people that have the same or similar interests.

Age > Diversity that exists within society:

The existence of diversity in society when looking at the variation of age is evidenced by nurseries, schools, sheltered housing, care homes for the elderly. There area also clubs for adults or senior citizens, or berieved partners who have lost their husband or wife, and youth clubs.

Beliefs > Diversity that exists within society:

There are a number of belief systems that can be identified such as a mosque for Muslims, The old friends meeting houses for Quakers, a Baptist church for the Baptist, Methodist, United, Reformed congregation, Roman Catholic churches, meeting houses for different types of Budhism such as Zen Budhism, Kingdom Hall for Jehova's witnesses, and an Evangelical church which is non-denominational.

Lifestyles > Diversity that exists within society:

For examples of lifestyles that contribute to diversity I will mention, computers, hi fi or music systems, being a film buff and collecting films, holidays abroad, and locally in Devon, and driving enthusiasts who's car or motorbike and travel are their passion. Some people's lifestyle may mean going to a public house for recreation, or a night club.
LIfestyles in a rural area may be different from an inner city area due to the lack of access to Transport. I know that when I was growing up as a teenager in the countryside I did not have a driving licence until sixteen and after my books my bicycle was one of my most precious possessions as it meant I could go anywhere locally including for sight seeing purposes. The other side of the story is that living in a rural area there is plenty of opportunity for countryside walks on common land and fishing in the local rivers.

Personal characteristics > Diversity that exists within society:

There is a range of personal characteristics that can contribute to diversity such as physical characteristics, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, education attainment, work experience, political disposition, being gregarious or liking socialising, and being empathetic or a good neighbour.

Cultural identities > Diversity that exists within society:

There are a range of cultural identities leading to diversity as a result of there being different types of jobs, likes and dislikes and ethnic background. Examples include styles of clothing and other aesthetics, location, race, history, ethnicity, food and gender. One example of cultural identity I will mention from having a Greek Cypriot mother is sexuality which suggests to me a code of conduct. To illustrate this point I will describe my Grandfather in Cyprus who took me to a barber, or my uncles or cousins who might introduce me to a prospective bride. I know some people frown on this as being an arranged marriage. Also with regards to sexuality mythology can be important such as the story of the beautiful goddess Aphrodite who inspires love and passion.
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Q7 Describe the contribution these variations make to the overall diversity of society. (2.3)
Your Answer:
Interests can make a society more diverse by bringing together individuals, communities and groups. Meetings may be held to share social interests such as discussing politics. Politics is an example where diversity is contributed to by the different political parties, with their policies being echoed by the interests and dispositions of different individuals or groups of individuals. The Green party will appeal to environmentally conscious people and bring them together, the Conservatives will hold appeal for individuals interested in conserving wealth, and the Liberal democrat party may have new policies on offering rehabiliitation or opportunities for thosse with a criminal record. All of these offer diversity within society.
The existence of diversity in society when looking at the variation of age is evidenced by nurseries, schools, sheltered housing and care homes for the elderly. Similarly the contribution to diversity can also be evidenced by the different beliefs that people have, such as having mosques for Muslims, and Anglican churches for christians. With the presence of different beliefs more eclectic beliefs or teachings have appeared on the scene such as mindfulness . Mindfulness originally came from Buddhist teachings but is now used for pain management in a "made simpler for westerners" variation. This is an example where diversity involving beliefs has had a positive impact on diversity in society and the well-being of others.
How the variation of lifestyle can make a contribution to diversity in society will depend on the type of job a person has with the amount of income that they have at their disposal, and the time available for pursuits. Both these factors will dictate what kind of lifestyle it will be . An area with high unemployment will have different lifestyles to one that is more affluent because there will be less money to spend. Like interests, lifestyles means an expenditure of money to maintain their profile which means more money for other people and businesses which will attract more people and lead to more diversity in society.
A range of personal characteristics as a variation can contribute to diversity such as education attainment or work experience. With the latter two characteristics of education attainment and work exprience, there may be additional input into society of transferable skills to create more employment and opportunities in society which in turn adds to the diversity.
As with personal characteristics, different types of jobs appear in cultural identities or variations. Together with the examples of likes, dislikes, and ethnic background, the types of jobs contribute to the divesrsity in society. The liking of of food being a mediteranean passion has inspired the appearance of the Greek Cypriot Kebab house which may become a distribution channel for meat and vegatables. The need for these supplies provide employment and an income for other people which again may add to diversity.
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Q8 Describe how diversity can enhance your life. (2.4)
Your Answer:
Diversity can enhance my life by other people making contributions to the community and when I come into contact with others. This contact gives an opportunity for a wider choice for accessing goods and services that I would not otherwise have. An example of this is an Open Source community called Linux that started in Finland, that is an alternative to the Windows operating system that gives me access to a multitude of programming languages that I would not normally be able to use at only a marginal expense. Diversity and contact with others can also increase my knowledge and understanding of other cultures and customs which gives me a greater scope for finding a faith or belief that works in troubled times. As a result diversity can enhance my spirituality and therefore my life.
Diversity can also enhance my life by allowing me to come to terms with any prejudiced or stereotyped beliefs that I may have about other people. The consequence of seeing people and things for what they really are and not some projection about them is good for mental health.
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Q9 Explain why it is important to respect the differences of individuals. (2.5)
Your Answer:
It is important to respect the differences of individuals as recognising that each person has their own beliefs, attitudes and values making up their identity contributes to diversity. Each person or group has the right to develop their own identity. An example of why this is so important concerns my own identity with its compulsive 'sameness' in my rituals of Aspergers syndrome. Due to Aspergers syndrome and schizophrenia I prefer to live inside my own mind mainly which means that I exclude or shut out some things in life. For this reason I prefer to develop my identity through a structured approached using my preferred style of interactions with the outside world, such as emails, blogging, and text messages. These give me time and space to process any information and is a personal lifespace which can be my own unique identity. I would not be able to function as effectively without it.
As well as developing an identity, it is important to respect the differences of people so that they can feel confident in that identity, and to celebrate it. My own experience of this is of a humbling incident outside a night club in Bristol which humbled me enough for me to keep on open mind on the christian faith. As a result of the incident I felt reduced as a person and so was left feeling obliged to a church I was attending. Later I celebrated my identity and was baptised as a born again christian in the Evangelical church. This act of celebration left me feeling relieved for a while as I then felt I had no dues to pay society. This ritual and act of celebrating identity was important to me as it meant I did not have to experience more guilt with an already burdened mind.
Another reason why respecting the differences of individuals is important, is that people can communicate more freely and effectively. My own example of this is being a peace campaigner in one country with my databases used to promote the idea of storing details of who to approach for peace talks. The link to my website is https://hellodatabases.webs.com/ . Hopefully I precipitated peaceful endeavours and if the different religious sects continue to respect one another's differences, money should flow more freely where there is freer communication, thus giving people access to more resources than they ordinarily would have.
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Q10 Describe how the differences of individuals should be respected. (2.6)
Your Answer:
The differences of individuals should be respected in a way that ensures that an individual has the right to a belief, and / or value in something that is different to your own. My own example of this is my previous attitude of intolerance to drug culture. I had thought such things were outside of the law and a disease in society, but now my new non-judgemental attitude has changed from a self-righteous one to realising that some people value such things as a form of recreation, detachment or escape from issues, or pain.
Respecting an individuals differences means not necessarily agreeing or disagreeing with that individual, but listening to them. Listening to someone can prevent conflict as it is an empathetic response and may find a mutual ground on which to communicate or de escalate a situation. My old resentments to the police for having been arrested on a number of occasions meant that I had turned a deaf ear towards them, but now listening and realising that I had forgotten my place, and that they have a job to do for a good reason, has left me wanting to make amends to the police. I am listening for an opportunity learn more about my condition and to help someone in a similar situation to prevent conflict. Finally, the differences of individuals can be respected by having the right attitude. For me this means that where my instincts have been a liability, or where there has been a conflict of interests, a process of reconciliation can bring about an appropriate attitude.



Section 3 The effects of stereotyping and labelling
Q11 Explain why some people stereotype others. (3.1)
Your Answer:
There are a number of reasons why some people stereotype others the first of which is being a way of explaining differences which are real or imaginary based on the characteristics of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender, disability, socioeconomic class and employment. As well as for describing differences, stereotyping is a way of processing information about many different variables for many different people. I find that this may sometimes be part of a natural process as well. This is because learning is sometimes selective as we cannot take on board all the information, differences or variables about a person or group of people. In this way generalisations or stereotyping can take place to prevent sensory overload as part of a natural defence mechanism but only if not taken to extremes.
Some people may stereootype others to form a group identity, or to feel safe and belong to a group. This may be because if members of a group, or family or friends have opinions about another person or group identity, an individual may adopt these opinions as a means of adapting to feel a part of his or her group.
Stereotyping can also used for the justification of certain behaviours towards a target group. For me this last point suggests the scenario where people can be stereotyped as criminal and therefore non-deserving and therefore used to justify elitism and building more prisons rather than investing in opportunities for a socioeconomic or underclass.
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Q12 Describe the damaging effects stereotyping and labelling can have on individuals. (3.2)
Your Answer:
There are a number of damaging effects stereotyping and labelling can have on individuals, such as perpetuated bad behaviour by the individual or a group that the individual belongs to. As well as bad behaviour, stereotyping can lead to people forming gangs which can in turn can lead to violent acts being committed against other people. The result of this is the furthering of stereotyping of these gangs in retaliation for the violent acts. Here there is violence and retaliation which is part of a cycle of agression and counter aggression (REF: Dr. Graham Roothe of the Bristol Royal Infirmary psychiatric outpatients department who said that it is no good being aggressive and expecting your demands to be met as you will get counter aggression). Other damaging effects experienced by the individual include a fear of what people might think of them, and a lack of opportunities. With these fears and frustrations for the stereotyped and labelled it is not surprising to me that depression amongst individuals also occurs. Having to be honest about having mental health issues and a psychiatric history at job interviews in the past, has I am sure brought up stereotyping and an image of me being incompetent, unreliable, or a risk to other people. The end result is my person receiving rejections for the jobs. An example of this is my application to the Royal Signals branch of the British army for a job. I passed the aptitude test but at the medical when they heard I was psychiatric, I was still denied that job. Those early days of doors closing from being stereotyped or labelled has left me at a disadvantage later in life and leaves me prone to obsessing about the loss of opportunities and feeling sadness and a sense of loss. This leads to another damaging effect of stereotyping and labelling which is poor health. There are also historical bad attitudes that can be passed down through generations. My CBT therapist Dr. Denney mentioned that attitudes or legacies that are passed down from generation to generation can be referred to as inter-generational.
Labelling an individual repetitively can lead to that individual believing what has been said is true and then leading their life according to the label. This can impact on the individual's confidence and self-esteem. With my schizophrenia I have been labelled as having issues for over thirty years, and being part of the system for mental health patients, and some drop in centres, has led me to believe that there is something wrong with me. This has left me believing that there is no point leading an active and full life as I will not be able to sustain a normal standard of living, and that some things are out of reach. The end result is defeatism where I give up before I try something. Labelling can also be thought of as offensive to some people, for example, an ethnic group being called just black or white.
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Q13 Describe ways that stereotyping can be encouraged in society. (3.3)
Your Answer:
Stereotyping can be encouraged in society through the media as well as through other channels such as music and video. An example of this may be television series frequently called soaps which offer an an easily recognised character for audiences to identify with. Such images are often an exagerated depiction of what a real character may be. It is this process of identification which is inaccurate as it perpetuates the exaggerated images which are stereotypes. The media again can play another role in encouraging stereotypes through advertisements. The advertisements try to sell a product by showing an individual how they should be, so that they will be attracted to that product in question. An example of this is an advertisement for perfume where it shows attractive models displaying perfume so that the buyer will think that they are like that stereotype if they make the purchase. Another example could be an advert of tools showing a man doing DIY. This image or stereotype will perpetuate the assumption that only men do the masculine jobs. Similarly, if a women is seen in an advert for washing powder, it will encourage the assumption and stereotype that is is only women that do cleaning.
Another way that stereotypes may be encouraged is through adopting the opinions of others such as family, friends, parents, groups and so on. The opinions of others are adopted so that the individual can adapt and become part of that group. This belonging is one of the needs that has to be satisfied in Maslow's hierarchy of needs (REF: CACHE level 2 Petroc's course of 'Understanding behaviour that challenges'). The bottom level of needs are food, sleep, warmth, thirst, and sex, and the next is security. After security comes belonging followed by self-esteem and self-actualisation. If any of these needs are not met it can result in distress. It may be that there is a natural propensity to encourage sterotyping based on a need for belonging to a group.



Section 4 The effects of prejudice and discrimination
Q14 Describe how people may develop prejudices. (4.1)
Your Answer:
To describe how people develop prejudices I will first give a definition of prejudice which can be stated as any preconceived opinion about a person or group which is not based on knowledge, thought or reason and is usually formed through the opinion of others, or from other sources such as the media. This definition points to other people and media as examples of how prejudices are formed but there are other reasons for their formation such as life experiences of a person or group of people which lead to a generalised feeling about that person or group. I can illustrate this point by my own personal history of being mugged, stabbed and then being assaulted by a gang all of which were a group of inner city members. The end result is termed projection by a psychiatrist where if I identify a member of this particular group I may make assumptions about that person based on my personal experience of that group. A psychiatrist may call it projection but another approach which involves accepting responsibility is to say that I have formed a prejudice. Like the fear in my life experience, fear can lead to the development of prejudices, as can not understanding someone or something, and also feelings of being intimidated. Another issue of how people develop prejudices is adoption of historical beliefs and opinions. I will add to this latter point by saying that Dr. Denney of Riversval psychology unit here in Barnstaple who was my therapist mentioned that some behaviours can be passed down from one generation to the next which is termed inter-generational. It is possible that prejudices can be passed on and developed in this way.
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Q15 Describe the types of discrimination and prejudices that can exist in society. (4.2)
Your Answer:
There are a number of types of discrimination and prejudices that can exist in society, the first of which I will describe is racism. Racism is the discrimination against or antagonism of a particular race ,religion, ethnic group, or nationality. The underlying cause may be that one race believes it is superior or higher up in society than other race. This feeling of superiority which happens with racism also occurs in sexism. In sexism a male individual may thing he is superior to a female. Another type of discrimination is ageism where people are discriminated against on the grounds of their age. This can usually happen in institutions and employment, for example an older person may not be considered for a post in employment because it may be assumed that he or she will be retiring soon. Homophobia is also a form of discrimination where someone is discriminated against because they are not heterosexual. This normally happens in a society where heterosexuality is considered to be the norm. Disabilism is another type of discrimination where an individual is discriminated against because of a disability. Finally that last type of discrimination and prejudice I will describe is multiple discrimination where an individual experiences more than one type of discrimination an example being disabilism, racism and ageism.
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Q16 Describe the difference between direct and indirect discrimination. (4.3)
Your Answer:
Direct discrimination occurs when an individual or a group of people are treated less favourably than another person in the same situation. An example of this could be a women whi is treated less favourably than a man for doing the same or similar work.
Indirect discrimination occurs when someone is affected by rules or conditions for no good reason, or when the rules and conditions have not been thought out properly. An example of this could be a change in the hours worked or working conditions which impacts less favourably on the individual. Direct discrimination only applies when an individual is affected by their protected characteristics of age, sex, gender reassignment, civil partnership and marriage, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, disability, and sexual orientation.
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Q17a Give an example of direct discrimination. (4.4)
Your Answer:
An example of direct discrimination is my application for housing when I was homeless in Bristol. I have some degree of disability and when I was offered a second floor flat with two flights of stairs I protested that I would experience some difficulty with the stairs. I was told that if I did not accept this offer of accommodation I would be taken off the housing register and left homeless. In this example it was assumed that as there was an accommodation crisis and I had nowhere to live, I would accept the offer unquestioningly instead of a non-disabled person having to live in the inner city area where the flat was located.
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Q17b Give an example of indirect discrimination. (4.4)
Your Answer:
An example of indirect discrimination is the case where I was homeless in Bristol and not having a fixed address meant that I was not able to register with a nearby doctor. Here the rule of needing a fixed address to receive medical treatment resulted in indirect discrimination. This is because a rule meant that I was not able to get continued treatment for my schizophrenia.
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Q18 Describe the effects that different types of discrimination can have on individuals. (4.5)
Your Answer:
There is range of effects that different types of discrimination can have on individuals such as low self-esteem and low self-confidence, as well as low social expectations. Other effects can include reduced confidence in trying new things or experiencing opportunities, reduced life chances, reduced career opportunities, and negative effects on well being and health. Finally, another effect that discrimination may have on an individual is difficulty cooperating or working with others in the home, workplace, or socially.
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Q19 Describe the effects that different types of prejudice can have on individuals. (4.6)
Your Answer:
In describing the effects that different types of prejudice can have on individuals it can be said that an individual may experience social exclusion from activities that other people take part in. Withdrawal from activities on the part of the person who experiences prejudice can result in them having reduced life opportunities. Another effect is an individual believing the stigma , titles or labels that prejudice can establish them. An individual may also be unwilling to seek help for the legacies of prejudice because of a fear of rejection, and they may experience difficulty in making and keeping friends and maintaining long-term relationships. Finally I will mention that other effects that different types of prejudice can have on individuals include stress and depression. In my own experience increased stress can lead to being more suspicious which in regard to my mental illness of schizophrenia can be interpreted as paranoia or projection and can result in becoming medicated.



Section 5 The ways in which people might choose to describe themselves
Q20 Describe factors and characteristics that make you who you are. Include details on the following: (5.1)
Your Answer:

Physical characteristics > Describe factors and characteristics that make you who you are:

Physical characteristics that make me who I am can include hair colour, skin colour, gender, height, and weight. These characteristics can be determined by looking at a person. Other characteristics I would include are frame or musculature, eye colour and posture such as a stooping gaite or standing straight.

Likes and dislikes > Describe factors and characteristics that make you who you are:

The likes and dislikes that an individual may have that makes them what they are could include what that person enjoys socially, what their home life is like, their food preferences. Some people may dislike others or certain behaviours . Certain behaviours that I dislike include drunk and disorderly conduct in public. Another dislike I have is right wing politics with its unprincipled behaviour of survival of the fittest and private power from the coopting of large companies with the government. My like in this context is if I hold education , healthcare and welfare systems in high regard then I dont mind working or spending time to keep these and make available to other people.

Values and beliefs > Describe factors and characteristics that make you who you are:

The values and beliefs that a person may have are things that they respect and mean to be true and may be based on faith or fact. There are many values and beliefs that a person may have, all of which contribute to the diversity of society. The values and beliefs of an individual may be shared by groups of people such as child welfare groups and animal welfare groups. I have a set of values and a belief that spirituality is important and a spiritual focus such as mother nature is more important than drink and drugs. As a consequence of this I joined a charity to raise money to buy and furnish accommodation for people showing a commitment to abstinence from this lifestyle. My value from respecting this kind of spirituality is that if I value such such a thing as mother nature, then I want to be equitable with people and provide them with the same opportunities, so I joined the group the Green party to make the focus of the planet and nature available to others.

Personal interests > Describe factors and characteristics that make you who you are:

Personal interests that make me who I am include hobbies or activities that I have outside of work. This can include clubs and socities. My own examples of this include joining an archery club and a karate club at my first university. At home I also indulge in computing and I have an interest in computer programming as well as computer algorithms to solve particular problems in a series of steps. I also have interests in writing, reading books, and collecting and watching films.

Religion and culture > Describe factors and characteristics that make you who you are:

Religion and culture as characteristics that make people who they are includes the religion that they classify themselves as, or the faith they hold to be true. After a testing time as a psychiatric patient I decided to become baptised as a born again christian in an evangelical church. Things became even more trying after this and a lack of faith in my environment and an elusive God led me to what I consider to be a more factual and tangible religion which is Taoism in the form of the teachings of Lao Tzu. This vista led to the very practical Tai Chi which I learned at Petroc college.

Geographic location > Describe factors and characteristics that make you who you are:

Geographical location as a characteristic of an individual includes where a person has come from, and where they live now. I spent my school years in the countryside in Beacon Luppitt near Honiton in Devon. When I went to my first university I went to Bristol. After completing my degree I spent a gap year in Bristol and then went to another university in Aston in Birmingham. After I fell ill with schizophrenia I moved back to Bristol for about eighteen years. After Bristol I then moved to my present location here in Barnstaple in Devon.
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Q21 Describe what having 'multiple identities' means. (5.2)
Your Answer:
People may be described as a having a number of particular characteristics but multiple identities is about who we are as a person rather than what we appear like to others. This means a person is more than just being male or female, black or white, heterosexual or gay. A multiple identity is based on the different associations and links to the different roles that an individual may have, for example, a woman may be a Catholic, a mother, and a teacher. Such a woman would undertake different the roles of being a Catholic, being a mother, and being a teacher. She identifies as being of the Catholic faith, being a mother to children and teaching in a school, college or university. In each of these roles the woman behaves differently and therefore she has multiple identities.
Another example of a multiple identity applies to someone being a jogger, a brother, anda counsellor. Each of these is a different role assumed by that person which means they have a multiple identity.
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Q22 Describe your own multiple identities. (5.3)
Your Answer:
My own multiple identities consist of being a brother, a computer programmer, a cyclist, a mental health patient, a graduate, a student as I am partaking of this course, and a Taoist. Each of these identities mean that I may be able to identify as being a brother, and I have a potential occupation of being a computer programmer in an information technology environment. Being a cyclist means I identify with the role of cycling, and as for mental health patient I have had the identity of being mentally ill and in need of support, and therefore playing out the role of patient to a consultant psychiatrist. With regard to the identity of being a graduate in microbiology, the identity means I have played the role of being a student who has attended university to study and learn a skill for an occupation. The roles of being a computer programmer, a graduate in microbiology , and a student on this equality and diversity course with its implications for possibly working with disability, means that I have multiple identities in the context of an occupation. Finally as I enjoy reading and learning about Taoism it would suggest that another identity is as an amateur philosopher who is interested in Chinese teachings. As these teachings offer some faith then perhaps I have another identity based on a belief.
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Q23 Describe the multiple identities of another person. (5.4)
Your Answer:
The multiple identities of another person I will describe is of my mother Mrs Irene Smith. As she is my mother she has an identity as a mother. She also has identities of a grand mother and a great grandmother. Also she has identities of being a sister, an auntie and a cousin. In the past my mother has worked in catering and food hygene at Torrington hospital and South Molton hospital, both in Devon, which means that one of her multiple identities is that of a chef or caterer. She also worked in a care home for the elderly and so she has had an identity of a carer. Also in the past my mother has also been a teacher or a teaching assistant at a primary school which means she belongs to a group of teachers comprising another identity. My mother is Greek Cypriot and so her ethnicity or race means that she identifies as being Greek in origin and therefore has another identity, and although I have not discussed religion or faith with my mother I believe she has identity of belonging to the Greek Orthodox faith. Another identity I will describe for my mother is of being a landlady as I rent and live in the flat that she owns. Of the multiple identities that my mother has, the final identity I will describe is unofficialy as a sponsor as she has backed me on this course of Equality and Diversity by saying that she will pay for the course's defaulting fee if I drop out or if I am unable to complete it.
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Q24 Illustrate how an individual can identify as belonging to a number of different groups. (5.5)
Your Answer:
To illustrate how an individual can identify as belonging to a number of different groups I will first give a definition of a group as 'the societies and clubs that we belong to'. It is possible to belong to a number of different groups based on the multiple identities, personal characteristics and factors that we have. An individual may identify himself as part of a group based on one of a number of possible roles, and also something important about their personal characteristics or factors.
The different groups that we belong to can be related to the people that we associate with, and the different activities and interests that we undertake. In mentioning the undertaking of interests which may be many in number, it is also possible to belong to a group of administrators by being an administrator for a particular interest group. Another example of how an individual can belong to a group includes belonging to a cycling group where the individual has an interest in cycling. That same person may belong to another group, a family group where he or she may be a brother or sister. As well as interests and a family role that person may have another role in an occupation as a manager ,or manageress, and therefore belong to a managerial group. I would say that there are as many potential groups to belong to as there are roles, characteristics, and factors, and other people to share these with and identify with.




Section 1 The extent of diversity within a community
Q1 Describe the extent of diversity that exists in a community. (1.1)
Your Answer:
When describing the extent of diversity that exists in a community it is important to think in terms of the protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are age, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, disability, and pregnancy and maternity. By looking at these charactersitics we can see what diversity there is in a community. With regards to race there are different types of businesses including shops selling food from other countries as well as restaurants, cafes and bars. Examples of shops are kebab houses, pizza houses, curry houses, Chinese takeaways and so on. Concerning religions or beliefs there are different places of worship, for example here in Barnstaple there is St. Anne's chapel, the church of St. Mary the holy virgin, and the Roman Catholic holy trinity church, as well as others. Figures which describe the extent of diversity here in Barnstaple relate to the number of individuals belonging to each belief or religion, and include 2712 Christians, 1700 no beliefs, 40 Muslims, 20 Buddhists, 16 Sikhs, 11 Hindus, 3 3 Jews, and 25 other.
There is a group locally in Whistleandpound that does activities such as archery and cycling which is a diversification based on physical diversity. I attend a group at Alexandra road which is meeting place for people with mental health issues which would fall under the characteristic of disability. Other forms of diversity that may exist within a community include different schools and care homess for the elderly. There may also be the diversity of disabled parking spaces, disabled access and disabled toilets.
In Barnstaple just over 1% of the population falls under the 'other' category of ethnic origin. Being half Greek Cypriot and half English I fall into the 'other' category of ethnicity, and as this is only one preson in a hundred I feel there is not a lot of people that I can identify with in this area, but there can be signifiers of other ethnicities such as the dress code that they adopt.
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Q2 Give three examples of physical diversity within a community. (1.2)
Your Answer:
The first of my three examples of physical diversity is related to disability and the necessity of disabled parking spaces in keeping with the protected characteristic of disabillism. My second example includes groups for recreational purposes such as archery or the groups such as 'Walk and Talk' here in Barnstaple, where the physical activity of walking is used as a therapy to help with depression. Finally, a third example of physical diversity within a community could include the Tai Chi short form course I attended at Petroc college, for the purpose of meditation to still the mind enough to find strengths or resources to be able to deal with issues. Also Tai Chi is Chinese yoga which helps to improve circulation and the ability to relax.



Section 2 The value to communities in creating and maintaining a diverse environment
Q3 Describe the types of equality that can occur within a community. (2.1)
Your Answer:
When equality and diversity are encouraged within a community, the types of equality can flourish.
An example of The types of equality that occur within a community is the holding of village committee meetings which contain balance between males and females, and young and old members.
Another example that can be described is the existence of local facilities that encourage participation from different groups such as a local sports class. Different groups could be managed by the timing of different classes to allow attendance for the different groups. As an example this could include different time for a women's swimming classes which would allow for women of different religions to wear swim clothes without males being present.
Other local facilities my address needs of certain individuals who require assistance with mobility, sight, or hearing impairment. These needs may be addressed within in a community by having disabled parking spaces, or audio assistance as in a tourist information centre. My bank, TSB has audio assistance at the counter if needed when making transactions.
Another example of the types of equality that can occur within a community relates my doing this course at Petroc college. As I have a communication difficulty with schizophrenia, and a possible learning difficulty with Aspergers syndrome, the college moves the assessment date back so that someone such as myself who has a mental impairment is allowed time and space to process information. This is a process of encouraging equality for the disadvantaged which for me is making the unreachable an obtainable goal..
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Q4 Describe the benefits of equality and diversity within a community. (2.2)
Your Answer:
The benefits of equality and diversity within a community include tolerance towards the differences of others. This is achieved by accepting that other people have their differences and by encouraging equality. An equal and diverse society will have a mixture of different people and it is this mixture which enhances the community. The benefit of having a mixture of people is that it can bring new skills, cultures, and traditions to the community. Other benefits to the community as a result of equality and diversity are less racism, less prejudice, and an increased tolerance of differences, and also equality is adhered to more easily.
In Great Britain our work and our lives are governed by democratic principles. Adhering to equality ensures that we respect the opinions and differences of others and that rational discussion, debate, and evidence are used to make decisions instead of ignorance, blind emotion (REF: Psychiatrist Dr. Graham Roothe, the Bristol Royal Infirmary outpatients department) and intolerance. It would seem that equality and diversity has the added benefit of a fairer and more democratic process in government and the laws we abide by.



Section 3 The potential inequality that can occur within a community
Q5 Describe the types of inequality that can occur within a community. (3.1)
Your Answer:
To describe the types of inequality that can occur within a community I will first give a definition of inequality; Inequality means that something is less than equal to something else. With regards to people this means an individual is perceived as less than equal to somebody else.
The types of inequality that can occur includes racism as an example. With racism a particular race is treated unfairly such as with housing treatment under the law, or accessibility to services. The latter point of access to services can be an example of inequality in the context of age where young or old people may have a difficulty in this area. Religion may also be associated with inequality where a particular religion is treated less fairly than another. Where religion is concerned I have been treated less favourably by being locked up for having particular beliefs. I claimed to have been abducted, but someone told my GP that I claimed to have been abducted by aliens. I was detained under the mental health act for about seven weeks. This spoiled my recovery of coming to terms with missing time by reading alien abduction case histories, with their message of hope and rebirth into a more environmentally conscious person. Another type of inequality can be with sex can where gay, lesbian, or transexual people are treated less favourably than other people.
I will relate my own experience of inequality concerning disabilism as an another example of inequality. During a regime of treatment I experienced intrusive behaviour from other people which disrupted the continuity of my care and support for the mental health condition of schizophrenia. This increased my paranoia and meant there was inconsistency and I was less able to make predictions about my own behaviour and the future. This act of disabilism further reduced my mental capacity and prevented me from becoming established within a career or relationships.
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Q6 Describe the threats that may exist to equality and diversity within a community. (3.2)
Your Answer:
The threats that may exist to equality and diversity within a community can occur because of the intolerance that occurs within that community. Intolerance can be defined as a lack of acceptance or respect to others views or preferences. The people who are intolerant of others dismiss the ideologies and views of others believing that they are right, and socially, economically, and morally superior. If a community needs to address itself to the issue of intolerance then they need to be intolerant of those who display intolerance to others. Threats to equality and diversity can occur in a number of areas, examples being immigration, socioeconomic, the unemployed and different religions. I can elaborate on some of these examples of intolerance to describe them in more detail. With regard to immigration I remember when the voting to either remain in or leave the European Union was to take place, a reduction in the number of immigrants entering the country was used s an argument for leaving. An immigrant may experience intolerance by harassment from other members of the community who believe that immigrants are not deserving of their entitlements and that native people are more entitled to such benefits as housing. Socioeconomic could be another example where the capping or austerity measures of a right wing government may impact on the lower classes and is catered for by building more prisons as an acceptable statistic rather than results of government policies. The unemployed may experience discrimination by the government and media which attracts attention to them by saying we need to address unemployment. This demonises the unemployed stating they need to do more to find work when other members of the community are model citizens who re working and paying tax. I have had to go to the job centre for work focused interviews when I have been waiting for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for issues of schizophrenia, and Post Traumatic Stress DIsorder (PTSD) afer receiving a punctured liver from weapon during an argument.
Another threat that my occur to equality and diversity within a community can come in the form of extremism. The phrase extremism in this context means that some individuals may take their views and beliefs to extreme. Extremism my have harmful effect in a community on wide and diverse members of that community. Extremists focus on issues on which they feel that they have been discriminated against or that they feel superior to. Examples of this include the London bombings of 2005, the Glasgow airport bombing of 2007, and the Exeter bombing of 2008.


Section 4 The support services and groups that exist within a community to ensure equality and diversity is maintained
Q7 Describe the range of support services and groups that exist within a community to support the promotion of equality and diversity. (4.1)
Your Answer:
There is a wide range of agencies and support services that exist to promote equality and diversity within a community. They provide a framework and support structures to ensure that there is equality and diversity. The frameworks and support structures that the sector organisations have established to challenge and deal with inequality can be accessed directly or through the medium of some other agency such as referral services, hospitals, GP surgeries, councils and others. One sector is the public sector which is government funded an example being the NHS which offers free services at the point of delivery. Other examples of public sector organisations include local councils, hospitals and GP surgeries, and libraries,
The private sector includes charities and voluntary organisations. With charitable and voluntary organistions the staff use methods to raise money to help people within the community. There will be full-time paid staff to organise the operations and fundraising, and also unpaid voluntary workers. Examples of this type of organisation include, the Citizens Advice Bureau, victim support schemes, the Royal National Institution for the Blind, the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, and others.
As well as charities and voluntary organisations within the private sector, there are also self-help groups which similarly do not depend on government funding. Self-help groups contain people that have a problem and want to do something about it. The group works by all members having experience of the same problem and working towards a solution by providing understanding and support for each other. Examples of self-help groups include Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, parenting groups, single parent groups, infertility groups. and others. With regard to funding for these self-help groups, an example could be AA who according to their tradition seven of their twelve steps and traditions state that they re self-supporting having no outside dues or affiliations.
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Q8 Identify potential users of the support services and groups. (4.2)
Your Answer:
Potential users of support services and groups can be anyone who needs help in the form of guidance, advice or a friendly face. The support services are there to benefit the community as a whole and examples include charitable and voluntary organisations. These use various means to raise money to pursue their goal of helping people. These organisations will provide services that the community will find accessible and useful. Some organisations need practical support to get involved in a community, and to stay involved. An example of the latter may be a wheelchair user who needs assistance to enter or exit buildings. Here the local council may be approached to provide disabled access for the wheelchair user.
In the situation where someone needs emotional support for the emotions of anger and frustration at experiencing inequality, the purpose of the emotional support is to find a channel for these negative emotions so that they do not impact on other people. Examples of this include Citizens' Advice Bureau and Victim Support.
With regard to the NHS, as an example of a public sector organisation, a lot of departments provide support for a great number of different people such as psychiatry for the mentally ill, physiotherapy to regain mobility, pathology and microbiology for infections, and so on.
Finally I will mention that self-help groups may reach a wide range of people such as Alcoholics Anonymous for alcoholism, Narcotics Anonymous for drug addictions, and the local Walk and Talk group for walking therapy for depressives, to name just a few.




Section 1 The meaning of equality and diversity in the workplace
Q1 Describe what equality and diversity means to organisations in relation to: (1.1)
Your Answer:
a) Recruitment 
An employer must not be seen to discriminate towards a person or group of people. There must be equal access to life chances and no unfair advantages. This applies to an organisation and its recruitment of people. There must be no discrimination based towards a job candidate based on their social category or protected characteristics. During recruitment there are legal restrictions on what an employer can and cannot mention in advertising a job and interviewing. The job candidate should not be asked about any of their protected characteristics such as race, and also they should not be asked if they are single, married, or in a civil partnership. Similarly they should not be asked about their health. Also with regard to equality and diversity in an organisation and recruitment, a job canditate's membership of a trade union must not be a deciding factor as whether they will be employed or not.
Another aspect of equality and diversity in recruitment is that an organisation is obliged to advertise in as many places as possible to attract a wider base of candidates and therefore avoid direct discrimination.
When dealing with criminal convictions during recruitment, if the criminal conviction is spent then the employer should behave as if the conviction never happened. There are exceptions to this in places such as schools, National Health services and care homes. In such situations the safety of children and vulnerable adults must come first. In support of this there is a Disclosure and Disbarring Service (DBS) where any potential liabilities of person are brought to the attention of an employer.

b) Pay 
The Pay Act of 1970 ensured that women were treated equally by organisations in that they received the same pay as men for the same job. It lso stipulates that different job of the same value should also receive equal pay. Equality has not been totally achieved in this country yet as there are still inequalities with regard to distribution of wealth and differences in social status, and other factors, but equality has been the aim of successive governments and organisations that support it. The Pay Act of 1970 has been superceeded by the Equality Act of 2010 which is an important law that underpins British values. The latter act promotes equality in pay and outlaws any discrimination. This equality can apply to pay and ensures that there is no discrimination but diversity within an organisation. Equality in pay not only means basic pay, but also overtime pay, holiday pay, discretionary bonuses and occupational pensions. Where it is in the terms and conditions of an employee equality can also apply to company cars, health insurance and free meals.
When considering the pay system of an organistion the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) have suggested a number of guidelines such as having equality in pensions, as well s outlawing sexist discrimination towards women in terms of pay. There should be one pay system for all employees and it should be simple, transparent and understood by everyone. The pay structure should be based on job evaluations which should then be re-evaluated regularly. Also in relation to pay within an organisation, there should be as little as possible in the way of discretions by local management as the more discretions there are , the greater are the number of anomalies. Also important is the idea that there should be checks on entry to an organisation, and on entry to grades to make sure there is no discrimination such as women receiving less pay. Another check that should be made under EHRC reccomendations is the progress within and through the grades.

c) Conditions 
Equality and diversity in relation to conditions within an organisation means that all individuals have equal working conditions. No person should have more or less favourable conditions within an organisation than someone else. ACAS's document entitled "Delivering Equality and Diversity" states that the Equality Act 2010 ensures working conditions are equal and an organisation should make reasonable adjustments in a working environment to create equal opportunities for individuals that are disabled. An employer should ask if there any changes that can be made to a working environment to help disabled people. Reasonable adjustments include working services, change to working hours to ease travel, a power-assisted appliance, and an adequate and ergonomic chair. I know from studying Information Technology at Aston university that ergonomic means human factors or suitability for human use, with the word ergo from ergonomic meaning 'thus'. This process of adjustment facilitates equality and diversity with organisation.
Employers can show sensitivity towards protected characteristics such as race or religion by allowing time off for religious festivals, providing prayer rooms, and a flexible dress code for employees.
The term working conditions also means that harassment towards employees is non-existent. Harassment can be defined as any unwanted conduct towards an employee based on a protected characteristic for the purpose or effect of depriving someone of their dignity. Harassment can produce an intimidating, humiliating, offensive and degrading environment. It can take the form of persistent criticism, unwanted physical contact, personal insults, offensive jokes, and freezing someone out.

d) Promotion opportunities 
With regards to equality and diversity and promotion within an organisation. equality law does not say that an organisation is obliged to advertise an opportunity for promotion inside our outside that organisation, but it means they can void unlawful discrimination if they do. Promotion opportunities should be advertised, even development opportunities such as 'acting on', secondment and temporary promotion that may lead to permanent promotion.
With promotion it is unlawful to discriminate against a women who is pregnant or on maternity leave. A woman should be offered opportunities for promotion even if she is pregnant or on maternity leave. She should be informed of any promotion opportunities as she would have been if she were at work. It unlawful to make assumptions about a pregnant woman by thinking that she will be inadequate for promotion and that she would not be interested in a demanding job.
In the case of disability, it is unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of this protected characteristic, and a disabled person should be considered for promotion, even development opportunities such s training. Also in accordance with equality and diversity in the context of promotion, reasonable adjustments can be made, such as changes to the working environment to help disabled people.

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Q2 Describe the benefits to an organisation of having a diverse workforce. (1.2)
Your Answer:
There are a number of benefits to an organisation of having a diverse workforce, the first of which I will describe is attracting better employees because of an accepting and tolerant working environment. Such an environment would mean better morale, motivation, loyalty, team working skills, and also less of a turnover of staff. As there is tolerance and respect of differences with diversity there will also be less conflict. The organisation will benefit from more skills, experience and knowledge, which also benefits individual employees when interacting with other staff. Diversity can benefit an organisation by having more capable staff. This results from employment based on ability instead of considering backgrounds and beliefs. Another reason for the more capable staff is that the organisation will be recruiting from a wider pool of knowledge, experience and skills. The diversity should additionally provide different ideas from a diversity of backgrounds and beliefs to help in the process of solving problems. The rationale for this is that different people will have different ideas on how to approach a problem. Diversity can even be involved at the executive decision making level and in the development of excellent products and services. A diverse workforce will be able to understand the different communities it serves and will help the organisation to provide the products and services these communities need. Another benefit to the organisation of diversity is that it will have a wider appeal and also will reach a more diverse range of customers therefore widening the market for its products and services. Also benefiting the organisation is the fact that if it reflects the diversity of UK society, the organisation's brands will gain a wider recognition. Finally, the last benefit of diversity I will mention is that an organisation that promotes diversity in the workplace will have a positive corporate image.
The European Commission on Human Rights (ECHR) states that an organisation that fosters, condones or ignores discrimination will not be able to experience the aforementioned benefits.
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Q3 Describe how organisations can promote and maintain equality and diversity in the workplace. (1.3)
Your Answer:
There are four steps that can be used by an organisation to promote and maintain equality and diversity in the workplace. The first step is developing an equality and diversity policy which shows employees that the organisation is serious about tackling equality and diversity issues in the workplace and customer base. The policy also shows that the organisation is committed to equality and diversity. The second step is the use of an equality and diversity audit that shows the progress of the organisation in dealing with equality and diversity issues and discrimination in relation to diversifying the workforce and the customer base. An example of this is how many staff have been recruited from under-represented groups. The third step is the development of an action plan which has clear and objective targets. The action plan uses the evidence provided by the equality and diversity audit to target under-represented groups. The final step is the implementation of the action plan in a positive way. Positive action in this context is a legal way to promote equality and diversity within the organisation.
As well as the aforementioned four steps, there are eleven points to follow in promoting and maintaining diversity in the workforce. Firstly advertising across a diverse range of groups to attract more employees from different backgrounds. A second point is the provision of flexible career breaks and childcare facilities for employees so that both men and women can meet their domestic needs. Thirdly is the checking of the progress in relation to equality and diversity such as how many individuals have been employed from under-represented groups which should be a fair process. A fourth point includes the use of an objective complaints procedure to deal with equality issues which should be fair and without discrimination. The fifth point I will describe is the organisation's engagement within communities. The organisation can benefit from this as the employees that have engaged within communities can then bring back the lessons they have learned back to the workplace. Another point to observe is encouraging more people to apply for jobs by offering job sharing and part-time employment. A seventh point is the provision of more work experience opportunities by offering student sponsorships to promote and maintain equality and diversity in the workplace. Eighth in this list of points in relation to promoting and maintaining equality and diversity in the workplace is providing information and training for staff with regards to equality and diversity. Training also leads to a ninth point which is the training of promotion and recruitment staff in equality and human rights, and ensuring that the selection process should be fair and transparent. The tenth point I will describe is the provision of equipment and assistance for disabled people to ensure that they receive sufficient support. Finally, the last and eleventh point is making sure that staff understand that they will be held personally liable if they participate in discriminatory behaviour.
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Q4 Describe the difficulties that can arise in trying to establish and maintain a diverse workplace. (1.4)
Your Answer:
There are a number of difficulties that can arise in trying to establish and maintain a diverse workforce. Once such difficulty involves opposition to change on the part of managers. Where there is this opposition to change there may be no diversity as there is likely to be a rejection of new ideas which makes for a more difficult working environment. Another difficulty is that the organisation may not appeal to a diverse background because of the organisations attitudes, beliefs and values. An example of this is the possibility of a business that produces meat products which will not have appeal for vegetarians. Another example is of a faith based organisation which again will not appeal to different individuals because of differences in attitudes, beliefs and values. My own example of how attitudes, beliefs and values may affect diversity is where a christian might refuse to work for the Ministry of Defence because of their religious beliefs on war and may wish to remain in a more passive role.
If the community is small there is difficulty in establishing and maintaining a diverse workforce as there may be little diversity to draw upon. Another difficulty for small organisations is that there may be few opportunities for prospective employees as there will be few posts within that organisation. A small organisation may also not attract employees from diverse background as it may not be able to offer attractive financial incentives.
Individuals from a diverse background may not apply for a post within an organisation because of a lack of confidence. This impacts on an organisation in relation to a diverse workforce as a potential applicant my feel that they would have a poor success rate when working. The final difficulty I will describe here from the learning materials is that an organisation may have a history of bad practice which will taint the community's view concerning that business.
Another of my own examples of difficulties that can arise in trying to establish and maintain a diverse workforce includes the possibility of a small organisation not being able to afford the additional expenditure for employing disabled staff with the requirement of special equipment and support for that disability.
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Q5 Describe how equality and diversity can be promoted and maintained by employees. (1.5)
Your Answer:
Equality and diversity can be promoted and maintained by employees, or individual employees, by fostering an attitude or conduct in the workplace that facilitates equality and diversity. There are a number of different conducts or attitudes that promote this, the first of which I will describe is respecting the opinion of others. Also in this particular example I shall mention is that it is important to listeng to other people's views and opinions and respect them. Similarly, being tolerant towards other people's differences promotes and maintains equality and diversity. There are other points of conduct as well such as not harassing or bullying anyone, challenging and reporting discriminatory behaviour, and supporting people that have experienced harassment and discrimination. With regards to harassment and bullying there should be no prejudicial language, sarcastic comments, jokes or excluding someone. Also of importance is to not to stereotype or make assumptions about an employee but to treat them as an individual. Finally with regards to points of conduct, I will mention that it is important to adopt a welcoming attitude to both employees and customers.
It is the Senior Management team that provides leadership on equality and diversity, implements policies, and makes individuals aware of equality and diversity policies inside and outside the organisation. Team supervisors and personnel staff are also responsible for implementing policies and promoting them. They also provide guidance, training and support to management and other employees, and monitor the effectiveness of the equality and diversity policies.
Also for the purpose of promoting and maintaining equality and diversity, some organisations have an equality champion who's duties include making people aware of policies through training and other events, and to mentor in relation to equality and diversity or act as a role model. Another role for an equality champion is the sharing of best practices.



Section 2 How equality and diversity is monitored in the workplace
Q6 Describe policies, codes of conduct and guidance relating to equality within the workplace that encourage and protect equality and diversity. (2.1)
Your Answer:
Many organisations will have a policy which outlines their obligations to equality and diversity in the workplace, and its monitoring and maintenance that encourages and protects that equality and diversity . The formal policies and practices of an organisation concerning inclusion, human rights and equality will say a lot about that organisation's commitment to equality and diversity. Amongst the most important of policies is the equality policy which has a number of points mentioned concerning codes of conduct and guidance relating to equality within the workplace in the form of equal opportunities. The points on codes of conduct and guidance listed in the equal oppportunities policy encourage and protect equality and diversity in the workplace. The first point I will mention is that the employer will demonstrate a commitment to equality and diversity and also demonstrate a willingness to meet the key aims and objectives of the policy. The policy will deal with reviews and how any subsequent changes are implemented. Another point to mention is the the policy will cover the monitoring of applicants, successful applicants, promotion, training, grievances and dismissal. The policy will also provide guidance on job advertisements, selection, training, discipline and dismissal. Two more points to mention on codes of conduct and guidance relating to equality within the workplace are firstly, how the equality and diversity policy is communicated to the staff, and secondly, include details on staff consultations.
An organisation's equal opportunities policy will provide guidance for employees on equality and diversity. The employees must abide by a code of conduct such as treating other employees with equality and respect. Employees must not discriminate, harassment or victimise other employees or customers or encourage others to do so. Generally the employees must behave according to the law and the stipulations of the employer. All employees should be aware of protected characteristics and what behaviour is and is not acceptable. They must also be aware of the impact that generalisations, stereotypes, bias and inappropriate language can have on other people. Also the employees must be aware of their personal liability of ignoring or seeming to approve of inappropriate behaviour. A final point to mention on codes of conduct and guidance is that the organisation must provide professional and appropriate services
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Q7 Describe how equality and diversity is monitored in the workplace. (2.2)
Your Answer:
Equality and diversity is monitored in the workplace using to criteria which are firstly, employment within the organisation in the context of the make-up of the workforce, job applicants and resignations. The second criterion or key aspect of an organisation to monitor is the service delivery which includes which groups of people are using the service, and their satisfaction level. These goals can be achieved by carrying out a regular analysis of job applicants, starting salaries, performance assessments, training grievances, disciplinary actions and leavers. These areas that are investigated apply to the personal characteristics of sexual orientation, disability, age, gender and ethnicity. Also important in monitoring equality and diversity within the workplace is a monitoring policy which includes details of the processes used to collect, analyse and store the data. The monitoring policy should also contain all data and records used for the purpose of monitoring equality and diversity. The data itself can be used to inform decision making, changes to policies and market planning. Also the data can be used to reach under-represented groups and make services relevant to their needs. Another use for the data is to investigate inequality within the organisation and its underlying causes, and also to remove any unfairness and disadvantages.
These steps are important as an equality and diversity policy itself does not guarantee equality, and so a process of monitoring the effectiveness of the policy is necessary. Delivery of a contract to a local authority will mean monitoring the workplace as local authorities have a legal obligation to promote equality.
At the present I am unemployed as so cannot give my own examples of equality and diversity being monitored in the workplace, but I may be able to offer an insight. My insight, or example, is the feedback that an organisation like Amazon asks for after I have purchased a product on the internet, or the feedback a phone company asks for after I have chosen a service provider. This feedback I believe relates to an organisation's service delivery and the requested feedback is their way of determining satisfaction levels.
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Q8 Describe an organisation’s sanctions on employees for breach of their policies, codes of conduct or guidelines where equality and diversity is concerned. (2.3)
Your Answer:
An organisation's sanctions on employees for breach of their policies, codes of conduct or guidelines where equality and diversity is concerned will depend on the severity of the conduct. Where a minor offence has taken place, an informal discussion may be all that is needed as an individual may be unaware that his or her behaviour has caused offence. In such a situation an informal discussion providing understanding, and an agreement for the behaviour to cease may be all that is needed. Similarly, counselling may be a sanction to ensure that an employee is aware of their behaviour and to help them stop any form of misconduct. Also in the case of breach of policies, codes of conduct or guidelines by an employee, if there is a proven case of a breach the perpetrator could receive written warnings, suspension, demotion or transfer. In a case of a serious breach of policies, codes of conduct or guidelines, a sanction on an employee could be a short suspension while the case is being investigated. Where the inappropriate behaviour amounts to gross misconduct there may be an immediate dismissal without notice.
Discriminatory behaviour can put an organisation in breach of the law and also damage the reputation of that organisation. Looking on the internet I found a policy of the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) which sets out a number of points on bullying, harassment and victimisation such as having guidelines for employees and managers. Other guidelines include making employees aware of their rights and responsibilities, and setting out the responsibilities of the employer. Also mentioned is defining what constitutes bullying, and guidelines on how to report incidents of discriminatory or inappropriate behaviour. The general idea of the DSFRS policy is to nip inappropriate behaviour in the bud at the earliest possible stage and locale.
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Q9 Describe the consequences for an organisation of not trying to create or maintain a diverse and equal environment, looking at: (2.4)
Your Answer:
a) Legal consequences 
The legal consequences for an organisation of not trying to create or maintain a diverse and equal environment can include legal challenges. If an employee experiences discrimination then the organisation can be challenged legally by the employee, and also the European Commission of Human Rights (ECHR). The organisation is responsible for the discriminatory acts of any of it's employees and if it can be shown that the organisation did nothing to stop the unfair treatment of an employee, it may be held accountable and also legally challenged.

b) Economic/business consequences 
The economic / business consequences for an organisation of not trying to create or maintain a diverse and equal environment may include consequences of cost. If the organisation has a discriminatory hearing and if it wins its case it may still have to pay out thousands of pounds in legal costs. If an employee, or plaintiff wins the case instead, the organisation will have to pay their legal expenses plus those of the employee. There may also be a matter of compensation for the employee if the tribunal decision makes an award in his or her favour, which can amount to as much as six years back pay. Another economic or business consequence is the loss of contracts from the public sector. The reason for this is that a public sector organisation may provide a question in the tendering process asking if the private sector organisation has had any decisions made against by a discrimination tribunal. This latter point would then be taken into consideration when awarding contracts and may impact negatively on the private sector organisation. After a discriminatory hearing the organisation may receive adverse publicity which will deter prospective customers or clients from using that organisation's products or services. Loss of competitiveness is another economic or business consequence of a damaged reputation of an organisation from failing to create and maintain a diverse and equal environment. This will have an effect on recruitment. The result of this is that the more talented individuals will not apply for jobs with that organisation and therefore reduce its competitiveness. The final issue I will describe for the economic or business consequences for the organisation is loss of productivity. This can be explained by saying that if the employees of an organisation without a diverse and equal environment feel that they are not being treated fairly this will lead to lower performance which in turn will mean lower productivity. Also poorer health can result which can increase the sick pay costs of the organisation.

c) Social/moral consequences 
The social or moral consequences for an organisation of not trying to create or maintain a diverse and equal environment include loss of brand reputation. In this situation a customers opinion on the reputation of a company may affect it's commercial success. For a large company that has shareholders there may be additional reputational risks. Similarly, there may be a loss of reputation within the local community resulting in people selecting alternative products. The final point I will describe concerning the moral or social consequences is the loss of talented employees. This is the consequence of prospective job candidates not applying for jobs within the organisation as they may feel that the organisation does not share their personal values on fairness and discrimination.

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Q10 Outline any additional duties placed on public sector organisations under current equality legislation. (2.5)
Your Answer:
Since April 2011 public sector organisations have a general duty to carry out in the performing of their public functions. These duties include tackling unlawful discrimination and harassment in the work place. Public sector organisations also have a duty to advance equality and diversity and also to prevent unlawful discrimination and harassment towards individuals possessing any of the nine protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are age, sex, sexual orientation, transgender, pregnancy and maternity, civil partnership and marriage, race, religion or belief, and finally disability. Another duty includes providing information at least once a year to demonstrate compliance with the carrying out of their duties.
Other duties or legal requirements that can be mentioned in relation to equality include being legally obliged to implement equal opportunities in the workplace. This also means there must be no discrimination in the provision of goods and services through their supplies from contractors and sub-contractors. Contractors and sub-contractors are also legally obliged to implement equality and diversity in the workplace or they run the risk of losing contracts. Also relevant to public sector organisations, and private sector and voluntary organisations that carry out a public function, is the requirement, or duty, of promoting equal opportunities within the workplace rather than waiting for an incident to happen and then responding to individuals' complaints. Finally I will mention the duty of monitoring the effectiveness of equal opportunities policies for positive outcomes. If there are no positive outcomes from the policies then the organisation is seen to be failing in it's duties.



Section 3 How the rights of individuals are protected in the workplace
Q11 Describe the rights individuals have under current legislation. (3.1)
Your Answer:
The individual has rights under current legislation as outlined by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). There are a number of rights, the first of which I will describe is the right to peaceful assembly or association, which includes the freedom to be a member of a trade union to protect an individual's interests. This is also a qualified right which also means that it can be broken under circumstances where the health and safety of individuals is a concern. An example of this could be where the police or army go on strike resulting in a shortfall of safety for the public such as in the case of civil disturbances and arson. Another right is the freedom of thought, belief, or conscience of the individual. This right states that everyone is free to change their religion or belief either alone or with others, in private or public, and continue to practice their religion or belief with it's worship and observance. Again this is a qualified right and can be broken when a thought leads to an action which adversely affects another person, for example where an act of conscience drives an individual to give state secrets to a foreign power thus compromising state security. There is a right where the individual has the right to freedom of expression which means they are allowed to have their own opinions and to impart and receive information. The right to freedom of expression is also a qualified right that can be broken, an example being where an individual incites racial or religious hatred or encourages someone else to do so. United Nations Charter UN2811 also has this article as well as the European Convention on Human Rights. UN2811 states that everyone can impart information irrespective of boundaries. My own example of this was my person contacting an Irish Nationalist party with a database I had written In the programming language C and I implied they could use it to campaign for peace talks and Irish unity. The border must have been sensitive to 'the troubles' because when I moved here to Barnstaple from Bristol I was sectioned under the mental health act with this activity mentioned on my medical records. As I experienced punitive treatment I have led myself to believe that my right to freedom of expression, opinions and to impart information was qualified. The link to my website containing my databases is https://hellodatabases.webs.com/ The last qualified right I will describe is the right to enjoy a private and a family life, but as a qualified right it can be broken in exceptional cases such as where there is a suspicion of child abuse.
There are other rights of the individual in the European Convention on Human rights which are not qualified and cannot be broken such as the right to life, and the right to a fair trial within a reasonable amount of time. An important right that I focus on a lot because of having experienced harassment while undergoing a medical regime of Modicate injections for schizophrenia on Aston university campus, is the right to security and liberty of person. As well as being stated in the European Convention on Human rights, I have read in the past that the United Nations Charter on Human Rights UN2811 also has this right, or article.
Returning my attention to the European Convention on Human Rights there are other non-qualified rights namely everyone has the right to marriage and to have a family if they are of a marriageable age. Other non-qualified rights include the prohibition of slavery or servitude meaning that an individual has the right to freedom from forced or compulsory labour. Also prohibited under ECHR articles is the prohibition of torture where the individual is protected from torture or degrading treatment. There is an article which states the right to freedom from discrimination and is described as the prohibition of discrimination on any grounds, such as nationality, political beliefs, sex, and so on. There is another article which is entitled no punishment without law which means that no one shall be held guilty of a criminal offence on account of an act or omission which does not constitute a criminal offence under national or international law at the time it was committed.
There have been additions to the European Convention on Human Rights which also outline the rights of the individual under current legislation, and these additions are called protocols. These protocols are articles, or rights, and article one of protocol one states that an individual has the right to peaceful enjoyment of their possessions. Under certain specified conditions this right may broken by public authorities where there is a risk to other people. Article two of protocol one states that everyone shall have access to the education system, and article three of protocol one states that everyone shall have the right to free elections by means of a secret ballot. Finally, article one of protocol thirteen abolishes the death sentence in all cases.
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Q12 Describe the responsibilities for equality and diversity in the workplace of: (3.2)
Your Answer:
a) Employers 
The responsibilities of an employer for equality and diversity in the workplace include protecting staff from discrimination and any infringement of human rights as well as ensuring that equality and diversity laws are adhered to. There are a number of other responsibilities, the first of which I will mention is the responsibility of ensuring that all staff are treated fairly and there is no discrimination or harassment. Another responsibility of employers is the induction of staff in equality and diversity issues. Employers also have the responsibility to monitor complaints and to ensure that their is access to complaints policy. Employers also have a responsibility to take action if there is any discrimination or harassment. The final responsibility of an employer for equality and diversity in the workplace is to provide training so that staff are aware of their responsibilities to others.

b) Employees 
With regards to responsibilities for equality and diversity in the workplace the employees have similar requirements to the employer. The first responsibility I will describe for an employee is treat everybody fairly and not discriminate. The next I will mention is to be aware of personal liability if ignoring or seeming to approve of inappropriate behaviour. The employees also have the responsibilities of reporting any discriminatory acts and practices. They must also take action if there is any discriminatory behaviour and adhere to the complaints policy. Another responsibility of the employee for equality and diversity in the workplace is to be aware of personal characteristics and what is and is not acceptable behaviour. The employees must also undertake the provided training to ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities to others. Generally speaking equality and diversity practices should be embraced in the workplace if they are permanent staff or visitors to the workplace.

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Q13 Describe the difference between positive action and positive discrimination. (3.3)
Your Answer:
To describe the difference between positive action and positive discrimination I will first give a definition of each term. Positive action is where encouragement and help are given to individuals under the Equality Act of 2010 to benefit equally from voluntary or community organisations when they are under-represented or have protected characteristics. Positive discrimination on the other hand is where an individual is treated more fairly than others on the grounds that the individual possesses protected characteristics, and is unlawful. Positive discrimination can take place with the characteristics sex, sexual orientation. age, race and marriage and usually happens when an employer wishes to provide support or encouragement to individuals or groups that are disadvantaged or have not been treated fairly.
In October 1 2010 positive action provisions came into force. It replicates earlier legislation on provisions and allows the employer to target the means of encouraging groups of a particular race or religion to take advantage of training opportunities or work experience or to apply for particular types of employment. It can only be done when a particular group is under-represented in a certain area of employment.
The remaining positive action provisions came about on April 6 2011. Positive action differs from positive discrimination in that particular group is not treated more favourably when it comes to recruitment as is the case with positive discrimination, but a candidate for a job or promotion must be selected on the basis of their merits and their race or religion must not be taken into account. To put it more simply positive discrimination is recruitment based on protected characteristics which are taken into account to give a group a fairer chance at opportunities and is unlawful, and positive action is recruitment based on an individual's merits. It means the candidate is not selected just on the grounds of their gender or the colour of their skin as this would be positive discrimination. The point of being selected for a job on personal merits is part of my belief system where I feel that we live in a meritocracy and we merit the degree of success that we have in life by the effort and footwork that we put in. I also feel though that if a group is under-represented or disadvantaged on the grounds of exclusion, or some experience they have had, then we should be equitable with them and provide equal opportunities.
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Q14 Explain the importance of making sure equality and diversity procedures are followed in the workplace. (3.4)
Your Answer:
It is important to make sure equality and diversity procedures are followed in the workplace. By treating all people equally change can be brought about effectively, there will be a diverse workforce and the unity of the organisation will be reflected in the community that exists around it. To ensure that equality and diversity procedures are followed the employer must understand what is expected of them, and the employee must be enabled in his or her understanding of their legal requirements and obligations. Organisations and public bodies should respond to equality to ensure that equality and diversity legislation are adhered to, to protect the rights of individuals in the workplace.
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Q15 Describe the types of organisation that provide support and information about the rights of individuals in relation to equality and diversity. (3.5)
Your Answer:
There are a number of organisations that provide support and information about the rights of individuals in relation to equlity and diversity. For this question I will describe these organisations, and in the next question I will describe the support and information that they provide.
The first type of organisations I will describe are public bodies. A public body is an organisation that carries out a public function such as the NHS, schools, police forces, the fire service, local authorities and government departments. Also included in public bodies are private sector organisations and voluntary organisations that provide a public service with public organisations when they are carrying out their public function. Examples of public bodies include the Advisory. Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), and the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC).
The next type of organisation I will describe are charities and community and voluntary organisations which are established to benefit the community by helping people. Charities have various methods of raising money to achieve their aims. There will be paid members of the charity who organise the operations of their organisation and raise money to pursue their goals. They also depend on unpaid volunteers as do community and voluntary organisations. Examples of this type of organisation include the Citizens' Advice Bureau (CAB), and the Ethnic Minority Legal Advice Centre. Another type of organisation that provides support and information about the rights of individuals in relation to equality and diversity are pressure groups which campaign for a particular issue by either stopping something, getting something done, or by implementing new laws. Once the issue is resolved the pressure groups usually disband. Their are three types of pressure groups which are protective, which can represent a group of people, and promotional which campaign on a particular issue. A third type of pressure group is both protective and promotional, and includes Amnesty International as an example. The final type of organisation I will describe are representative bodies who represent the rights and interests of their members and clients. Examples include trade unions that provide advice and support on the rights and responsibilities of their members. An example of a trade union is the British Medical Association which provides support to GPs and other medical professionals. Another example of a union is the individual union UNITE of which I am also a member.
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Q16 Describe the services that these organisations can offer to individuals. (3.6)
Your Answer:
ACAS, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Scottish Commission on Human Rights are all Public bodies, or organisations, that offer services to the individual. Generally public bodies can either provide information directly to members of the public, or indirectly to other organisations such as the government. The public body ACAS which stands for Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service provides up-to-date and independent information and helps employers and employees to solve problems such as dealing with discrimination in the workplace. Although it is largely funded by the department of Business, Innovation and skills (BIS) it is a Non Departmental Public Body (NDPB) which is governed by an independent council so that it can provide a service of independent, impartial and confidential information. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is also a Non Departmental Public Body which came into being from the Equality Act of 2006 as a corporate body. It has been give a remit by the government to promote and protect human rights and also has a role of promoting and regulating standards and good practice. The public body the Scottish Commission on Human rights has a number of roles with which to provide services. One service is to promote understanding and respect for all human rights including economic, social, political, civil and cultural to everyone everywhere in Scotland. Another service the Scottish Human Rights Commission provides recommendations on Scottish law, policies and practices to the government as it deems necessary. Yet another power, or service, of the commission is to enter into some areas of detention in a matter of enquiry. It can also intervene in civil court cases to promote human rights where it seems relevant. The final service I will mention concerning the Scottish Human Rights Commission is the provision of education, training and raising awareness of human rights by public research.
Moving now from public bodies to charities and voluntary and community organisations, there is a charity which is called the Ethnic Minority Legal Advice Centre which is based in Scotland and offers support on immigration and asylum matters. Specialising in social welfare law the centres offers the services of legal advice, casework and representation. An example might be offering support to someone for leave to remain in the UK under the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights. Another charity is the Citizens' Advice Bureau (CAB) which offers the services of free, independent and confidential advice. This charity can help with benefits, debt, housing and negotiate with creditors to name a few services. The Citizens' Advice Bureau can also fill out forms, write letters and represent clients at court or a tribunal.
Another type of organisation that offers services to the individual is the Representative Body such as the British Medical Association (BMA). The BMA is a union that looks after the rights and responsibilities of its clients which are GPs and other medical professionals. Although there are no specific services mentioned in the learning material for the BMA, I remember hearing on the news that there has been a shortfall in the number of doctors working in casualty etc in the past. In such a scenario each doctor has had to work long shifts such as a one in two which I believe means that for every two days that they are on call they might have one night free. I believe the British Medical Association represents the rights and interests of these doctors by raising awareness of doctor's working conditions and pay. I would imagine also that if a doctor is being sued for negligence, malpractice or breach of confidentiality, they would be represented at a court of law or tribunal by the BMA. The individual union called Unite that I mentioned in the last question, as with the BMA, looks after the rights and interests of its clients. Its services include legal representations on matters such as compensation for something such medical injuries, and cheaper than usual contents insurance for my rented accommodation.
Finally I will describe the services provided to the individual by a pressure group using Amnesty International as an example. When I lived in Bristol I was a member of Amnesty International for a while. The services provided were meetings with a guest speaker who would give a talk on a political or human rights issue. A talk that I went to covered the subject of communism and the Pol Pot regime, in Cambodia, I believe. As well as the service of providing up-to-date information Amnesty International campaigns and raises awareness concerning political and human rights issues to bring about change that will have a positive impact on the well-being of the countries or communities that are represented. My example of the Amnesty International talk on the Pol Pot regime included at the time some information such as possessing toothpaste in Cambodia meant the death sentence as it was a western product and an artifact of the enemy to communism, the western world.