Equality & Inclusion Committee Board
The Equality and Inclusion Committee Board is the main vehicle for driving change throughout the NCA. Its role is to oversee Group performance when meeting its statutory and mandatory obligations as set out in the Equality Act 2010.
Responsibilities include promoting, encouraging and ultimately delivering greater equality, diversity and inclusion for the benefit of Group service users and staff.
Our Equality and Inclusion Committee Board’s approach is based on the following principles:
- everyone has the right to be treated fairly and with dignity and respect
- achieving equality requires awareness, understanding, commitment and positive action from every individual employee in the Group at every level and across all disciplines
- diversity must be recognised and valued
Public Sector Equality Duty
The committee’s work centres on part of the Equality Act called the Public Sector Equality Duty. This places a duty on public bodies and others carrying out public functions to ensure they consider the needs of all individuals in their day-to-day work. It applies to shaping policy, delivering services and in relation to the public body’s own employees.
In 2011, the equality duty was extended across all the protected characteristics*. Those subject to its laws, including the NCA, must proactively work towards:
- eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and other conduct prohibited by the Act
- advancing equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who don’t
- fostering good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who don’t, e.g. by tackling prejudice and promoting understanding
These are sometimes referred to as the three aims of the general equality duty. Aims which the NCA is committed to achieving. The Act explains that having due regard for advancing equality involves:
- removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics
- taking steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people, e.g. those of disabled and non-disabled people
- encouraging people from protected groups to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low
*Protected characteristics are:
Age, disability, ethnicity (race), trans, sex, religion and belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, and marriage and civil partnerships.