What is Equality and Diversity? Free Essay Example

Throughout this assignment it will include; a brief explanation on what equality, diversity and inclusion means. Also, will be evaluating legislation, support services, models of disability and partnership working and will be discussing how vulnerable children and young people are being supported in Wales with regards to the promotion of inclusion, equality and diversity. Equality does not always mean that everyone is treated in the same way as everybody else. However, as childcare practitioners or parents it would involve “treating people in such a way that the outcome for each person can be the same,” (National Youth Council of Ireland, No date).

Equality is assisted by (The Equality Act 2010), this Act has been designed so that any unfair discrimination, harassment and victimization is being addressed which is promoting equality of different opportunities and to foster the good relationships between the people who share the same protected characteristics, which are; “age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation,” (citizens advice, 2018).

However, if you are being treated unfairly because someone thinks that you are belonging to one of the protected characteristics then this is classed as an act of unlawful discrimination.

The Equality Act 2010 comes into enforcement as in correspondence with the law that is protecting all children, young people and practitioners from any act of discrimination within the workplace environment and out within the wider society and the different environments that we all live within. However, this piece of legislation has replaced the former anti-discrimination laws where it has become one single Act.

This is making the law a lot easier to recognize and it is making more forceful protection in some situations. This piece of legislation “sets out the different ways in which it unlawful to treat someone,” (Gov.uk, 2015).

Diversity is the understanding of how “each individual is unique and recognizing our individual differences,” (Definition of Diversity, No date). Diversity is the acknowledgement of when entering the workplace environment and that the individual can realize their potential which can, however be influenced by a range of different factors that are beyond the protected characteristics that are included within the equality legislation. These different factors may be nationality, the social, economic and educational background and having a professional background.
Inclusion is “seen as a universal human right,” (inclusion.me ltd, 2008). The essential aim of inclusion is to be able to grasp on to everyone’s human rights regardless of their race, gender, disability, medical or any other needs. Inclusion when working with children and young people within the workplace environment will refer to the individual’s experience to the extent of which they will feel valued and included. Inclusion will also ensure that everyone has the access to the resources, rights, goods and services that they are entitled to.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) has an encounter on children and young people because it is a “legally-binding international agreement setting out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of every child regardless of their race, religion or abilities,” (Save the Children, No date). There are 54 Articles that are within the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child that include all the legal rights for every child or young person. However, The Human Rights Act 1998 comes into administration as it “sets out the fundamental rights and freedoms that everyone in the UK is entitled to,” (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2018).

Flying Start is a support service which is a Welsh Government programme that is being used to help provide a range of services that is used to give young children the best possible start they can to their academic lives. Flying Start is being used for the young children between the ages 2-3 years old where they will get the quality part-time childcare to have an enhanced health visiting service. Also, when bringing your child to a Flying Start setting it will also give you the access to having parenting support with your child’s speech, language and communication skills, (FamilyPoint.cymru, 2018).

There are two different models of disability, these models are the medical model and the social model. The medical model of disability presents the views of a disability as a problem that a child or young person has which has been directly caused by a disease, trauma or other health condition. By having one of these then is therefore required to have a sustained medical care which is then being provided in the form of an individual treatment by the professionals, (Disabled World towards tomorrow, 2017 a). However, an example of this is that the medical model looks at what is ‘wrong’ with the child or young person and not what the child or young person needs. By doing this it will create low expectations and it will then lead to the child or young person to lose their independence, choice and with them having control within their own lives.

The social model of disability is where it is seeing the issue of the ‘disability’ as a socially created problem and as a matter of the full integration of all the individuals that there are within the society, (Disabled World towards tomorrow, 2017 b). An example of the social model is that a wheelchair user wants to get access into a building that has steps at the main entrance. However, under the social model, a solution to this would be to put a ramp in place at the main entrance so that the wheelchair user is free to go into the building when they need to. Whereas, by using the medical model, there would only be a few solutions that could be used to help the wheelchair users to climb the stairs, which means that it will exclude them from using many essential and leisure activities.

Over the recent years there has been several government initiatives that has been regarding many different needs of the disabled children and young people. This is where the importance of working in partnership with the children, young people and their families is vitally important. “Children and young people who are disabled who have complex health needs receive coordinated, high quality and family centered services which are based on assessment needs, which promote social inclusion and, where possible, enable them and their families to live ordinary lives,” which has been declared by the “Revised SEN Code of Practice (2001), Every Child Matters and Standard 8 of the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services,” (Brown and Trimbee, 2007, Pg.1).

When working in partnership with the families or with the disabled children or young people, it is important that we are communicating with them about the information that we have about the child or young person’s disability, we need to tell them in a way that it will value the child or young person and will respect the parents and their families. Also, by giving the child or young person the early interventions and assessments that will help them lead to the development stage with an Early Support family service plan. However, with having the different ways of working in partnership it will also include the establishment of having a key worker that will be able to help the child or young person in a specific way. The key worker will be able to help the child or young person with a disability such as a learning difficulty, the key worker will help that child or young person to develop their life skills just like all the other children and young people but in a simplified way where they will still be able to reach their full potential like any other child or young person.

Also, by having a key worker, or 1:1 support means that the child or young person will be included in class with the rest of the children or young people which means that the child or young person with a learning difficulty will always be included. The key worker services will also be used to be able to “promote the development of collaborative relationships between parents and professionals,” (Brown and Trimbee, 2007, Pg.7). We as childcare practitioners see every child or young person as the same whether they have a disability or not, every child or young person should be treated equally and not differently. However, by treating a child or young person with a disability differently to another child is class as direct discrimination as you are discriminating that child or young person against their disability whether it is a learning disability or someone in a wheelchair. We as childcare practitioners believe that no child or young person should feel that they ae not included like every other child or young person all because they are different.

There are many potential barriers to equality and inclusion within own areas of responsibilities, these barriers can be something such as a fence or wall that has been put in place physically or hypothetically to stop any movement from one place to another. These potential barriers can affect all children and young people in many ways, these barriers are; ethnic origin, sexual orientation, age, belief, gender, religion, disability and mental health.