1. Anti-discrimination Policy
In all its activities BCEW will be committed to the promotion of equality and diversity, eliminating discrimination, eradicating harassment, and ensuring access for all. No one wishing to participate will be treated less favourably, on the grounds of ethnicity, nationality, religion or other belief, age, disability, gender, Sexuality, marital status or any other protected characteristic as defined by the Equality Act 2010.
BCEW will not tolerate harassment, bullying, abuse or victimisation of individuals or groups if it is based on any of these matters, and this will also be the case for any public pronouncement made by any of its officers or representatives, or anyone managing or representing a member club, if they are disrespectful or calculated to cause distress to anyone that BCEW is under a duty to protect.
2. EDI Subcommittee
BCEW will establish and maintain an EDI subcommittee which will be responsible for:
(a) Advising the BCEW committee about any general concerns on the part of clubs, players or officials
(b) Investigating any specific issues brought to its attention
(c) Ensuring that this code is kept in line with current best practice
3. Clubs
All clubs will have a general responsibility to ensure that their officials, players and supporters are fully acquainted with the requirements of this code and comply with its provisions.
4. Complaints
4.1 In the first instance, any complaint about a breach of this code should be made to the BCEW committee.
4.2 Where the evidence shows an egregious breach of the rules governing off-field misconduct, the case may be dealt with according to BCEW’s established disciplinary procedures, but most cases should be sent for consideration by the EDI subcommittee. If the complaint relates to the conduct of an umpire or scorer, BCEW should forward copies of all correspondence to the joint committee of the umpires’ and scorers’ panels.
4.3 On receiving the papers relating to a complaint, the subcommittee’s first step should be to decide whether to seek further information from the parties concerned and then come to a conclusion as to whether the alleged breaches are sufficient to warrant further action.
4.4 Bearing in mind that many cases will involve the subcommittee in drawing or redrawing the boundaries of acceptable behaviour, they should always seek to resolve disputes through negotiation or mediation and, in the case of a complaint against an individual player or club official, see whether the matter can be adequately dealt with through the relevant club’s own disciplinary processes.
4.5 If such outcomes are not possible or the subcommittee considers a case to be sufficiently serious, it should be referred back to the BCEW committee.