Equality Legislation
The Equality Act 2010 brings together a number of previous legislations and introduces new duties to promote equality and reduce inequalities across a range of life experiences.
General duties under the Equality Act 2010 came into effect on 1 October 2010. They are to:
- Advance equal opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
- Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any behaviour prohibited by the Act
Under the 2010 Act, individuals
and groups are regarded as having protected characteristics with reference to:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender Reassignment
- Marriage and Civil Partnership
- Pregnancy and Maternity
- Race (including ethnic origin and nationality)
- Religion or Belief (including non-belief)
- Sex
- Sexual Orientation
The Public Sector Equality Duty is a specific duty, underpinning the general duties and came into force on 6 April 2011. The public sector equality duty covers all of the protected characteristics and public organisations are required to create equality objectives and publish information which enables the public to monitor the organisation's ability to promote equality, foster good relations and eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
Human Rights
Human Rights and equality are inextricably linked, because they are derived from the same principles of, social justice, deferential treatment and dignity for every person. A human rights approach treats the individual as a whole person and strives to address their requirements holistically. The Equality and Human Rights Commission identifies 15 rights protected by the Human Rights Act 1998. These can be summarised as follows:
- being treated fairly and with dignity;
- taking part in the community;
- living the life you choose; and
- being safe and protected from harm.
Talking Therapy Services support the Human Rights Act by expanding access to NICE approved psychological therapies across all communities, particularly for people that are at higher risk of developing poor mental health due to social, economic and health inequalities.
Download:
*Being Fair. Including All- Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) Guidance for Commissioners
*Note- This file is in the process of being updated. For more information on the Public Sector Equality Duty you may wish to refer to advice from Government Equalities Office