SUPPORTING ACTIVITY TO EMBED AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE EMPLOYMENT EQUALITY
(SEXUAL ORIENTATION, RELIGION OR BELIEF) REGULATIONS.
Background
Legislation outlawing discrimination in employment and
vocational training on grounds of sexual orientation and
religion or belief came into force in December 2003. Employers
and individuals need access to information and advice about
their rights and responsibilities.
The DTI carried out a range of awareness raising activities in
advance of the Regulations coming into force, from media
campaigns to information seminars for key intermediaries and has
produced a range of information material. Acas has produced
practical workplace guidance on the Regulations and has a
telephone advice service available to individuals and
employers. A range of other stakeholders has also produced
materials and resources to support individuals and employers.
Recognising that intermediary organisations (employers' bodies, unions, voluntary
and community bodies) play an important role in supporting the
practical application of new legislation, DTI have also run a
Capacity Building programme supporting activity to raise
awareness and understanding of the Regulations. Through this
programme grants amounting to £625,000 were given in the
financial year 2003-04 and £1.45 million in 2004-05.
A wide range of projects were funded delivering training, advice
packs for employers and individuals, good practice guides,
conferences, regional networks and support for advice providing
organisations. These have produced a lot of excellent work and
we are looking to build on it to ensure that continued support
paves the way towards the establishment of Commission for
Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) in October 2007. Funded
projects should help develop the services that the CEHR will
need to deliver for these areas of discrimination law.
Priorities for
funding in 2005 - 07
The focus of the
Fund is to raise awareness and understanding of the Employment
Equality (sexual orientation, religion/belief) Regulations.
Activity must therefore aim to reduce discrimination on grounds
of sexual orientation/religion or belief in employment and/or
vocational training, either as a stand-alone project or in the
context of the wider anti-discrimination activity. Ministers
have specifically ruled out providing funding to support
individuals taking cases to tribunal.
Proposals should consider how they could support the longer term
embedding of the Regulations into as wide as possible a range of
organisations, building on the work that has been done over the
last two years and looking forward to consider how support
arrangements might pave the way for the CEHR and help develop
the services that the CEHR will need to deliver for these
regulations.
The DTI welcomes applications that seek to ensure that;
-
advice providers are enabled to provide high-quality advice on
discrimination, on a sustainable basis, with a view to future
partnership-working with the CEHR;
-
employers are aware of their responsibilities under the
Regulations;
-
regional partnership networks are developed;
-
the impact of the Regulations to date, along with the continuing
advice needs and gaps in support are understood.
During 2005 - 2007 we are funding 18 organisations totalling 2.5
million. Click here for more details of the
projects funded this year.
Summaries of projects funded in 2003/04 and 2004/05 can be found
at
www.dti.gov.uk/er/equality
Structure of funding
Funding is available over two years until 31 March 2007. We
expect that 50% of funding will be spent on activity taking
place in the financial year 2005/06.
Who can I contact for further information?
Justine Jeffrey, Women and Equality Unit, DTI
Tel: 020 7215 5390
Email:
justine.jeffrey@dti.gsi.gov.uk
