BTEC National Award in Uniformed Public Services
2007 - 08
Unit 6: Diversity and the Public Services
‘Our Changing Society’
Name: _______________________________
Assignment Manager: Sian Wallace
Hand out date: 10th January 2007
This assignment has six tasks.
The overall deadline for the whole assignment to be complete and handed in is:
Tuesday 26th February
The following guidelines should be used when completing your assignment:
- You must refer to the criteria banner and the content of the unit throughout the assignment.
- You should make sure you do detailed research and have a good understanding of the subject you are researching. Keep a note of the resources you use as you go along.
- Before handing in you must:
- Check that you have completed all tasks
- Label work appropriately
- Present tasks in the correct order
- That your name appears clearly in the header of each page and the page number appears in the footer of each page.
For further details refer to the ‘Student Guidelines’ that were issued to you at the start of your course.
Scenario You have just started working for your local council and they have asked you to put together an information pack titled ‘Diversity and the Public Services’. The information pack should highlight the diverse society that we live in, focusing particularly on historical developments and how policies and practices have changed over time. It should also address the role of the Public Services and their duty to provide equality of service to all members of the community. Throughout the information pack you should use the correct terminology and explain the meanings where appropriate. You should also use relevant data, graphs and figures to help demonstrate your points. |
Task 1: (P1)
Your information pack should include an introduction which should include the following:
- A definition of the term ‘diversity’.
- An outline of the historical developments which have made the UK a diverse society (including society’s attitudes e.g. media representation, religion etc). Use particular groups in society to demonstrate how the inequalities they faced have been addressed over time.
- You must also include a glossary of terms that the reader is likely to encounter to accompany the pack e.g. racism, multiculturalism, sexism, homophobia, disability etc
You must consider the following;
Diversity: definition of diversity, e.g. as used by public services, local communities; composition of the local and national community within the borough/ local authority area (ethnicity, religion, gender, age)
Historical developments and social attitudes: historical perspective since 1800; society’s attitude, e.g. ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, gender, media representation, language, art and literature
Terminology: meaning of different words used, e.g. racism, racist, institutionalised racism, multiculturalism, ethnocentricity, sexism, heterosexist, homophobia, equal opportunity, equality, prejudice, harassment, victimisation, disability, direct and indirect.
Task Two: (P2)
The first section of the information pack should be titled ‘Local and National Communities’.
You will need to research and outline the composition of your local and national community in relation to ethnicity, religion, gender and age.
You should explain 3 of the concepts below and how they have changed over time
You must consider the following;
Concepts: e.g. integration, tolerance and multiculturalism, the rights and responsibilities of individuals in society, equal opportunities, positive action to find solutions for greater social inclusion and representation without covering standards in favour of race or gender or disability; corporate social responsibility
Hand in date for tasks 1 & 2: Tuesday 22nd January
Task Three: (P3)
The second part of the information pack should be titled ‘Support in your community’.
Choose one voluntary agency and one statutory agency and explain how they support members of their community.
You must consider the following;
Support groups: local provision; voluntary and statutory agencies, e.g. family centres, community centres, charities, religious support groups
Task Four: (P4)
The third part of the information pack should be titled ‘Human Rights’.
Describe key legislation that has been implemented to protect the rights of individuals within society, in the UK. You should focus on a variety of areas such as race, religion, disability etc.
To achieve M1 you must explain two key areas of relevant legislation and how they have impacted on the Public Services.
You must consider the following;
Legislation: current UK – the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (Amendment) Regulations 2003, Equal Pay Act 1970, Human Rights Act 1998, Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, Public Order (Amendment) Act 1996, Disability Discrimination Act 2005, Freedom of Information Act 2000, Equality Act (age) 2006; Protection from Harassment Act 1997; EU legislation – EEC directive on Equal Treatment, 76/205/EEC, 76/207/EEC; including any subsequent amendments of legislation.
Hand in date for tasks 3 & 4: Tuesday 5th February
Task Five: (P5)
The fourth section of the information pack should be titled ‘Diversity in the Public Services’.
Describe the role of the Public Service.
Choose TWO contrasting Uniformed Public Services and explain what they do to address issues of inequality and discrimination and to fulfil their duty to provide equality of service to the community and its members.
To achieve M2 you must choose a Public Service and analyse how it has provided equality of service to all members of the community and how it combats discrimination.
You must consider the following;
Role: services to individuals, e.g. aims and objectives of key organisations in the public sector (emergency services, armed forces, other public services); links to statutory and non-statutory services; links to statutory requirements, e.g. Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Armed Forces Act 2006, Fire and Rescue Service Act 2004.
Responsibilities: fairness; discipline; personal management; social justice; relationship between law and morality; legal consequences; accessibility; recognition of individual and group requirements.
Task 6:(P6)
The final section of the information pack should be titled ‘Developing a Diverse Workforce’.
Describe the methodology used by TWO contrasting Uniformed Public Services to develop a diverse workforce.
To achieve M3 you must create a table comparing the similarities and differences of the methodology used by TWO contrasting Public Services to develop a diverse workforce.
(You will need to examine in detail the ways in which policies and procedures are implemented to gain a diverse workforce, including targets for recruitment amongst various groups, the staff selection process, appraisal, promotion, staff development and issues concerning work life balance.)
To achieve D1 you must evaluate the methodology used by the Public Services to develop a diverse workforce and combat discrimination. Use case study examples to support your answer
You must consider the following;
Policies, strategies and procedures: equal opportunities; grievance procedures; bullying and harassment at work; other anti-discrimination policies; recording and monitoring or equal opportunities data and complaints; complaints procedures for service users.
Diversity issues: employment within public services; development of a diverse workforce, e.g. recruitment and selection, catering for employees’ needs through support mechanisms (staff unions, associations and federations); aspects of public service work which may impact on individuals beliefs, e.g. shift work impinging on religious festivals, days of rest or fasting, the wearing of a specific style of clothing, dietary need.
Hand in date for tasks 5 & 6: Tuesday 26th February
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