Equality and diversity

We want to ensure that all our customers are treated fairly and no-one is discriminated against unlawfully.  So we ask all customers to fill in the Equality Monitoring form, then we can:

• monitor the services we provide to you
• highlight inequalities and investigate why they happen
• remove unfairness and disadvantage

The information helps us to:

1. See who is using our services and how satisfied they are with them
2. Consider ways of reaching under represented groups and make sure our services meet their need
3. Improve the relevance of our services - for example, if you tell us that you want information in large print, we'll send you information in this format in the future
4. Make sure we provide services fairly. For example if the information you give shows that a group of people is not accessing one of our services then we could find out why and remove any barriers
5. Ensure our Equality Scheme is working

We will monitor the following:

Age
We want to ensure that we provide services fairly regardless of age, so we monitor the age of our customers.

Disability
We want to ensure that services are accessible regardless of disability and tailor services to meet the needs of disabled people. So the information that you give us will enable us to provide leaflets etc in appropriate formats. It will also mean that our staff are aware of need you may have for example when they visit you.

Ethnicity
This information helps us provide services that meet your specific needs, to ensure that our services are accessible to all, and to treat all our customers fairly.

Gender (Sex)
We want to ensure that our services are accessible regardless of gender. Knowing your gender will help us to check we are doing this.

Religion/Belief
We want to provide services fairly and respect everyone's religion or belief. Knowing your religion or belief helps us to check that we are doing this.

Sexual Orientation
We want to ensure that we provide services fairly and with and with respect for everyone's sexual orientation. Knowing your sexual orientation helps us to check that we are doing this.

By monitoring, setting targets and taking action, we aim to improve our recruitment and employment practices for everyone.

You don't have to provide this information but if you don't, we may not be able to meet your needs.  We keep in strict confidence the information you give us and use it as detailed above.