Faith, Religion and Belief

The shift from the legal framework based on anti-discrimination provisions towards the creation of positive duties for public bodies, which require them to promote good equality practice has strengthened with the coming of the Equality Act 2010. We recognise that we all now live in a multi-cultural, multi-faith society. We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity, and to going beyond our three public equality duties on disability, gender and race by promoting equality on wider grounds including age, religion or belief, and sexual orientation - as an employer, as a service provider, in partnership, and in our public duties.

To do this we recognise the needs of service users and staff of diverse religious groups, and respond sensitively and appropriately to their needs. We ensure the delivery of fair, appropriate and equitable access to services for all.

Our priorities continue to be:

• Our Diversity and Equality Policy that covers all the six strands as required by the Equalities Act.
• Supporting the Aberdeen Prejudice Incident Partnership extending its remit to include all equality strands.
• Providing an Interpreting, Translation and Communication Support Service.
• Training our staff on "Culture Awareness".
• Engaging and working with our partners.
• Organising an annual event on the Holocaust Memorial Day.

Our policy is to involve people from different faith backgrounds, and those of no faith, in our planning and delivery of services and some of the groups helping to contribute to this work are:

• Aberdeen Humanist Society
• Aberdeen Inter Faith Group (AIFG)
• Aberdeen International Centre
• Aberdeen Mosque and Islamic Centre
• Grampian Racial Equality Council
• Multi Ethnic Aberdeen Limited

Contact

• Roddy MacTaggart
  Equalities Team
  Customer Service and Performance
  Corporate Governance
  Aberdeen City Council
  Business Hub 13
  2nd Floor North
  Marischal College
  Broad Street
  Aberdeen, AB10 1AB
  Direct Dial: 01224 523014
  E-mail: rmactaggart@aberdeencity.gov.uk

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