Your Needs

We recognise that everyone has different needs and circumstances and these are likely to influence and shape your experiences whether you are a student, OU staff member, or a member of the general public.  We encourage you to tell us about your needs so that we can support you more effectively and check that our policies and practices are working to advance equality for all.

Protected characteristics

We aim to anticipate and respond positively to your needs and circumstances which are ‘protected’ in our Equality Scheme and generally underpinned in equality law.

Protected characteristics include:

• Age
• Caring or dependency responsibilities
• Disability
• Gender (sex)
• Marriage and civil partnership status
• Political opinion
• Pregnancy and maternity (including adoption, fostering, IVF treatment, and paternity)
• Race (including caste, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin)
• Religion or belief (including no religion)
• Sexual orientation
• Socio-economic background
• Trade union membership status
• Transgender (gender identity)

Obtaining Support

We provide information for students about study support and further information is provided to registered students in the ‘Help centre’ available from Student Home.  Students wishing to discuss their needs should contact their Student Support Team. 

Resources are available for OU staff via the University's intranet.  Staff should discuss their needs with their line manager so appropriate support measures can be put in place.

As part of its wellbeing programme the University offers all staff access to a free and confidential Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). This service has recently been reviewed and from 1July 2016 will continue under a different provider – Health Assured (via Health Management Ltd). This service is inclusive of counselling around any of the protected characteristics listed above.

If you would like to speak to someone regarding homophobic, biphobic or transphobic bullying and harassment either for yourself or on behalf of someone else you can contact:

• Your department's Human Resources
• Our Employee Network Group on: LGBTChair@open.ac.uk; BME-Matters@open.ac.uk; enablingstaff@open.ac.uk
• Your line manager, who has had specific guidance on helping with these issues
• Our confidential bullying and harassment advisors. Find details here
• Our equality and diversitiy department on x58883
• Your LGBT Union representatives on out@unison.co.uk

image: © istockphoto.com | AnsonLu