GREAT BRITAIN DIVING FEDERATION
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy
V 1.2 – 28.08.24
Purpose
The Great Britain Diving Federation (GBDF) is committed to making Masters diving as inclusive a sport as possible, by promoting participation from under-represented groups and ensuring that that no participants, volunteers, officials or anyone else involved with GBDF events are treated unfairly based on any protected characteristic covered by the Equality Act (2010): sex, age, race/ethnicity, gender identity/reassignment, pregnancy, sexual orientation, disability, religion, and marital status.
This policy is designed to make sure that all GBDF events are accessible and inclusive to all, and to ensure that as a sporting organisation, we comply with all relevant legislation.
But our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) goes well beyond our regulatory obligations: we want to see participation from divers and volunteers from all backgrounds and walks of life – everyone is welcome. We firmly believe that a more diverse membership will make us stronger as an organisation, by providing fresh and unique perspectives which keep us responsive as an organisation to new challenges.
Who does this policy apply to?
Anyone who participates in or is involved in the running the GBDF deserves to be able to compete or carry out of their role free from discrimination or bias. The following lists examples of groups who fall within the scope of this policy:
· Divers / competitors
· Spectators
· Coaches
· Volunteers
· Board members
· Technical officials (Chief Referee, judges, recorders, announcers)
Reasonable adjustments
To make GBDF competitions as fair and inclusive as possible, reasonable adjustments will be put in place to support competitors with physical disabilities and those with learning disabilities or additional learning needs.
Competition entry forms will allow for competitors to express whether they consider themselves to have a disability under the Equality Act. We appreciate that two people with the same condition may have different assessments as to their disability based upon the impact the condition has on their everyday life. The disability/disabilities will be discussed in confidence with the Masters Director and any reasonable adjustments will be agreed prior to competition.
Specific commitments
To demonstrate and support our commitment to EDI, the GBDF pledges to do the following as a minimum:
· Enforce a zero-tolerance approach to any forms of discrimination, hate speech or bullying. We believe strongly that sport should be open to everyone and Masters diving is no exception.
· Include optional EDI questions on membership forms asking members if they share any of the nine protected characteristics (all with ‘prefer not to say’ options) to increase awareness of diversity within the membership base
· Include a disability question on competition entry and medical forms and details of any reasonable adjustments needed, so that the Masters Director can discuss specific requirements with competitors and implement any reasonable adjustments as required
· Appoint a Welfare and Inclusion officer whose remit will include issues relating to EDI, as well as safeguarding
· Carry out an annual inclusion survey to gauge how the GBDF is supporting various communities within our membership. This will allow us to critically reflect on how we can improve as an organisation
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Relevant legislation
· Human Rights Act (1998)
· Equality Act (2010)