EDI at Beyond the Bias

  • Our Commitment

    We believe every young person — regardless of their background, identity, or experience — deserves access to safe, inspiring opportunities. That means we are committed to:

    Creating inclusive, non-judgemental spaces.

    Welcoming and celebrating diverse voices and stories.

    Challenging discrimination wherever we see it.

    Listening, learning and growing as a team and community.

  • Our Spaces Are For…

    Young people of all races, ethnicities, religions, genders, sexualities, and abilities.
    Whether you’re LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, care-experienced, or just figuring things out — you are welcome here.

    We recognise that some access needs may require additional planning or support, and we’re committed to working with you to explore what we can make happen.

    If you’re a young person (or a parent/carer/supporter) with specific physical, sensory, learning, communication or emotional support needs, we encourage you to reach out in advance so we can talk through what’s possible.

    We’re committed to doing our best, being transparent, and learning where we can improve.

    Contact us at info@beyondthebias.co.uk or 07735309265 to have a conversation.

  • What You Can Expect from Us

    Staff and volunteers trained in Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

    Safeguarding policies that centre young people’s dignity and safety

    Ongoing reflection and accountability

    Spaces that value identity, voice and difference

    Inclusion is not an add-on. It’s the foundation.

  • Beyond the Bias (BtB) is committed to encouraging equality, diversity, and inclusion across our workforce, volunteers, and programmes for young people. We are dedicated to eliminating unlawful discrimination and promoting inclusive practices in everything we do.

    This policy applies to:

    • Staff (permanent, temporary, freelance, and sessional)

    • Volunteers and delivery partners

    • Young people and families engaging with BtB programmes

    We are committed to ensuring that our environment is welcoming and inclusive to all, regardless of background or identity.

    2. Protected Characteristics

    We recognise and uphold all protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, which are:

    • Age

    • Disability

    • Gender reassignment

    • Marriage and civil partnership

    • Pregnancy and maternity

    • Race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin)

    • Religion or belief

    • Sex

    • Sexual orientation

    3. Our Commitments

    BtB commits to:

    • Ensuring equal opportunities in recruitment, programming, staff development, and leadership

    • Actively challenging discrimination, bullying, and harassment

    • Creating an inclusive, respectful, and accessible environment for all

    • Using inclusive, identity-affirming language in communications and sessions

    • Providing reasonable adjustments to remove barriers

    • Embedding equality and inclusion into session content, not just policy

    • Reviewing our EDI practices annually

    • Providing training on unconscious bias and inclusive practice

    • Monitoring diversity in recruitment, participation, and retention

    • Involving staff and young people in shaping inclusive strategy

    4. How Discrimination Is Challenged

    Discriminatory behaviour is challenged in all forms—whether intentional or not. All staff, volunteers, and young people are expected to:

    • Speak up when witnessing discriminatory language or exclusion

    • Report incidents via the proper reporting pathways (see below)

    • Engage in restorative discussions if harm has been caused

    We do not tolerate:

    • Discrimination on the basis of any protected characteristic

    • Microaggressions, stereotyping, or exclusionary practices

    • Behaviour that undermines the dignity or safety of others

    5. Reporting Discrimination

    For Staff or Volunteers:

    Staff can report discrimination through our online reporting form or directly to their line manager, the Director, or the Safeguarding Lead. Formal grievances will be addressed using our disciplinary and complaints procedures.

    For Young People:

    Young people can speak directly to a trusted staff member or anonymously report concerns via a feedback box (on-site) or during group check-ins. Staff are trained to follow up without escalating unnecessarily or causing embarrassment.

    All discrimination concerns will be:

    • Taken seriously and recorded

    • Investigated proportionately

    • Managed in a way that centres harm reduction and learning

    • Where needed, escalated to the DSL or Director

    6. Accessible Communication

    To support understanding and access:

    • A youth-friendly version of this policy is available

    • Our staff regularly review inclusion needs of participants

    • Translation, large print or alternative formats are available upon request

    7. Recruitment and Representation

    We prioritise diverse representation in our workforce. BtB:

    • Uses inclusive language in job adverts

    • Shares roles through community channels to reach marginalised groups

    • Welcomes applicants with lived experience of inequality

    • Offers fair interview processes and reasonable adjustments

    • Tracks representation across all roles and reviews our approach yearly

How We Promote Anti-Discriminatory Practice

At Beyond the Bias, we actively challenge discrimination in all its forms — from the obvious to the subtle. We don’t just say we’re inclusive; we work to make it real in our day-to-day practice.

Here’s how we do that:

Staff training: All staff and volunteers receive Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) within their safeguarding training, including how to recognise and respond to discrimination, bias and microaggressions.

Representation: We design our sessions, content and projects to reflect a range of voices, lived experiences and cultural identities — with particular care to amplify those who are often unheard.

Zero tolerance: Discriminatory language, actions or exclusion are not tolerated in any BtB space. All incidents are taken seriously and addressed using our safeguarding and complaints procedures.

Co-creation with young people: We centre youth voice and involve young people in shaping content, culture and campaigns. We’re building spaces where identity is seen as a strength, not a barrier.

Inclusive communication: We strive to use accessible, inclusive language and formats that recognise different learning styles, neurodiversity, and cultural perspectives.

Feedback loops: We actively invite feedback from participants, families and partners — and we listen. We use this input to improve what we do and how we do it.