Equality and Diversity Policy

The New Carnival Company CIC is committed to implementing an Equality and Diversity Policy which promotes equality of access to a full range of arts events for people of all ages, abilities, cultures and communities.

The policy can only be implemented through the co-operation of individuals and organisations engaged in carnival arts activities and the New Carnival Company expects, as a condition of working or volunteering with the organisation, that individuals embrace the spirit and ethos of Equality and Diversity.

This policy addresses:

How we deal with staff, volunteers and freelance artists
How we relate to the public or service users
The role of our Board of Directors

The New Carnival Company is committed to equal opportunities policy and practice and will

ensure that all employees, participants and audiences, both actual and potential, are treated equally and as individuals regardless of age, disability, race, sex, religion/beliefs, sexual orientation, civil partnership/marriage, pregnancy/maternity, being or becoming a transgender person, socio-economic circumstances.

In implementing this policy the New Carnival Company will take account of the Human Rights Act and Equality Act 2010. This Equality and Diversity policy will be implemented across all aspects of our work:

The appointment of Board members
The appointment of staff, their conditions of service and employment procedures
The appointment of volunteers
All dealings with the public
The contracting and management of freelance artists

Board or Trustees

The New Carnival Company will aim to ensure that its Board of Directors is representative of the community and communities which it serves. The Board of Directors will be responsible for ensuring that this Equality and Diversity policy is properly implemented, monitored and reviewed.

All members of the Board of Directors will aim to undertake Equality and Diversity training as part of their ongoing role.

Staff and Volunteers

The New Carnival Company will ensure that no employee, volunteer or freelancer, receives less favourable treatment than another on the grounds of age, disability, race, sex, religion/beliefs, sexual orientation, civil partnership/marriage, pregnancy/maternity, being or becoming a transgender person, socio- economic circumstances.

The New Carnival Company is committed to undertaking open recruitment and selection procedures and wherever possible all relevant vacancies will be advertised and fair and equitable short listing and interview processes will be followed.

The New Carnival Company will also ensure that the changing and developing needs of employees,

volunteers and freelance artists are recognised and appropriate adjustments made to working conditions and/or training provided.

We recognise that the provision of Equality and Diversity in the workplace is not only good management practice; it also makes sound business sense. Our Equality and Diversity policy will help all those who work for us to develop their full potential and the talents and resources of the workforce will be utilised fully to maximise the efficiency of the Company.

The Public and our Audiences

The New Carnival Company aims to make its activities and events as accessible to as wide a range of the public as possible and in order to achieve this will take steps to remove barriers which prevent the general public from having equal access to the organisation’s activities. This will include:

Events and workshops to be held on suitable days and times to be inclusive of

community members

All carnival arts activities to take into account the varying needs and abilities of the

participants

Ensuring that activities take place in venues and premises which are accessible to disabled

people and those with mobility problems

Providing facilities for disabled people to enable them to participate fully in activities
Ensuring that the design of publicity material takes account of the needs of people with

disabilities

Encouraging and enabling people from underrepresented groups to attend and participate

Equality commitments

We are committed to:

Promoting equality of opportunity for all persons
Promoting a good and harmonious working environment in which everyone is treated with

respect

Preventing occurrences of unlawful direct discrimination, indirect discrimination,

bullying, harassment and victimisation

Fulfilling all our legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010
Complying with our own Equality and Diversity policy
Taking lawful positive action, where appropriate
Regarding all breaches of our Equality and Diversity policy as gross misconduct

Implementation

The Executive Director and Board of Directors have specific responsibility for the effective implementation of this Equality and Diversity policy. The New Carnival Company expects all its employees, volunteers and freelance artists to abide by the policy and help create the equality environment which is its objective.

In order to implement this policy we shall:

Communicate the policy to employees, volunteers and freelance artists
Incorporate specific and appropriate duties in respect of implementing the Equality and

Diversity policy into job descriptions and work objectives of all those that work for and on

behalf of the Company

Provide Equality and Diversity training and guidance as appropriate, within

staff induction and Board away days

Incorporate equal opportunities notices into general communications practices
Obtain commitments from partners and subcontractors they too will comply with the policy in

their dealings with our Company

Ensure that adequate resources are made available to fulfil the objectives of the policy
Identify a Board member as the Equality and Diversity lead

Monitoring

We will establish our Equality and Diversity Action Plan as a monitoring system to assist the effective

implementation of this policy.

Complaints

Employees, freelance artists, volunteers, as well as our public and audiences who believe that they have experienced any form of discrimination, harassment, bullying or victimisation are encouraged to raise the matter with the Executive Director (email: chris@thenewcarnivalcompany.com) or Chair of the Board of Directors (email: jo@thenewcarnivalcompany.com) All complaints of discrimination will be dealt with seriously, promptly and confidentially.