
The Academies Financial Handbook is updated annually by the Department for Education and the Education and Skills Funding Agency; it contains a number of governance requirements for academy trusts.
The killing of George Floyd and the support for the Black Lives Matter movement coupled with the disproportionate effects of Covid-19 on our BAME community, has demonstrated that our society is still one with deep divisions, inequalities and prejudices. We have come so far as a country with our anti-discrimination legislation and focus on diversity, but there is still a long way to go.
Principle 6 – what’s changed?
What has become clear is that diversity will only address certain issues; it may mean our organisations employ more people of colour, more people with a disability, different genders etc. However, it does not mean that those same people will be able to thrive and rise within the organisation. Identifying and removing those barriers and asking why someone of colour or with a disability or a woman is still statistically less likely to be a director or board member is inclusivity. Some of those barriers may be perception; there has never been a person of colour on the board of trustees before so employees or volunteers assume (wrongly) that it is not a role to which they should hope to aspire. Or alternatively, it may be more tangible barriers; trustees have always been picked according to a certain criterion which favours people with a certain educational background so excluding a diverse recruitment pool. This newly refreshed Principle 6 recognises the importance of inclusivity stating as one of its key outcomes that "obstacles to participation are reduced".
How does it benefit your charity?
A more diverse board is a more informed board and one that should make decisions that better reflect the variety of cultures, needs, opinions in our society that and encourage a greater level of engagement from staff. It sets the tone for the charity; a tone that says that we champion diversity and inclusivity, it is a key part of our culture and we want to be an organisation where there is no barrier to someone thriving.
How does it benefit the people who use or rely on your charity?
A more diverse board can better serve the purposes of the charity and the individuals it is seeking to help. A board that lacks any diversity will struggle to make informed decisions for the direction of the charity when our society and those the charity is seeking to support are diverse. Obviously, it may be impossible for a board to have a representative from each minority within our diverse society, however, having a board that is not monoculture or gender, one that champions diversity and inclusion and sets it as a key performance indicator is going to make more informed and ultimately wiser decisions.
How can Anthony Collins Solicitors help?
The employment and pensions team at Anthony Collins Solicitors can assist in implementing equality, diversity and inclusivity within your charity in accordance with Principle 6. We can offer the following;
For further information please do contact Anna Dabek in the employment and pensions team.
The Academies Financial Handbook is updated annually by the Department for Education and the Education and Skills Funding Agency; it contains a number of governance requirements for academy trusts.
Supreme Court publishes key decision for those working in the UK’s gig economy.
The 'Chocolate Snowman Appeal' is an amazing initiative that Anthony Collins Solicitors' (ACS) employees take part in every year.
The Building Safety Bill (the Bill) is said to be the most significant and wide-ranging change to the regulatory environment for higher risk building (HRBs) for over 45 years.
On 4 November 2020, the Restriction of Public Exit Payments Regulations 2020 (the Regulations) came into force; exit payments for the public sector were capped at £95,000.
The case was brought by the Official Receiver who sought disqualification orders under section 6 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 (CDDA 1986) against the seven trustees of Kids Company and its CEO. It illustrates well the tension between the role of a fulltime paid CEO of a large charity and the role of its board as voluntary trustees/directors.
At the end of 2020, The Charity Governance Code was updated or 'refreshed' as it is termed on its website.
Anthony Collins Solicitors is today (Thursday 11 February) revealing the scale of its social impact during 2020.
In their first podcast of this series, current and future trainees will discuss their journey and route to securing a training contract at Anthony Collins Solicitors.
A recent prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive ("HSE") demonstrates the importance of organisations regularly inspecting, maintaining, and if necessary, repairing or replacing street furnitur
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