1.                  Officers of Rights and Equality West Midlands will, to the best of their ability, make a considered assessment of the linguistic cultural, religious and dietary preferences of Rights and Equality West Midlands’ main user groups and attempt to accommodate their needs/requirements in the conduct and organisation of its business activities.

2.         Recognising that not all its actual or potential service users will be able to communicate in English, Rights and Equality West Midlands will endeavour to meet the needs of speakers of other languages.  If users’ languages are not spoken or written, or not spoken or written with sufficient fluency, by Rights and Equality West Midlands staff for the satisfactory transaction of business, then, resources permitting, interpreting facilities will be commissioned from suitable local agencies or, if these are not available or unable to assist, then from an appropriate national help-line.  Where appropriate, materials advertising public services will be signposted in community languages used locally.  Signing will take into consideration the needs of the blind and partially sighted.

3.         Rights and Equality West Midlands will arrange its meetings at venues which are attractive and accessible to the widest possible range of members, users, staff and volunteers (for example, avoiding public houses, bars and smoking rooms (which may be offensive to some religious groups, or to women) and places of worship (where members of other religious groups may not wish to gather)).

4.         Rights and Equality West Midlands will be sensitive to the calendar of the cultural and religious communities from which its members, users, staff and volunteers are drawn, and take them into account when scheduling meetings, other events and programmes of work.

5.         Rights and Equality West Midlands will address accessibility and other disability-related needs by arranging public meetings, interviews and other activities in safe and accessible premises and/or by making other appropriate and supportive arrangements.

6.         Where it is required and feasible to do so, the needs of carers of the young, elderly, sick and infirm will be taken into account and appropriate arrangements made to assist them in attending meetings and participating in business.

7.         Given the likely possibility and range of needs/requirements, it is recognised that it will not be possible to satisfy each individual on all occasions.  Nevertheless, the selection and choice of, for example, venue meeting time and dates, refreshments and food, will demonstrate sensitivity to minority ethnic cultural and religious traditions, as befits an organisation aiming to eliminate discrimination and promote equality of opportunity and inclusivity.  (In the prevailing British and European context, for example, the needs of Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Moslems or Seventh-Day Adventists may need to be taken into account, as also might the dietary preferences of people from India, Pakistan, Africa and the Caribbean.)

8.         While Rights and Equality West Midlands’ object is to met individual need, it should be recognised that availability of resources, work demands and constraints of location and time may limit the scope of provision made.

9.         The quality of, and satisfaction, afforded by, any arrangements made will be periodically reviewed with the aim of improving Rights and Equality West Midlands’ provision.

10.       This document was approved by Race Equality West Midlands Forum on 7 February 2002, amended October 2007 and reviewed on an annual basis by the Chief Executive with the next date of review scheduled for January 2009.