The Door Youth Project

Who we are

The Door's mission is to bring hope into the lives of young people and their families, through unlocking potential and opening opportunity so their past does not define their future.

Motivated by the Christian values of hope, forgiveness and prayer, The Door delivers its services at the heart of local communities, seeking to engage stakeholders from the bottom up. We have in-depth knowledge of the local area and its people, we tackle the root causes leading to enduring results and are prepared to deal with complex issues that other agencies shy away from.

The Door travels with people for the long term – walking alongside them, carrying the burden and never giving up.

Our culture and values

The basis of our culture, including its Christian ethos based on faith, hope and love and 'family feel' is laid out in a document called The Door Keys, which incorporates the following key behaviours and attitudes:

I am accountable to others.

I support and challenge myself and others in equal measure.

I am creative in the way I deal with challenges and opportunities.

I always trust that my colleagues have good intentions towards me.

I care enough to confront issues when they happen.

I talk to others when there is an issue, not about others.

I treat people the way I want to be treated myself.

I accept everyone regardless of their story.

I am open to discussing all views within any topic, even when I don’t agree with them.

I forgive other’s wrong doings as well as my own.

I am always prepared to give others another chance.

I look for ways to restore relationships with others when they are broken.

I value who I am and the importance of self-care.

I am open and honest when things go wrong.
 

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

At The Door Youth Project (“The Door”) we recognise the many inequalities which exist in society. 

We strive to contribute significantly to the redressing of the disadvantages and imbalance of opportunities that result from these inequalities.   To facilitate this, The Door is committed to the promotion of an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy which covers both those of us engaged in the delivery of our services and all those who actually or potentially receive them.

We particularly recognise that young people in their transition to adulthood can suffer disadvantage.  The primary task of The Door is to help young people and their families through this period of transition by enabling them to acquire the skills, knowledge and experience needed to play a full and active adult role in society.  We aim to remove barriers they face, so that their past does not define their future.

Consequently, The Door is committed to:

• Encouraging equity, diversity and inclusion among our workforce and volunteers
• Ensuring that our services are delivered with equity and without discrimination to young people and their families.

Equity ensures that individuals are not unfairly prevented from accessing resources and opportunities, and that others do not have an unfair advantage over them.  It aims to give them what they specifically need to get fair access to opportunities which will enable them to achieve equal outcomes.  We aim to achieve equity by removing inequalities to ensure that everyone has the chance to contribute fully to society and realise their ambitions – unlocking their potential and opening opportunity.

Diversity is recognising, valuing and taking account of people’s different backgrounds, knowledge, skills, experiences and perspectives, and encouraging and using those differences to create a productive and effective workforce.

Inclusion relates to the experience of individual staff members, volunteers and service users, and the extent to which they feel valued and included, and do not feel left out.

The  purpose of this policy is to:

·        provide equity, fairness and respect for all our staff (both employees and workers, whether temporary, part-time or full-time) and volunteers

·        ensure that The Door does not discriminate on the grounds of characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010 – i.e. age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation

·        ensure that The Door opposes and avoids all forms of unlawful discrimination, including in pay and benefits, terms and conditions of employment, dealing with grievances and disciplinary situations, dismissal, redundancy, parental leave, requests for flexible working, and selection for employment, promotion, training or other developmental opportunities

·        redress disadvantage and imbalance of opportunity amongst our service users, by providing equal access to services regardless of factors such as age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation, and also political beliefs, trade union membership, physical or mental health, socio-economic deprivation or history of offending

·        ensure that Occupational Requirements as allowed under the Equality Act 2010 are a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.  Given the nature of The Door’s work there is an Occupational Requirement (OR) in a number of its positions that the post holder is a practising Christian, and also an OR that any member of staff or volunteer engaged in mentoring should be at least 18 years old.

The Door will:

·        encourage equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, treating all our staff fairly and with respect, no matter whether they are temporary, part-time or full-time, aiming to make them feel comfortable at work and able to give their best

·        not discriminate unlawfully against our staff or job applicants

·        create a working environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination, promoting dignity and respect for all, and where individual differences and the contributions of all staff and service users are recognised and valued

·        ensure that all managers and all other employees are aware of their rights and responsibilities under this EDI Policy.  Responsibilities include staff conducting themselves to help the organisation provide equal opportunities in employment, and prevent bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination.

·        ensure that all staff understand that they, as well as their employer, can be held liable for acts of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination in the course of their employment against fellow employees, service users, suppliers and members of the public.

·        take seriously complaints of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination by fellow employees, service users, suppliers, visitors, the public and any others in the course of the organisation’s work activities, applying The Door’s Whistleblowing Policy where appropriate.

Such acts will be dealt with as misconduct under the organisation’s grievance and/or disciplinary procedures, and any appropriate action will be taken.  Particularly serious complaints may amount to gross misconduct and lead to dismissal without notice.

Further, sexual harassment may amount to both an employment rights matter and a criminal matter, such as in sexual assault allegations.  In addition, harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 – which is not limited to circumstances where harassment relates to a protected characteristic – is a criminal offence.

·        make opportunities for training, development and progress available to all staff, who will be helped and encouraged to develop their full potential, so their talents and resources can be fully utilised to maximise the efficiency of the organisation.

·        base decisions concerning staff on their abilities and aptitudes (apart from in any necessary and limited exemptions and exceptions allowed under the Equality Act 2010).

·        review employment practices and procedures when necessary to ensure fairness, and also update them and the policy to take account of changes in the law.

Our staff will

·        understand that we all, as well as our employer, can be held liable under the Equality Act 2010 for acts of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination, in the course of our employment, against fellow staff, volunteers, customers, service users and the general public. This includes all actions taken during course of employment, whether in or out of the workplace, including staff social gatherings and on personal social media

·        also commit to encouraging equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, treating our colleagues, volunteers, customers and service users fairly and with respect, following our Code of Conduct incorporated within The Door Keys document, and endeavouring to act and relate to others within the spirit of The Door Keys

·        foster a culture of inclusivity in all Door workplaces, respectfully accepting our colleagues’ and service users’ differences, whether or not they are protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, so that we all feel safe, valued and heard.

Our disciplinary and grievance procedures

Details of the organisation’s grievance and disciplinary policies and procedures can be found in the Staff Handbook.  Use of the organisation’s grievance and/or disciplinary procedures does not affect an employee’s right to make a claim to an employment tribunal within three months of any alleged discrimination occurring.

Operation of this policy

This EDI Policy, and any action plans arising from it, are fully supported by The Door’s Senior Management Team (SMT), who will monitor and evaluate their implementation, and ensure that resources are allocated accordingly.  We require all who deliver and use our services to operate within this policy, and recognise that this is a shared responsibility which requires training and support.

The Door will inform its staff that this EDI Policy is in operation, and that they are obliged to comply with its requirements and promote fairness in the workplace.  This policy will also be drawn to the attention of funding agencies, stakeholders, customers, learners, volunteers and job applicants.

This policy will be monitored and reviewed every 3 years to ensure that equity, diversity and inclusion are continually promoted in the workplace.