Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy

Draft v1 — published temporarily while this policy is pending Board adoption.

How Upsurge Youth Network meets its duties under the Equality Act 2010 and makes its programmes, events, recruitment and website fair and welcoming for everyone.

Document Control

Status	Draft v1 — pending Board adoption (target: 30 November 2026)
Adopted / Adapted / UYN’s own	UYN’s own.
Review period	Annually, or when the law or UYN’s activities change
Responsible lead	Programme Manager (day-to-day); Safeguarding & People Panel; Board of Trustees (owner)
Statutory	Statutory duties apply (Equality Act 2010). A written policy is good practice and a common funder requirement rather than a legal requirement
Required on website	Yes
Ratified by Board on	[date — to be completed on adoption]
Review due	[date — to be completed on adoption]
Chair of Trustees’ signature	[signature — to be added on adoption]

Change History

Version	Date	Amendment or no change
1	October 2026	First draft. New policy created to complete UYN’s governance and compliance suite.

Website History

Version	Date on website	Notes
—	[not yet published]	[to be completed when the policy is published on upsurgeyouth.org]

Contents

1. Purpose and our commitment 2. Who this policy applies to 3. The law 4. Our principles 5. Age and eligibility 6. Reasonable adjustments 7. Recruitment and volunteering

8. Programme delivery and events 9. Website, communications and language 10. Unacceptable behaviour 11. Responsibilities 12. Monitoring and review Appendix A. Optional equality monitoring categories (proposed) Appendix B. Reasonable adjustment record

1. Purpose and our commitment

Upsurge Youth Network (UYN) supports 16–35-year-olds towards a first opportunity, with mentoring, a 13-week journey, skills sessions and opportunity pairing. Our members come from many backgrounds and starting points, including people who are new to the UK, out of work, recent graduates, and people changing career or seeking promotion. UYN is committed to being fair, welcoming and accessible to all of them, and to everyone who volunteers, works or serves with us.

We will not discriminate, harass or victimise anyone, and we will make reasonable adjustments so that people can take part. Equality is part of how we plan and deliver the programme, not a separate exercise.

2. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to trustees, advisory board members, any paid staff, mentors, volunteers, contractors and partners acting for UYN, and to members, employers, visitors and everyone who uses our services, events and website.

3. The law

The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination, harassment and victimisation because of a protected characteristic. The nine protected characteristics are: age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins); religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation. The Act applies to anyone providing services to the public, and to employers, and it covers:

• direct and indirect discrimination — treating someone worse because of a protected characteristic, or applying a rule that puts people with that characteristic at a disadvantage without good reason;
• harassment — unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic (or of a sexual nature) that violates someone’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment;
• victimisation — treating someone badly because they have made, or supported, a complaint;
• failure to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people. Service providers must anticipate the needs of disabled people and make changes in advance, not only when asked.

The public sector equality duty does not apply to UYN directly. It would apply if UYN delivered a contract on behalf of a public body that requires compliance, and UYN will then comply. UYN will also have regard to the aims of the duty — to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations — as a matter of good practice.

4. Our principles

• Fair access. We shape the programme so that it can be used by people with different needs, languages, faiths, caring responsibilities and incomes. Free access for up to 3 months is available to members who cannot pay.
• Respect. We expect respectful behaviour at every session, event and online space, and we deal firmly with anything else.
• No assumptions. We do not make assumptions about what someone can do, or wants to do, because of who they are. Mentor matching uses a member’s goals and sector, and a reasonable preference such as language, rather than stereotypes.
• Listening. We ask members and volunteers what would help them take part, and we learn from complaints and feedback.
• Dignity. We respect people’s names, pronouns and privacy. People choose whether to share information about their identity, and we explain how it is used.

5. Age and eligibility

UYN’s membership is deliberately for people aged 16–35. Age is a protected characteristic, and an age-limited service must be justified. UYN’s purpose is to help young people into their first opportunity, so the age range is part of that purpose. [The Board will take advice on how to record this justification and on the wording of eligibility on the website, before launch.] Anyone outside the range who is interested is signposted to other support wherever we can.

6. Reasonable adjustments

We will make reasonable adjustments for members, mentors, volunteers and applicants with a disability or long-term health condition, and consider adjustments for other needs. Examples include:

• step-free venues, accessible toilets and a quiet space at in-person events;
• sending materials in advance, in large print, easy read or screen-reader-friendly formats;
• live captions, a transcript or a recording for online calls;
• extra time, flexible scheduling, a support person, or a break during sessions;
• help with registration forms by phone or in person, as set out in the Accessibility Statement;
• adjustments to the recruitment process, such as an alternative to a written application.

A person can ask for an adjustment by telling any member of the UYN team. The Programme Manager will agree the adjustment with them, record it with their consent, and review it. If we cannot make the adjustment, we explain why and discuss an alternative.

7. Recruitment and volunteering

• Recruitment follows the Safe Recruitment, DBS and Ex-offenders Policy: clear role descriptions, advertising that welcomes all applicants, shortlisting against the specification and consistent interviews.
• Equality monitoring information is optional, collected with explicit consent, kept separately from applications and used only in anonymised form (see the Privacy Notice for Applicants).
• We will take positive action, which the Equality Act allows, to widen our applicant pool where a group is under-represented, but we will not select a person because of a protected characteristic, except where the law says so.
• Mentors and volunteers receive equality and inclusion guidance at induction and sign the code of conduct.

8. Programme delivery and events

• Session content and guest speakers reflect a range of backgrounds, career routes and communities.
• Venues are accessible (see the Health and Safety Policy), and event times take account of religious observance, caring responsibilities and travel home.
• Food and drink at events cater for dietary, religious and health needs; events are alcohol-free unless the Board has approved otherwise, so that everyone can attend comfortably.
• Employers and partners who offer opportunities are asked to confirm that they are equal opportunity employers, and we do not list opportunities that discriminate.
• Mentors support all their members equally and do not treat anyone less favourably.

9. Website, communications and language

• Our website aims to meet WCAG 2.2 level AA, as described in the Accessibility Statement.
• Images and stories represent our members and mentors fairly, and only with consent.
• We use plain English and will consider providing information in other languages, or a translated summary, on request, and volunteer translators help where possible.

10. Unacceptable behaviour

Discrimination, harassment, bullying, victimisation and abuse, whether in person, online, by message or at a social event, are not tolerated. Someone who is found to have behaved in this way may be asked to leave a session or event, may be removed from the programme or their role, and in serious cases may be reported to the police or another authority. Complaints from members are handled under the Complaints Policy, concerns about safety under the Safeguarding Policy, and, for staff, under the Staff Policies Pack. Anyone who raises a concern in good faith will be protected from retaliation.

11. Responsibilities

Role	Responsibility
Board of Trustees	Owns the policy; leads by example; reviews annual equality information; takes advice on matters such as the age-range justification.
Programme Manager	Applies the policy day to day; handles adjustment requests; keeps the adjustments log; briefs mentors and volunteers.
Safeguarding & People Panel	Reviews equality monitoring, complaints and recruitment outcomes each year.
Everyone acting for UYN	Treats others with respect, challenges or reports unacceptable behaviour, and completes induction on this policy.

12. Monitoring and review

UYN will collect anonymised, optional equality information (see Appendix A) about members, mentors and volunteers, and review it annually to see who is taking part, who is not and why. The first review is planned after Cohort 1 (week 13). The Board will report in the Year 1 Impact Report, in anonymised form and without identifying individuals. Where the group is small, the figures will not be published if they could identify someone. This policy is reviewed annually.

Appendix A. Optional equality monitoring categories (proposed)

Questions are optional, with a “prefer not to say” option. Answers are stored separately from the member record and analysed only in anonymised form. The Board will check the wording against the Office for National Statistics and Government Statistical Service harmonised standards before it is used.

Category	Examples of options
Age	Age band (16–17, 18–24, 25–29, 30–35)
Sex and gender identity	Female, male, another term, prefer not to say; whether gender identity matches sex registered at birth
Ethnic group	Using ONS categories, with free text option
Disability or long-term condition	Yes, no, prefer not to say; adjustments wanted
Religion or belief	Options, with free text and “no religion”
Sexual orientation	Options, with free text and “prefer not to say”
Starting point (UYN trigger point)	New to the UK, looking for work, seeking promotion, recent graduate, changing career
Caring responsibilities; care experience	Yes, no, prefer not to say

Appendix B. Reasonable adjustment record

Item	To be completed
Person (member, mentor, volunteer, applicant) and date of request
Need or barrier described by the person (in their own words)
Adjustment agreed
Who is responsible and by when
Shared with (only with consent)
Review date and outcome

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