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1 Theological Basis

2 Equal Opportunity Policy

3 The Law

4 Policy on Employment

5 Policy on Church Activities

6 Membership, Churches, Committees and Councils

7 Monitoring

A Legislation

B Recruitment and Employment

C Church Activities

D Membership

E Monitoring

Produced by the URC Equal Opportunities Committee

We believe that all people are created in God’s image and are loved by God.

We believe that in his ministry Jesus showed God’s love by his openness to all people, including those who were marginalised in his day.

We believe that, in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Church needs to show the same openness to all people in our own day.

a) The Church affirms in its Basis of Union that ‘all ministries shall be open to both men and women’. At Assembly in 1987 it adopted a Declaration on Racism and in 1990 adopted a Declaration of Equal Opportunities Policy in relation to ministers.

b) This policy is not a statement of what the Church has already achieved; it is a declaration of the way it intends to move forward at all levels and in all aspects of its life within the limitations of its resources. In particular, it is an aid to appointing the most suitable people to all positions of responsibility within the church disregarding irrelevant considerations; it does not oblige the church as employer or otherwise to make appointments of people other than those most capable of fulfilling the responsibilities.

Assembly declares:

Over the years legislation has been passed making discrimination on grounds of race, gender or disability unlawful in certain circumstances. Breach of this may result in a liability to pay compensation to someone who has suffered discrimination.

The Church as an employer needs to comply with such legislation unless it has claimed specific exemptions.

(See Checklist A)

4.1 Non-discrimination

As an employer, of whatever number of employees, the local Church accepts the responsibility to ensure that, at all stages (including recruitment, selection for employment, promotion, pay and conditions and access to training) no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of race, gender or disability.

4.2 Person specification

In designing jobs and recruiting we will take care to ensure that no potential applicant will be placed at a disadvantage by requirements that are not necessary. (See recruitment checklist for some guidance on this.)

4.3 Access to employment

We accept the responsibility to enable all people to have access to buildings and facilities and as far as possible to have equipment available to allow people with disabilities to be employed.

4.4 Positive action

Within the limits allowed by the law we will take positive action to redress imbalances in employment with regard to race, gender or disability.

5.1 Non-discrimination

We accept responsibility, in all services provided to the public, not to give less favourable treatment to anyone on the grounds of race, gender or disability.

5.2 Church worship

We accept responsibility to make it possible for all who wish to join in the public worship of God to feel welcome to do so regardless of race, gender or disability.

5.3 Other activities

We accept responsibility to be open, not only for church members, but for all who may need what we have to offer, or be able to offer what we need.

(See Checklist C)

6.1 Non-discrimination

We accept responsibility to welcome people into membership in accordance with the affirmation of faith as defined in Schedule A of the Basis of Union. All those who love our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and want to serve him through membership of the church, should be welcomed regardless of race, gender or disability.

6.2 Eldership and Committees

We accept responsibility to ensure that all members, regardless of race, gender or disability, are enabled to respond to the call of God to participate in decisions affecting the life of the church through eldership or committee membership and to examine carefully situations where any group appears to be under-represented.

6.3 District Councils, Provincial Synods & General Assembly

We acknowledge responsibility to encourage people, regardless of race gender or disability, to take a full part in all our Councils.

7.1 Effectiveness

We acknowledge that if this equal opportunities policy is to be effective we must look to our practice in all our church’s life and check our performance regularly.

7.2 Responsibility

We acknowledge the responsibility to be more aware of whether or not ethnic minorities, women and people with disabilities are reasonably represented in the many different facets of the life of the church. Sometimes this can be done informally but in other situations formal monitoring will be needed.

7.3 Records

For formal monitoring purposes we acknowledge the need to keep records of all job applicants and employees showing their gender, ethnic origin and any disabilities, these records to be assessed annually.

We acknowledge the value of keeping such records for church membership, committees and representation on other bodies.

7.4 Report

There will be an annual report to the Church meeting on the operation of this policy.

(See Checklist E)

The most important Acts currently available are:

Other Acts useful to know about are:

There may also be minimum wage legislation in operation, together with any European Community legislation or directives.

You will also find useful the following Codes of Practice:

Literature and guidance can be obtained from:

Equal Opportunities Commission

Church Action on Disability

This needs to be accurate and clear and should be prepared in consultation with those who will work closely with the appointee.

If any restrictions on who can do the job are suggested, scrutinise the reasons very carefully to ensure that a restriction really is necessary. Be sure that the Job Title fits the Job Description.

This needs to list the skills and qualities needed to do the job. Be careful to include only what is necessary. You can add skills that would be an advantage but are not essential as long as you do not treat them as essential when shortlisting.

In drawing up the specification look at any equal opportunities implications, eg asking for particular working hours when a degree of flexibility could be built in, asking for specific qualifications that are not essential, or expecting people to be church members if this is not strictly necessary.

Look for methods of reaching a wide range of people. Try to think outside the traditional and cheapest options to ensure that those capable of doing the job hear about it. As an equal opportunities employer you should never rely only on word of mouth advertising.

This should clearly ask for the information you need, should not ask for anything you do not need, and should give space for the person to say why they think they are suitable for the post.

Personal details and equal opportunities monitoring should be on a separate sheet so as not to influence the selection panel. It is also useful to ask how the person heard about the post.

The following should be sent to each applicant:

The small selection panel should meet to choose those to be interviewed on the basis of how well they meet the person specification. This should happen as soon as possible after the closing date for applications.

The panel should agree the issues on which questions at the interview will be asked, based on the person specification, and who will ask each question. Every applicant should be informed immediately as to whether they have been shortlisted or not and the time of interview where appropriate.

The interview panel should be a small group, normally between two and five, with a balance of members appropriate to the post as far as possible.

This should be done on the basis of the agreed issues with any extra questions only being used to clarify questions or answers. Each member of the panel should have a form based on the person specification to assess each applicant.

At the end of all the interviews the successful candidate should be chosen based on those assessments. All interviewees must be told when they will hear the result of their interview. This should be as soon as possible after the interviews when the successful candidate has accepted the post.

References can be taken up at any stage. They can be helpful in compiling a short list, and in this case referees should be asked to write in relation to the person specification. However, references can vary in style and depth, depending on the referee, and care is needed to avoid prejudice because of inadequate references. For this reason they are sometimes used only as a check, once the preferred candidate has been selected.

The purpose of the references should be clear from the start of the process, and the candidates should be advised when references will be taken up.

A period of induction, properly organised, should be given to every new employee as soon as possible after they take up the post and that should include any plans for training.

A written contract of employment should be drawn up and agreed as soon as possible, preferably before the commencement of the employment and certainly within 2 months. (This is a legal requirement).

Members of staff should be clear as to who is responsible for supervising their work. They should also have at least one person they can turn to for support who they are happy with.

This should be clearly laid out and in the hands of all employees. It should include guidance on how to deal with discrimination and harassment immediately and effectively.

NB If the person on the receiving end of certain such behaviour does not see it as a joke then it is not a joke.

If you are responsible for making an appointment and any of this is new to you please contact the Citizens Advice Bureau for more information.

Are they accessible, usable and attractive? Think about wheelchairs, pushchairs, induction loops, those who are frail. Are toilets accessible to all users of the building? Are printed materials also available in large print and braille?

Ask these questions about all the premises not just the worship area. People should not have to fight for the right to be able to share in church activities.

Do people in the area know the premises are available for use? Do you use these contacts as opportunities for widening the church’s contacts? Do you welcome hirings from all groups or would you treat some with suspicion.

Do you encourage visitors and members from outside the church circle? Think about how you advertise and where, what links members of your congregation have with other groups, whether there are groups with particular needs where the church could offer support eg groups for the disabled, Asian lunch clubs, women’s or young people’s groups.

Are worship services accessible and welcoming to all? Are there ways you can improve this?

How well do you know your catchment area? Look at who is around and see if there are any new ideas for offering your resources in the name of Christ.

Making people feel welcome without overwhelming them is important. Open invitations to membership of the church are sometimes easier to handle than personal invitations but should always be followed by a personal invitation to those worshipping with you. Look for people in your congregation able to handle such matters sensitively.

Are there members of your congregation who are skilled in working with people with disabilities without being patronising? Are members of your congregation aware of the different cultural backgrounds (social as well as ethnic) of people in your area and are they sensitive to them?

Do look round the whole congregation when seeking members or representatives for committees etc. We need insights from many different backgrounds if we are to be truly open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and using the full variety of God given gifts.

Do look at the possibilities of training people to be on committees. Many meetings can be very intimidating for the uninitiated. Training does not need to be formal but structures can be explained and participation encouraged.

Are the structures used for meetings encouraging for everyone to take part?

• Is the layout of the room a help or a hindrance to this?

• Do people know when comments are welcomed?

• Is sufficient time given for those who react more slowly to propositions?

• Do a good proportion of those present join in or is it just a few who do all the talking?

• Are the issues made clear enough for people to follow the discussions and know what propositions are being made?

• Are people with hearing or visual impairment able to take a full part?

• Are people whose first language is not English able to follow the discussions and take part?

• Does the meeting make a special effort to understand those with a speech impairment or a pronounced accent?

• Are people encouraged to come to meetings?

• Is transport provided for those who need it?

• Are expenses given to everyone who holds an office whether they need it or not? (Those who do not need it can put it back in the plate, those who do should not be embarrassed by having to ask.)

NB These are only a few of the questions you could ask.

You should keep records of all applicants, interviewees and successful candidates including race, gender and any disability.

These records should be checked annually to how they compare with what you might expect in your area.

How does your church membership reflect the make up of your catchment area? Are there gaps? How could you fill them?

Does membership of these groups reflect the membership of the church, or the membership of your catchment area? If not, why not?

You should be able to find out the ethnic make up of your catchment area and get some idea of the proportion of people with disabilities. The proportion of women in the community is usually just over 50%. It might also be useful to check on numbers of young people in the area.