Equality and Diversity. In October 2010 a new law about discrimination is being introduced. This is called the Equality & Diversity Act 2010. This makes the rights that you have at the moment stronger, and also gives you some new rights.

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Equality is that no one should be denied opportunities because of their race or ethnicity, their gender or sexual orientation, their disability, their age or religion. There is no single definition of diversity it is commonly accepted as recognising and valuing the differences between individuals and the contributions they make and treating them fairly and with respect. Unlike the traditional approach to Equal Opportunities which focus on legal compliance through equal treatment, diversity takes on a 'difference' approach and reflects initiatives that are internally driven and proactive in bringing about organisational change.

DISCRIMINATION:

Discrimination means treating someone worse than other people for some reason. At the moment, you have rights not to be treated worse than other people, in some situations, because of your:

  • age
  • disability
  • race
  • religion or belief
  • sex
  • sexual orientation
  • Gender identity.

In October 2010 a new law about discrimination is being introduced. This is called the Equality & Diversity Act 2010. This makes the rights that you have at the moment stronger, and also gives you some new rights. For example, the Equality &  Diversity Act includes making it clearer that you can't be treated worse than other people because of your changed gender, your marriage or civil partnership, your pregnancy or maternity, or because you're a carer. Another right that will come under this Act will be that woman can't be treated worse than other people for breast-feeding her baby in public places like cafes, shops and buses. A bus driver couldn't ask a woman to get off the bus just because she's breast-feeding her baby. Also, the Equality & Diversity Act says that you can’t be treated worse than other people because you are a carer, for example for a disabled person. So, an employer couldn't refuse to give someone a job just because they think they will take too much time off to look after their disabled father. You’ll have rights not to be treated worse than other people because of your age when you use goods and services. Goods and services means things like shops, hotels and gyms, you'll have stronger rights to make a claim that you've been treated worse than other people because of a combination of two things. For example, an employer might treat black men and white women fairly, but treat someone worse than others because they are a black woman. The Equality Act will give them stronger rights to take action about this. Dual discrimination protection will protect people who experience direct discrimination because of a combination of two protected characteristics and will allow them to bring single claims for combined discrimination (does not apply to marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity).

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LAWFUL DISCRIMINATION:

There are specific circumstances when it is lawful to discriminate in health and social care sector. Like single sex hospital accommodation this is when hospital is required to provide single sex accommodation for the inpatients of hospital. It is also lawful to discriminate when services of facilities are designed for a particular group. It is lawful to provide access to services or facilities to people from a particular racial group in order to meet specific needs relating to education, training or welfare. For example; district health authority provides resources for a centre to provide information, counselling and ...

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