Equality and diversity are at the very heart of the values of Lapidus Scotland and inform all aspects of our activities and services. We aim to be open, transparent, inclusive, democratic, supportive, fair and free from discrimination in order to best meet the needs of those attending our events, Lapidus Scotland committee members, self-employed contractors who carry out/support Lapidus Scotland activities, volunteers and the wider community.
Lapidus Scotland is committed to positive action, promoting and developing equality of opportunity in all its functions. We will seek to do this by:
- communicating our commitment to equality and diversity to all members of the Lapidus Scotland and writing for wellbeing community;
- communicating where responsibility lies for equality issues, i.e. with members of the Committee of Lapidus Scotland;
- providing appropriate training and briefings for Committee members, self-employed contractors who carry out/support Lapidus Scotland activities and volunteers;
- actively promoting equality and diversity;
- challenging discrimination or less favourable treatment based on: age, disability, gender, race/ethnicity, religion or belief, culture, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, socio-economic grouping and maternity;
- ensuring that wherever possible the client base reflects the local community of any activity;
making ‘reasonable adjustments’ so that venues are fully accessible to all confirmed participants; - monitoring self-employed contractors and those attending events to assess the effectiveness of the policy;
- ensuring that legislation and policy requirements are implemented into all our working practices.
We respect and uphold the dignity of all our associates and those attending our groups and events. We recognise and value individual differences and the contributions made by all involved in the work of writing for wellbeing within the field of the expressive arts. We are committed to providing an environment that is free from bullying and unlawful discrimination and where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. We understand that self-employed contractors and volunteers have rights to participate in a supportive, safe and harassment-free environment and have individual and collective responsibility to value and respect each other’s contributions.
Any complainants should contact a member of the Committee with details of the complaint as the first step. A copy of our complaints policy and procedures will be provided when we have registered your complaint in writing.
Lapidus Scotland, 2021
This statement is based on that adopted by Lapidus International and available here.