AVA's training equality and diversity policy

AVA complies with all legal obligations under The Equality Act 2010. AVA, comprising the Board of Trustees and its employees, is committed to providing equality of opportunities.

How do we ensure attendees to any of our training courses, workshops or events are treated equally and have equal opportunity to participate fully?

Delegates are asked upon booking their place on a training/event whether they have any special requirements. This may include medical requirements, access needs, mobility issues etc. When a requirement is declared, AVA takes all reasonable measures necessary to ensure that the learner is accommodated.

AVA's training and events venues are always accessible to individuals with mobility or access needs.

AVA ensures provision can be made for learners of faith whether dietary provision, providing prayer provision or ensuring dates do not prohibitively coincide with major religious festivals.

Reasonable adjustments will be made by AVA for learners who have physical or learning disabilities, including production of large-print materials, interpreters, hearing loop provision etc

Learners of any sex, sexual orientation and gender assignment are all welcome on AVA's courses.

All AVA trainers are asked to take responsibility for the promotion of respect, equality and diversity in the delivery of all training sessions as well as encouraging delegates to do the same with each other. It is essential to challenge behaviours and opinions where necessary whilst maintaining an open and informal environment.

Trainers are asked to set up group agreements at the beginning of training; ensuring that they are providing a safe and secure space for delegates.

How do we ensure the content of training courses, workshops or events incorporate diversity?

AVA is aware that for many of our learners, English is not their first language and so our training courses aim to use as simple language as possible and refrain from using English language colloquialisms.

As our learners require no formal educational qualifications to attend our courses we are aware that literacy levels can vary. Our training courses aim to use as simple language as possible and provide clear instructions using a variety of methods.  Where possible, written material will be discussed or expressed verbally in the training.

AVA ensures that our examples and case studies used in our courses demonstrate the diversity of clients that practitioners work with.

AVA ensures that any directories we provide include a wide range of organisations that provide support and advice to diverse groups.

How do we ensure we plan and design our assessed courses[1] to give every learner an equal opportunity to pass the course?

AVA staff ensure various learning styles are incorporated into our training courses.

AVA uses differentiation techniques where possible; providing different learners with different tasks to best suit them whilst still meeting the same criteria.

AVA's resubmissions policy allows learners to resubmit work up to three times (excluding the original) without it compromising the assessment.

Course support sessions are provided so that learners can raise issues with their tutor, throughout the duration of the course.

Assessment tasks are flexible and thus can be changed to incorporate a learner's needs eg. a learner could complete all assessment orally.

What safeguards does AVA have in place to ensure the above actions are taking place?

AVA provides an evaluation form and diversity monitoring form for all its courses, events and workshops to identify any issues with the provision of equal opportunities and reaching a diversity of individuals.

Trainers and assessors are :

• measured on their awareness of equality and diversity issues within recruitment procedures

• bound by AVA's equality and diversity policy and non-adherence to the policy is a disciplinary offence

• involved in work which requires knowledge of equality and diversity issues and legislation change on a regular basis

• invited to attend an annual workshop on equalities and diversity issues held internally by AVA.

AVA has an organisational equality & diversity policy that includes sections on:

• Adhering to legislation

• Recruitment

• Treatment of employees

• Our service

• Services we support

• Trainers and delegates.

All assessed courses are internally verified to ensure that:

• Learning materials include diverse groups and diverse learning styles

• Assessment tasks incorporate differentiation

• Learners have been assessed equally

• Any issues on equality and diversity have been recorded and actioned

• Our complaints policy is accessible

• Delegates have been encouraged to treat each other equally.

 

AVA reserves the right not to provide services to clients who act in ways which contravene this policy and infringe the rights of others.

AVA's service users who wish to complain about the operation of this policy are asked to request a Complaints Record Form from the Training & Events Coordinator.

---

[1] AVA's assessed courses are accredited by Open College Network (London Region).