WCCS EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICY
As a Christian organisation WCCS is committed to providing equal opportunities for all people irrespective of their gender, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, class, age, religious beliefs, marital status or domestic circumstances.
WCCS is committed to active promotion of equality of opportunity and will ensure that action is taken at all levels within the organisation to identify and develop systems and practices that are anti-discriminatory. To this end monitoring and evaluation will be undertaken to ensure that our policy directly affects our practice.
Equal Opportunities in Employment
WCCS is operated in conjunction with London School of Theology (LST) and its paid employees are contracted to LST. Their employment falls under the terms of the LST Equal Opportunities Policy, which seeks to comply fully with current employment legislation. This includes legislation applying to equal opportunities in recruitment, training, health and safety, terms of employment and the specification of a genuine occupational requirement of Christian faith in relation to particular post-holders in the organisation.
WCCS will strive to ensure that every employee is treated fairly in employment matters. As a Christian counselling service there is a genuine occupational requirement for all post-holders – Clinical Director, Manager, Assistant Manager, Receptionists, Counsellors and Volunteer Counsellors – to be practicing Christians. This is reflected as appropriate in the Job Descriptions and Person Specifications for each post.
Equal Opportunities in Service Delivery
WCCS recognises that some groups or individuals may experience particular difficulties in accessing its services and is committed to offering and enabling equal access to all. WCCS advertises itself as a service ‘available to all’. It is therefore a matter of priority that the structures and approach of our work are constantly reviewed to ensure a welcome for all.
A monitoring form is completed by all service users in order that statistical monitoring of age, gender, ethnicity, religious belief and disability is possible. This information is reviewed annually to identify any gaps in provision and to explore ways of addressing these appropriately.
Complaints about Inequality
Complaints can be raised by staff and service users through the WCCS grievance procedure. All complaints will be treated seriously. It is a condition of service that all staff and volunteers work within the equal opportunities policy. Any form of discrimination, direct or indirect, will be a disciplinary matter.
Other pages of interest:
LST Theology & Counselling Course
