Asist strives to be an equal opportunity organisation in all aspects of its work.  

Asist strives to implement its equal opportunities policies and principles with regard to people who wish to use its services. We actively develop strategies to ensure that all groups and individuals within Staffordshire have real access to our services.  

In pursuit of this aim we:  

     produce literature in a number of formats that will maximise the access to information by people who wish to know about what we do

     actively support other agencies to develop specialist services that we find difficult to provide  

As an employer we apply objective criteria to assess merit.  We aim to ensure that no job applicant, employee, volunteer or service user receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, religion, ethnic or national origin, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation or disability or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable.  

Selection criteria and procedures will be reviewed frequently to ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and treated on the basis of their relevant merits and abilities.  All employees will be given equal opportunity and where appropriate and possible, special training to enable them to progress both within and outside the organisation.  Asist is committed to a programme of action to make this policy fully effective.  

In pursuit of this aim, Asist intends to undertake a continuing review of its policy and practice, and will in particular:-  

     become more aware of disadvantage and the problems it causes, how it affects us and the implications for our work;  

     work to ensure that the services Asist provide do not discriminate.