Policy brief & purpose

Our Company Data Protection Policy refers to our commitment to treat information of employees,

customers, service users and other interested parties with the utmost care and confidentiality.

With this policy, we ensure that we gather, store and handle data fairly, transparently and with

respect towards individual rights.

Scope

This policy refers to all parties (employees, job candidates, customers, service users, suppliers etc.) who provide

any amount of information to us.

Who is covered under the Data Protection Policy?

Employees of our company and its subsidiaries must follow this policy. Contractors, consultants,

partners and any other external entity are also covered. Most importantly this covers the personal details of any of our service users date that we hold, Generally, our policy refers to anyone we

collaborate with or acts on our behalf and may need occasional access to data.

Policy elements

As part of our operations, we need to obtain and process information. This information includes any

offline or online data that makes a person identifiable such as names, addresses, usernames and

passwords, digital footprints, photographs, social security numbers, financial data etc.

Our company collects this information in a transparent way and only with the full cooperation and

knowledge of interested parties. Once this information is available to us, the following rules apply.

Our data will be:

• Accurate and kept up-to-date

• Collected fairly and for lawful purposes only

• Processed by the company within its legal and moral boundaries

• Protected against any unauthorized or illegal access by internal or external parties

• Our data will not be:

• Communicated informally

• Stored for more than a specified amount of time

• Transferred to organizations, states or countries that do not have adequate data protection

• Policies

Distributed to any party other than the ones agreed upon by the data’s owner (exempting

legitimate requests from law enforcement authorities)

In addition to ways of handling the data the company has direct obligations towards people to

whom the data belongs. Specifically, we must:

• Let people know which of their data is collected

• Inform people about how we’ll process their data

• Inform people about who has access to their information

• Have provisions in cases of lost, corrupted or compromised data

• Allow people to request that we modify, erase, reduce or correct data contained in

• our databases

Storage of paperwork

Our community work involves collecting paperwork such as feedback forms, registration forms and other personal data from our community’s service user. We will;

• Only ask for personal details we need and keep it to a minimal.

• Store paperwork in a locked filing cabinet in a locked office.

• Keep any electronic documents under password protection. 

• We will destroy all documents after three years. 

Actions

To exercise data protection, we’re committed to:

Restrict and monitor access to sensitive data

Develop transparent data collection procedures

Train employees in online privacy and security measures

Build secure networks to protect online data from cyberattacks

Establish clear procedures for reporting privacy breaches or data misuse

Include contract clauses or communicate statements on how we handle data

Establish data protection practices (document shredding, secure locks, data encryption,

frequent backups, access authorisation etc.)

Our data protection provisions will appear on our website.

Disciplinary Consequences

All principles described in this policy must be strictly followed. A breach of data protection

guidelines will invoke disciplinary and possibly legal action.

A statement of policy

1. Project Fashion Fixed CIC recognises that we live in a society where discrimination still operates to the disadvantage of many groups in society. 

2. Project Fashion Fixed CIC believes that all persons should have equal rights to recognition of their human dignity, and to have equal opportunities to be educated, to work, receive services and to participate in society. 

3. Project Fashion FIxed CIC committed to the promotion of equal opportunities within the, Project Fashion Fixed CIC and affiliated organisations, through the way we manage the organisation and provide services to the community. In order to express this commitment, we develop, promote and maintain policies that will be conductive to the principles of fairness and equality in the workplace.

4. The objective of this policy is that no person should suffer or experience less favourable treatment, discrimination or lack of opportunities on the grounds of gender, race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, health status, HIV status, age, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, political beliefs or trade union membership, class, responsibility for dependents, physical attributes, ex-offender status as defined by the Rehabilitation of OffendersAct 1974, lack of formal qualifications where such qualifications are not formally required, or any other grounds which cannot be shown to be justifiable within the context of this policy.

5. This policy will influence and affect every aspect of activities carried out at Project Fashion Fixed CIC i.e. promotional work, educational services, casework and other functions linked to the Project Fashion Fixed CIC  as determined by the management committee.

6. In the provision of services and the employment of staff, Project Fashion Fixed CIC is committed to promoting equal opportunities for everyone. Throughout its activities, Project Fashion Fixed CIC will treat all people equally whether they are:

- Seeking or using our services.

- Applying for a job or already employed by us.

- Trainee workers and students on work experience or placements.

- Volunteer workers.

B) How the policy will be implemented and who is responsible?

The General Coordinator has specific responsibility for the effective implementation of this policy. Each head of department also has responsibilities and we expect all our employees to abide by the policy and help create the equality environment which is its objective.

In order to implement this policy we shall:

- Communicate the policy to employees, job applicants, volunteers and relevant others.

- Incorporate specific and appropriate duties in respect of implementing the equal opportunities policy into job descriptions and work objectives of all staff.

- Ensure that those who are involved in assessing candidates for recruitment or promotion will be trained in nondiscriminatory selection techniques.

- Incorporate equal opportunity notices into general communications practices.

- Ensure that adequate resources are made available to fulfill the objectives of the policy.

Conduct and general standards of behaviour 

All staff and volunteers are expected to conduct themselves in a professional and considerate manner at all times. Project Fashion Fixed CIC will not tolerate behaviour such as:

- making threats 

- physical violence 

- shouting 

- swearing at others 

- persistent rudeness 

- isolating, ignoring or refusing to work with certain people 

- telling offensive jokes or name calling 

- displaying offensive material such as pornography or sexist / racist cartoons, or the distribution of such material via email / text message or any other format.

- any other forms of harassment or victimisation.

The items on the above list of unacceptable behaviours are considered to be disciplinary offences within Project Fashion Fixed CIC and can lead to disciplinary action being taken. Project Fashion Fixed does, however, encourage staff to resolve misunderstandings and problems informally wherever possible, depending on the circumstances. However, whether dealt with informally or formally, it is important for staff who may have caused offence to understand that it is no defence to say that they did not intend to do so, or to blame individuals for being over sensitive. It is the impact of the behaviour, rather than the intent, that counts, and that should shape the solution found both to the immediate problem and to preventing further similar problems in the future. 

Complaints of discrimination

Project Fashion Fixed CIC will treat seriously all complaints of unlawful discrimination on any forbidden grounds made by employees, trustees, clients or other third parties and will take action where appropriate.

All complaints will be investigated in accordance with the organisation’s grievance, complaints or disciplinary procedure, as appropriate and the complainant will be informed of the outcome in line with these procedures.

We will also monitor the number and outcomes of complaints of discrimination made by staff, volunteers, clients and other third parties.

C) Legal Obligations

Equal Opportunities and Discrimination (Equality Act 2010)

The new Equality Act came into force in October 2010 and replaces all previous equality legislation in England, Scotland and Wales – namely the Race Relations Act 1976, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the Sex Discrimination Act, the Equal Pay Act, the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, The Civil Partnership Act 2004, the Employment Equality Regulations 2003 (religions and belief and sexual orientation).

The Equality Act 2010 protected characteristics are:

Age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief sex and sexual orientation.

In valuing diversity xxx CIC is committed to go beyond the legal minimum regarding equality. 

The Equality Act 2010 harmonises and strengthens and replaces most previous equality legislation. The following legislation is still relevant:

The Human Rights Act 1998.

The Work and Families Act 2006.

Employment Equal Treatment Framework Directive 2000 (as amended).

D) RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION

1. The recruitment and selection process is crucially important to any equal opportunities policy. We will endeavour through appropriate training to ensure that employees, making selection and recruitment decisions will not discriminate, whether consciously or unconsciously, in making these decisions.

2. Promotion and advancement will be made on merit and all decisions relating to this will be made within the overall framework and principles of this policy.

3. Job descriptions, where used, will be revised to ensure that they are in line with our equal opportunities policy. Job requirements will be reflected accurately in any personnel specifications.

4. We will adopt a consistent, non-discriminatory approach to the advertising of vacancies.

5. All applicants who apply for jobs with us will receive fair treatment and will be considered solely on their ability to do their job. 

6. Short-listing and interviewing will be carried out by more than one person where possible.

7. Interview questions will be related to the requirements of the job and will not be of a discriminatory nature.

8. Selection decisions will not be influenced by any perceived prejudices of other staff.

E) MONITORING

1. We will maintain and review the employment records of all employees in order to monitor the progress of this policy.

Monitoring may involve:- 

- The collection and classification of information regarding the race in terms of ethnic/national origin and sex of all applications and current employees; 

- The examination by ethnic/national origin and sex of the distribution of employees and the success rate of the applicants; and

- Recording recruitment, training and promotional records of all employees, the decisions reached and the reason for those decisions.

2. The results of any monitoring procedure will be reviewed at regular intervals to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of this policy. Consideration will be given, if necessary, to adjusting this policy to afford greater equality of opportunities to all applicants and staff. 

Project Fashion Fixed CIC will revise and review this policy regularly.

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