Froebel Trust Charter for Inclusive Practice

This charter is not an end in itself. It is a starting point for dialogue about equality, diversity and inclusion. Everyone who is a member of the Froebel Trust team - employees and volunteers - should read this charter. It is a live document that is reviewed once a year or more frequently as needed. Feedback and discussion are always welcomed.

1. The Froebel Trust is committed to valuing diversity, challenging exclusion and oppression, and promoting equity and equality.

We share a commitment to advancing and promoting Froebelian principles in education and learning – our charitable objects. We may share some aspects of our identity with other members of our team. But this does not mean we are the same; our lived experiences make us – and our contributions to the Froebel Trust - unique.

Froebel’s philosophy emphasizes, “the trinity of unity (Einheit), individuality (Einzelheit), and manifoldness (Mannigfaltigkeit)…in all aspects of humanity, nature, and life in general.” (Wasmuth and Sauerbrey, in press).

2. Our organisational values are:

• Champion childhood by advocating early childhood education that starts with the child
• Use evidence by funding and disseminating high quality research and investigating the impact of early childhood education based on Froebelian principles
• Be creative and adventurous by exploring new ideas and approaches, looking for what will make a real difference
• Be collaborative by working with our current partners and seeking new ones to achieve the best results
• Be inclusive by valuing diversity in all our work and providing a culture in which the Trust treats everyone fairly
• Demonstrate integrity by being open, honest and ethical
• Be generous by using the resources of the Trust to support the work of others who share our vision
• Demonstrate respect in all our relationships internally and externally

3. The Froebel Trust knows that every member of our team enriches us a group of colleagues and as an organisation

Our diverse identities, characteristics, responsibilities, circumstances, beliefs, backgrounds, skills, knowledge, perspectives, experiences and expertise enable a rich and creative work environment.

“Froebel valued the uniqueness of each individual but he also placed great emphasis on the community. He argued that individuality and community are not opposites. Rather, the community is enriched by the diversity and uniqueness of individuals. So, in turn individuals gain a sense of belonging and connection from the community.” (Tovey 2020, p.6)

4. Our diversity reflects the societies we serve and contributes to achieving the positive outcomes we seek for our beneficiaries

Our beneficiaries are young children, families, educators and their communities, whose own diversity of identities, characteristics, responsibilities, circumstances, beliefs, backgrounds, skills, knowledge, experiences and expertise we value.

5. This charter is intended to help each of us to:

• reflect and monitor our own attitude and behaviours towards others
• understand the standards of behaviours that you should expect from other members of our team.

6. Our behaviour towards others should reflect the Froebelian principles that we advance and promote collectively and individually, and the values that we have espoused and adopted formally through our Strategic Plan.

Although we have adopted these as a team, it does not mean that we all interpret or experience them in the same ways. Nobody should be made to feel that they must accept the views / interpretation of the majority, which would contravene our commitment to unity in diversity.

7. The Froebel Trust is committed to equality legislation including the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010

The law, our commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion, and our espousal of the principles and values above mean that:

• Everybody should be familiar with the Equality Act and its implications in our everyday work
• Nobody should be offensive, intimidating, hostile, degrading or humiliating towards others
• Everybody should support and adhere to the Froebel Trust’s policies
• Everybody should demonstrate our principles and values through their behaviour towards others, recognising and respecting that we are all individuals with unique identities
• Nobody should make insulting or offensive comments about others or to others, particularly concerning their age, disability, sexual orientation, sex, race, religion and belief, trans status or political opinion.
• Everybody should be sensitive to others’ feelings and challenge attitudes or behaviours that make others feel uncomfortable, isolated or excluded. Challenge need not be confrontational.
• Nobody should dismiss a challenge relating to inappropriate behaviour. Everybody should deal with such matters respectfully and constructively.
• Sometimes offense is caused inadvertently and can be the last thing that was intended - therefore, challenge to offensive comments should aim to include rather than exclude, to correct rather than judge.
• Everybody is responsible for challenging prejudice, unfairness and a lack of respect. This can be done by: describing the behaviour / language; explaining its effects; and suggesting what could or should happen (differently) in future.
• Everybody is entitled to identify and express their professional development needs and to be supported to access suitable learning / training opportunities.

The Equality Act 2010:

This prohibits any discrimination and harassment relating to any one or any combination of the following protected characteristics:

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

Where protected characteristics are concerned:

• Discrimination can be direct or indirect.
• Direct discrimination is where a person is treated less favourably than another because of a protected characteristic. However discrimination may be lawful if there is an occupational requirement which is core to a job role and a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.
• Indirect discrimination means putting in place, a rule or policy or way of doing things that has a worse impact on someone with a protected characteristic than someone without one, when this cannot be objectively justified.
• Discrimination can also occur when something fails to happen. For example, a lack of reasonable adjustments means that it makes it difficult or excludes someone who is disabled from participating.
• Harassment is where there is unwanted behaviour related to a protected characteristic (other than marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity) which has the purpose or effect of violating someone’s dignity or which creates a hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. It does not matter whether or not this effect was intended by the person responsible for the conduct.
• Third-party harassment occurs where an employee is harassed by third parties such as service users, due to a protected characteristic.
  
• Victimisation is treating someone unfavourably because they have taken some form of action relating to the Equality Act i.e. because they have supported a complaint or raised a grievance under the Equality Act 2010, or because they are suspected of doing so. However, an employee is not protected from victimisation if they acted maliciously or made or supported an untrue complaint.
  
• Associative discrimination is where the individual treated less favourably does not have a protected characteristic but is discriminated against because of their association with someone who does e.g. the parent of a disabled child.
  
• Perceptive discrimination is where the individual discriminated against or harassed does not have a protected characteristic but they are perceived to have a protected characteristic.
  
• Failure to make reasonable adjustments is where a rule or policy or way of doing things has a worse impact on someone with a protected characteristic compared with someone who does not have that protected characteristic and the employer has failed to make reasonable adjustments to enable the disabled person to overcome the disadvantage.

For more details visit: equalityhumanrights.com

The Human Rights Act 1998:

The article of this Act are:

• The right to life: protects your life, by law. The State is required to investigate suspicious deaths and deaths in custody.
• The prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment: you should never be tortured or treated in an inhuman or degrading way, no matter what the situation.
• Protection against slavery and forced labour: you should not be treated like a slave or subjected to forced labour.
• The right to liberty and freedom: you have the right to be free and the State can only imprison you with very good reason – for example, if you are convicted of a crime.
• The right to a fair trial and no punishment without law: you are innocent until proven guilty. If accused of a crime, you have the right to hear the evidence against you in a court of law.
• Respect for privacy and family life and the right to marry: protects against unnecessary surveillance or intrusion into your life. You have the right to marry and enjoy family relationships.
• Freedom of thought, religion and belief: you can believe what you like and practise your religion or beliefs. · Free speech and peaceful protest: you have a right to speak freely and join with others peacefully, to express your views.
• No discrimination: everyone’s rights are equal. You should not be treated unfairly – because, for example, of your gender, race, disability, sexuality, religion or age.
• Protection of property: protects against state interference with your possessions.
• The right to an education: means that no child can be denied an education. · The right to free elections: elections must be free and fair.
  

For more details visit: libertyhumanrights.org.uk