The Equality Act 2010 Unit 2 Task 4, P4

Equality Act 2010 This Act brings together legislation (116 pieces) including the Disability Discrimination Act, the Race Relations Act, The Sex Discrimination Act and the Equal Pay Act. It came into force in October 2010. The purpose of the Equality Act is to protect individual rights and to promote equal opportunity for all.

Equality Act 2010 It introduces the term “protected characteristics” and identifies them. They are age, disability, gender re-assignment, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity. It is now against the law to discriminate anyone on the grounds of any of the above characteristics.

Equality Act The Act makes it easier for someone with a disability to qualify for protection. A person with a disability has to have substantial or long term adverse effects of their disability on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. But... They no longer have to prove that their disability affects a particular function, such as speech or mobility. This enables more people with disabilities to be protected under the Act.

Equality Act The Act clarifies direct and indirect discrimination. It provides protection from direct discrimination to people with disabilities. It protects people from discrimination who don’t have specific protected characteristics when they are linked or associated with someone who has a protected characteristic.

Equality Act Examples An advice centre refuses to provide information to a client with a learning disability because they assume she will not understand it. This is direct discrimination on the grounds of disability. Lesley is a resident in a care home. She has a friend who visits regularly and this friend is in the process of gender reassignment. Lesley is treated less favourably by staff because of her association with her friend. This is direct discrimination through association.

Equality Act 2010 – Equality Duties The Equality Act introduced a new Public Sector Equality Duty in April 2011. This replaced the existing race, disability and gender equality duties. It applies to all public authorities and places a duty on them to: Eliminate unlawful discrimination Improve equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who don’t Foster good relations between them Public authorities have to publish information to show and share the ways they are meeting their duty.

References www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/discrimination www.equalityhumanrights.com/legal-and-policy/legislation/equality-act-2010 www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/documents (search for worksheet 30)