Promote equality and diversity in work with children and young people Essay

These were put into place to ensure that all organisations and agencies involved with children between birth and 19 years should work together ensure that children have the support needed to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and ahieve economic well-being. The key aspect of the Act was to overhaul child protection and chilren’s services in the UK. Every Child Matters has been futher developed through the publication of the Children’s Plan 2007 which sets out to improve educational outcomes for all children. Race Relations Act 1976 and 2000 This places a statutory duty on schools to promote race equality. It makes it against the law for a person to be discriminated against, whether directly or indirectly. Schools are expected to improve the educational achievements of all children and to promote equal opportunities and good relations between different racial groups. Schools are also required to have a race equality policy which is linked to an action plan. Disability Discrimintaion Act 1995 and 2005 This made it illegal for services (shops and employers) to discriminate against disabled people. According to this Act, a person has a disability if ‘he /or she/ has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his /or her/ ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. Now it is a statutory requirement to encourage the inclusion of children with disabilities into mainstream schools. The Disability and Discrimination Act 2005 builds on the 1995 Act by requiring all schools to produce a Disability Equality Scheme. This must set out ways that schools promote equality of opportunity and promote positive attitudes towards pupils, staff and others who are disabled. Also, there must be an Accessibility Plan in place which identifies how th school will increase access to the curriculum improve the physical environment and provide information in a range of ways to meet the needs of individuals with diability. SEN Code of Practice 2001 The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 strengthened the rights of parents and SEN children to mainstream education. It made significant changes to the educational opportunities that are available to children with disabilities and special educational needs. Human Rights Act 1998 The United Nations first set a standard on human rights in 1948 with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1998 the Human Rights Act gave a further legal status to this. The basic human rights are: the right to life freedom from torture and degrading treatment freedom from slavery and forced labour the right to liberty the right to fair trial the right not to be punished for something that wasn’t a crime when you did it the right to respect for private and family life freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and freedom to express your beliefs freedom of expression freedom of assembly and association the right to marry and to start a family the right not to be discriminated against in respect t of these rights and freedoms the right to peaceful enjoyment of your property the right to an education the right to participate in free elections the right not to be subjected to the death penalty. UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 The UK signed this legally binding agreement in 1990. It leads on from the Human Rights Act and sets out the rights of all children to be treated equally and fairly and without discrimination. 1.2 The imprtance of promotiong the rights to participation and equality of access All pupils should be able to fully access all areas of the curriculum. The advent of the Every Child Matters framework and the focus on personalised learning in all sectors of education has also made this high on the agenda. The reasons for this are: Human rights: – all children have a right to learn and play together – children should not be discriminated against for any reason – inclusion is concerned with improving schools for staff as well as pupils Equal opportunities in education: – children and young people do better in inclusive settings, both academically and socially – children and young people should not need to be separated to achieve adequate educational provision – inclusive education is a more efficient use of educational resources Social opportunities: – inclusion in education is one aspect of inclusion in society – children need to be involved and integrated with all of their peers. We always have to be aware of the needs of different pupils, whatever these may be. These may become more apparent as we get to know individual pupils. These who may be vulnerable could include pupils: – pupils with special educational needs – those who speak English as an additional language – who are new to the school – pupils are gifted and talented – whose culture or ethnicity is different from the predominant cultture of the school – who are in foster care – whose parents’ views are not consistent with those of the school. 1.3The importance and benefits of valuing and promoting cultural diversity All schools must be aware of the importance of valuing and promoting cultural diversity. Most schools are actively include a number of strategies to ensure that children from all cultures feel welcome in school. These may be: – words are displayed in a variety of languages in classrooms and in different areas of the school – other languages spoken in different lessons or during registration – themed days, festivals and celebrations from other cultures discussed and explored – representations from other cultures found in books and learning resources, and displayes around the school – parents involved in ‘finding out’ sessions with children. These will have a number of benefits for children and young people – mainly that they will grow up in an environment which values cultural diversity and enables us to learn from one another. If children and young adults are finding out about other cultures and belief systems from an early age, they become more open and accepting towards each other. Children from all backgrounds need to know that the culture and status is valued as this helps them to feel settled and secure. This in turn contributes to the being able to learn. If they feel isolated or anxious, it is more likely that learning will be difficult for them. Outcome 2Pudersant the importance of prejudice and discrimination on children and young people 2.1Ways in which children and young people can experience prejudice and discrimination There are many ways in which children can experience prejudice and discrimination in school. There is a big pressure on children to fit in and to conform with expected appearances and behaviour that they may be discriminated against and bullied that they may be discriminated against and bullied if they do not. In school, all staff needs to be vigilant to ensure that children respect and embrace diversity. Children can experience prejudice and discrimination in the sam way as adults due to race, religion, age, sex, culture or ethnicity. We can focus on: – comments about a child’s appearance or clothes – children not interacting with others who may be ‘different’ – children being excluded because they are boys or girls – children only socialising with otrs of the same race or ethnicity. 2.5How to challange discrimination Whenever we witness discriminatory behaviour and comments, we have to challenge, record and report the incident. Children sometimes say things without understanding the impact on others, also the consequences. It should be made clear to them that their comments are not acceptable and that everyone in school should be treated fairly and with respect. Outcome 3Support inclusion and inclusive practices in work with children and young people 3.1What is meant by inclusion and inclusive practices Pupils are all have an equal right to education and learning. Equal opportunities and inclusion should take account not only of access to provision on school premises, but also to facilities outside the school setting. All organisations that offer educational provision must by law ensure that all pupils have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. The school should ensure that inclusive practices are a matter of coures within day-to-day provision and that any barriers to inclusion are identified and removed.