Catalyst Support is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion and translating this into all aspects of our work. This is not a “nice to have” but of critical importance in running a progressive, successful charity – one which underpins our values of Kindness, Integrity and Commitment.

We are proud of our record of diversity in our employees and trustee cohorts but acknowledge that this cannot be taken for granted and requires the organisation to continually strive to improve. We also acknowledge that while all our services are available to all Surrey residents, that local diversity is not reflected in our client profiles.

We will not tolerate discrimination or other unfair treatment against any of our employees or users of our services, on the basis of gender, race, colour, age, ethnicity, marital status, family circumstances, disability, sexual orientation, political or religious belief. Our colleagues are required to be fully aware of the company policy and their responsibilities in respect to the policy. Training around the Equalities Act 2010 for all employees is mandatory.

Bias on the basis of race, gender, sexuality and numerous other factors exist both on an individual and organisational level. Acknowledging bias and shifting mind-sets provides an authentic workplace for Catalyst Support employees, creating an environment that encourages open conversations between managers and employees, among teams and across the Charity. Positive conversations with a foundation of openness can alter our understandings of one another and boost empathy and authenticity.

Catalyst Support is committed to developing and maintaining working policies and practices which ensure equality of opportunity. We are committed to creating an inclusive working environment where employees respect each other as well as the clients they represent. We firmly believe that an open, flexible and fair workplace will create an environment where individual talents are valued and allowed to flourish and will create a culture which will attract employees from diverse backgrounds. All our employees have a right to equality of opportunity and anyone who believes that they may have been disadvantaged on discriminatory grounds is both entitled and encouraged to raise the matter via the firm’s disciplinary and grievance policy.

We will require those who work with us to share our vision and they will be required to demonstrate their commitment. We work with a range of other organisations who represent and champion the rights of diverse groups (SMEF, SDPP, SCDPP, IMHN) to better understand the challenges and barriers and how to overcome them.