EDI &Fair Work

1. Who this applies to

ShinyMe Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 16540875), everyone delivering work in its name including associate practitioners, and every participant and client we work with.

We operate under the Equality Act 2010. Nothing in this policy limits any right you have under it.

2. Our commitment

We will not discriminate against anyone because of a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 — age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

We also recognise circumstances the Act does not list which routinely affect somebody’s working life: caring responsibilities, socio-economic background, care experience, a criminal record, literacy, insecure housing, and long-term or fluctuating health conditions. Our services are designed on the assumption that these are present, not exceptional.

3. Reasonable adjustments

We make reasonable adjustments so that people can take part. You do not need a diagnosis, evidence or a formal request to ask for one, and asking will never affect the service you receive.

• Materials in advance, in a different format, or in plain language.
• A quieter room, breaks, or a shorter session.
• A 1:1 version of a group programme where group interaction, noise or shared activity would make participation inaccessible.
• Online instead of in person, or the reverse.
• A supporter, advocate or interpreter present.

4. Designing for access

Access is built into how services are designed rather than added when somebody asks. Group sizes are kept small. Written materials avoid jargon. Every service on our menu states where it is not the right format and what to use instead, so that a person is not placed in a session that cannot work for them.

Where a commissioned programme has referral criteria, we agree them with the commissioning team and will say plainly if we think a criterion would exclude people the programme is meant to reach.

5. Fair work

These are the terms on which we engage the people who deliver ShinyMe’s work.

• Associates are paid at or above the real Living Wage rate as set by the Living Wage Foundation, and are paid for preparation, not only for delivery.
• Invoices are paid within 30 days of receipt, and sooner where we can.
• Work is scoped and agreed in writing before it starts, including what is in scope and what is not.
• We do not use unpaid internships or unpaid trial delivery.
• Associates are told who the client is and what the programme is for, so they can decline work they are not the right person for.

6. If we get it wrong

If you experience discrimination, exclusion or unfair treatment in anything we deliver, please tell us. You can raise it directly with Holly — the link is at the foot of this page — or use the complaints procedure, which sets out what happens next and by when.

We would rather hear it than not, and raising something will never affect the service you receive.

7. Review and contact

This policy is reviewed at least annually, and sooner if how we work changes materially.

Questions, including from commissioners who need this for a tender, are welcome — see below.