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    Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy

    Policy name Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy
    Policy number HRP020
    Date approved 11 November 2024
    Council
    Responsible officer Chief Executive Officer
    Implementation officer General Manager
    Dean
    Next review date Bi-annually (or when the corresponding policy concerning Clinical Service Delivery is finalised/released/updated)
    Related policies
    • All Faculty and Institute related policies (and procedures).
    Related forms and documents Student Support Services (my.CMI)

     

    1. Purpose of this policy

    The Cairnmillar Institute (“the Institute”) aims to provide and maintain a diverse[1], inclusive[2] and equitable[3] learning and/or workplace culture for all staff, students, consumers and contractors.

     

    A diverse and inclusive community built upon the foundation of equity ensures that the Institute reflects the broader community that it serves, and also offers greater impact on a national and global level in regard to its educational and research endeavours. The Institute is therefore committed to identifying and removing any barriers or limitations to equitable access, full participation, and inclusion in education and research. As such, all institutional policies, practices and approaches to the workplace, teaching, learning and research are to be designed to create and/or maintain equivalent opportunities for academic success and workforce participation.

    [1] Diversity is about what makes each of us unique and includes our backgrounds, personality, life experiences and beliefs, including an infinite range of individual unique characteristics and experiences that make us who we are.

    [2] Inclusion occurs when people feel, and are, valued and respected, regardless of their personal characteristics or circumstance.

    [3] Equal opportunity means that every person can participate freely and equally in areas of public life such as in the workplace, in education, or in accessing goods and services without disadvantage or less favourable treatment due to their unique attributes.

    2. Scope

    Diversity, equity and inclusion concerns all members of the Institute (staff and students) as well as contractors engaged in services for or on behalf of the Institute (e.g. guest lecturers, external supervisors). The Institute also recognises the unique needs of diverse children and young people, and commits to implementing strategies that support the inclusion, safety and wellbeing of all children, families, and young people at Cairnmillar Institute regardless of their background, beliefs or personal experience.

    Areas of particular focus include (but are not restricted to) the following:

    • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
    • People diverse in gender, kinship, sex and sexuality
    • People with a physical disability and/or are neurodiverse and/or have mental health conditions
    • People from varying religious, cultural/ethnic/racial and/or linguistic backgrounds
    • People from any other marginalised group
    • First in family participants in higher education
    • People from low SES regions.

    The Institute will utilise an intersectional lens[1] to address the complex impact of multiple overlapping intersecting forms of discrimination (e.g. racism combined with sexism) to promote diversity and inclusion at the Institute.

    [1] Intersectionality refers to a way of seeing people's experiences as shaped by (but not limited to) their race, socio-economic background, sex, gender and sexuality all at the same time. This overlap or combination of differences makes up a person’s unique identity.

    Victorian Government Website. ‘What do we mean by diversity and inclusion?’. 21 March 2023.

    1 Diversity is about what makes each of us unique and includes our backgrounds, personality, life experiences and beliefs, including an infinite range of individual unique characteristics and experiences that make us who we are.

    2 Inclusion occurs when people feel, and are, valued and respected. Regardless of their personal characteristic or circumstance.

    3 Equal opportunity means that every person can participate freely and equally in areas of public life such as in the workplace, in education, or in accessing goods and services without disadvantage or less favourable treatment due to their unique attributes.

    4 Intersectionality refers to a way of seeing people's experiences as shaped by (but not limited to) their race, socio-economic background, sex, gender, and sexuality all at the same time. This overlap or combination of differences makes up a person’s unique identity.

    Victorian Government Website. ‘What do we mean by diversity and inclusion?’. 21 March 2023.

    The Institute acknowledges that the first four categories mentioned above have historically been subjected to acute levels of discrimination, and as such are acknowledged in detail below.

    3. Principles

    All members of the Institute are expected to uphold and exemplify the following general principles, which are in accordance with State and Federal legislation, the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Right of the Child:

    1. All people, including children and young people, have inherent dignity and the right to be treated equitably.
    2. All people, including children and young people, have the right to a work and learning environment that is free from harassment and discrimination.
    3. Diversity is acknowledged, respected and valued.
    4. The range of needs of staff, students, contractors and consumers, including children and young people, are best met by:
      1. monitoring, identifying and removing any systemic and structural barriers
      2. the use of inclusive practices, language and/or knowledge (i.e., this includes ensuring that inclusivity, equity and diversity is appropriately incorporated into admission pathways, as well as all of the Institute’s curriculums and assessment practices)
      3. collaboratively working with individuals to identify and provide additional appropriate support services and adjustments where required.

    e) That in decision making about children and young people, the best interests of the child or young person will be the primary consideration

    The Institute will not tolerate any exceptions to these principles, and has a zero-tolerance policy to harassment, bullying or vilification on the basis of race, cultural beliefs, gender, sexuality or any other personal characteristic. The Institute provides robust reporting and grievance pathways for individuals or groups to report any incidences of violation of these principles.

    For guidance about possible violations relating to these principles, see policies and procedures for Academic Integrity and Student Conduct (ACA013), Discrimination, Bullying and Harassment (HRP001), Critical Incident, Accident and Injury (HRP011), Student Grievance (ACA003), Staff Grievance (HRP008), and Discipline Policy for Employee Performance and/or Conduct (HRP012). To reduce the likelihood of such violations, training relating to diversity, inclusivity and equity will be provided to staff on a regular basis (with staff being work-loaded accordingly), and to students as part of their ongoing training.

     

    4. Diversity and admissions

    In addition to the Institute’s broader policies and procedures regarding Student Selection and Admissions (see Student Selection, Admission and Enrolment Policy (ACA001)), the Institute will actively develop, monitor and improve processes and procedures which aim to facilitate the recruitment, admission, participation, completion and transition from those (and other) groups stated in Section 2. The findings are to be used to inform admission policies and improvement of teaching, learning and support strategies for these groups.

    .

    5. Inclusivity and Interpersonal Behaviour

    5.1 Respectful Interactions

    Students must adhere to relevant ethical guidelines and codes of conduct for their future professions (e.g. the Australian Psychological Society Code of Ethics, 2007; the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, 2018; the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia Code of Ethics, 2017), whilst staff should be already adhering to these guidelines/codes as well as Institute’s internal policies around staff conduct. Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism and other forms of prejudice/discrimination will not be tolerated. Students and staff are therefore expected to show professionalism in their interactions with other members of the Institute and/or when offering services on behalf of the Institute. Students and staff can expect and should contribute to a professional and welcoming environment (including the use of inclusive language) which acknowledges and supports a diversity of opinions, backgrounds and experiences. The Institute provides reporting and grievance pathways for anyone in the Cairnmillar Community to raise incidents that violate this policy. The Institute also provides child-friendly information on the rights of children at Cairnmillar, and ways to raise complaints if these rights at violated that are appropriate for a diverse range of children at the Cairnmillar Clinics.

    5.2 Classroom Content

    The Institute will strive to ensure all the material (including language used) within curriculums and/or service delivery is appropriate, updated, and reflects positively upon diverse populations. Where it is reasonably possible, information relating to diverse populations should be obtained from (or done in consultation with) people who are representatives of these diverse populations.

    5.3 Identification

    All people have a right to be referred to by their preferred names and pronouns. Cairnmillar Institute will collect information about preferred names, gender identities and pronouns and refer to students, staff, volunteers and consumers as they have identified that they prefer.

    6. Reasonable Adjustments

    On the basis of equity, reasonable adjustments are measures and/or actions which can be reasonably implemented on a case-by-case basis to enable staff or students with a diverse background and/or disability to undertake the inherent requirements of a task to participate within the workplace and/or to fulfill the academic standards of their program/course of study. Reasonable adjustments for students do not lower academic standards, nor provide students with an advantage. Reasonable adjustments are designed to enable students to achieve their maximum potential within a framework of academic standards, based on the guidance provided by The Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training (ADCET) (www.adcet.edu.au). Students may apply for reasonable adjustments through the Special Consideration process.

    The Institute aims to approve and provide workplace or educational reasonable adjustments where possible within the resources and requirements of the workplace, or program/course of study. Precedent and national benchmarks, as well consultation with relevant advocates (e.g. Indigenous Elders for Indigenous students, or Disability supports), may be taken into account when deciding whether adjustments are recommended or approved. Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA), in some circumstances, education providers are not required to comply with the Standards when there is a legal exception; these include - unjustifiable hardship, protection of public health, other legal acts or provisions and actions to benefit students with disability (www.nccd.edu.au).

    Consumers of clinical services are also asked about any accommodations they need to access including any Cairnmillar services, and these accommodations are put in place where possible.

    7. First Nations People and Acknowledgement of Country

    The Institute formally acknowledges the Australian Psychological Society’s (APS) Apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in 2016. The Institute will strive to adopt the APS’ commitment towards Indigenous peoples, including Indigenous young people, families and children to be:

    • Listening more and talking less
    • Following more and steering less
    • Advocating more and complying less
    • Including more and ignoring less and
    • Collaborating more and commanding less.

    As such, the Institute will strive to form and maintain relationships with local Indigenous Australian communities to facilitate consultative processes on matters relating to Indigenous Australian students, staff and consumers. The Institute is committed to reconciliation with local Aboriginal communities by showing value and respect for our country’s past, present and future owners and recognising the Aboriginal communities who continue to be the cultural custodians and holders of knowledge for the land on which our events are held, and our campus is built. An acknowledgement of the Traditional Custodians of the land should be said with respect and sincerity when appropriate (e.g. at the beginning of meetings, events, and the first class of each semester). The Institute also provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural awareness training to every staff member that must be completed during their onboarding phase.

    The Institute also recognises the unique role of culture in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing and will take proactive steps to promote engagement in culture for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students and consumers, including children and young people. The Institute acknowledges the importance of empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people to thrive, preserving their cultures, and ensuring they have the opportunity to grow up in environments that are supportive, resilient and nurturing.

    Staff, students and volunteers will be provided with opportunities to reflect on their own clinical practice, world views and concepts of wellbeing, and how to provide culturally safe care in their current or future professions, that centralises the consumer’s concepts of wellbeing, promotes engagement with culture and minimizes harm and upholds the rights of children, families and young people.

    Acknowledging the APS Apology, specific consideration is to be given to the recruitment, admission, participation, completion and transition of Indigenous peoples, including children and young people (see Student Selection, Admission and Enrolment Policy and Procedures). The Institute will strive to utilise Indigenous peoples’-based knowledge into all curriculums (i.e., acknowledging past Eurocentric ideologies, and the destructive effects of colonisation within the classroom) and offer teaching and learning experiences around diverse views of mental health, wellbeing and healing.

    Consideration will also be given to the appropriate provision of clinical care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and provide training, resources and reflective spaces to enhance this care. Physical clinical spaces and clinic/care related information will be designed to be welcoming to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people.

    8. Religious, Cultural/Ethnic/Racial and/or Linguistic (RCERL) Diversity

    The Institute acknowledges the negative impacts of racism and other forms of related prejudices towards people on the basis of their religion, ethnicity/culture/race, and/or language.

    As such, consistent with the Equal Opportunity Act (2010) and Race Discrimination Act (1992), the Institute will strive to ensure that staff, students and consumers, including children and young people, feel welcome and valued irrespective of their RCERL background (e.g. having a quiet ‘prayer room’ on campus). The Institute will strive to formally advocate for and to partake in recognised programs to abolish these prejudices (e.g. The Australian Human Rights Commission’s National Anti-Racism Framework). When appropriate, the Institute will also strive to form and maintain relationships with local communities to facilitate consultative processes (e.g. staff and student training) on matters relating to such diversity. The Institute will strive to utilize RCERL peoples’ knowledge into all curriculums (e.g. acknowledging past impacts of negative stereotypes involving RCERL peoples, and the past pathologisation of mental health on the basis of RCERL diversity).

    9. People of Diverse Gender, Kindship, Sex and Sexualities

    The Institute formally acknowledges past harms done to LGBTQIA+ peoples through diagnostic and therapeutic pathologisation and endorses the APS and PACFA’s position on LGBTQIA+ peoples. The Institute therefore aspires to provide a learning environment where all students, staff and consumers diverse in gender, kinship, sex and sexuality are acknowledged, supported and welcomed.

    The Institute is committed to actively promoting an environment of inclusion and respect for all LGBTQIA+ students, staff and consumers, including children and young people, through ongoing staff professional development, school and clinic communications, training, events, and leadership actions. This includes but is not limited to:

    1. providing appropriate, inclusive, sensitive, and responsive teaching and training materials, services and facilities
    2. forming and maintaining relationships with local specialist LGBTQIA+ community organisations including Pride in Diversity, to facilitate consultation on best practice and identify areas for improvement
    3. responsively adapting the Institute’s systems and processes to enhance the experience of transgender, non-binary and intersex students, staff and consumers
    4. providing physical spaces and other signs that Cairnmillar spaces, including clinical spaces, are LGBTIQA+ friendly
    5. asking for and using preferred names, pronouns and gender identities.

    10. Physical Disability, Neurodiversity and Mental Health

    The Institute is committed to actively developing and maintaining services and support for members of the Cairnmillar community who have a physical disability, are neurodiverse, and/or have mental health issues in accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), 1992.

    Under this Act, disability is defined as a physical, mental, or medical condition or circumstance that requires ongoing support or study adjustments. This includes conditions that exist, previously existed, or may exist in the future.

    Disability, about a person, can mean:

    • Total or partial loss of the person's bodily or mental functions.
    • Total or partial loss of a part of the body.
    • The presence in the body of organisms causing disease or illness.
    • The presence in the body of organisms capable of causing disease or illness.
    • The malfunction, malformation, or disfigurement of a part of the person’s body.
    • A disorder or malfunction that results in the person learning differently from a person without the disorder or malfunction.
    • A disorder, illness, or disease that affects a person’s thought processes, perception of reality, emotions, or judgement or that results in disturbed behaviour.

    Inclusive practices will anticipate and accommodate the needs of such people, incorporating principles of Universal Design (www.adcet.edu.au) at the Institute, thus minimizing the need for adjustments to respond to individual needs, while maintaining quality and other standards. Physical infrastructure, resources, systems, websites, workplace design, and educational products are to be developed and maintained by the Institute to be as accessible as reasonably possible for staff, students and consumers, including children and young people.

    Disability Liaison Officers can provide various services, such as those listed below:

    • Thorough consideration of how a reasonable adjustment might be made.
    • Accessible and multiple formats of materials.
    • Ensuring staff are trained to provide information in a non-discriminatory way and communicate effectively and respectfully with people with disability.
    • Provision of advice on issues relating to premises accessibility.

    Consistent with policies involving Learning Environment and Student Wellbeing, Staff Wellbeing and the Cairnmillar Mental Health Implementation Strategy, the Institute aims to improve and maintain student and staff awareness of self-care and mental wellness and to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. The Institute will therefore actively promote positive and proactive mental health and wellbeing by providing access to and promoting relevant activities, concepts and resources. The Institute will specifically provide accessible mental health support and resources for all students/staff/contractors in an equitable manner, in a format that is suitable to their situation including options for both online and in person support.

    10.1 Personal Data

    Consistent with our Privacy Management Policy and the Health Records and Privacy Acts, all information relating to a person’s identity (i.e., physical disability, neurodiversity and/or mental health) are regarded as sensitive, personal data and all staff/contractors and students of the Institute who are party to such information are bound by a duty of confidentiality. If a member of staff or a student feels it necessary to disclose personal information about a student, then that student’s informed consent should be obtained in the first instance. In cases where consent is given, information should be shared only for the purposes of providing support, care, or protection for the student or for fellow students or staff and only on a ‘need to know’ basis. Where information is recorded or shared, the terminology must be agreed with the student and reflect needs as opposed to them being treated as a member of a ‘category’ (e.g. not as a diagnosis). In cases where consent is not given, the wishes of the student should be respected. However, the needs of the wider academic community must also be considered and, therefore, the following exceptions have been identified as circumstances that would warrant disclosure in the absence of consent:

    1. Where the Institute or a member of staff would be liable to civil or criminal prosecution if the information were not disclosed (e.g. where the law requires disclosure) further detailed in section 10.2.
    2. Where a student is putting their self or others at risk.
    3. Where there is a direct or imminent threat to the safety of any student, staff member, client, or other stakeholder.

    10.2 Required Health or Disability Disclosures

    With the exception of what is required by AHPRA, PACFA or other professional bodies, there is no legal obligation for staff or students to disclose their disability/status when employed with the Institute or when enrolling into their courses/programs (as per the Disability Education Standards, 2005). However, staff or students have several opportunities to disclose their disability during their employment or their study, if they choose to, such as to disability support staff, counselling service staff, and teaching staff.

    In addition to the points made above, students may choose to disclose their disability at any time during their studies because:

    • Their circumstances may change, such as a student acquiring a disability or medical condition.
    • A student’s disability may progress, and its impact on daily living may also increase.
    • A student may feel more confident that disclosing at this time will not lead to discrimination.
    • A student may have identified specific supports that will enable them to participate in their course, on an equal basis with other students.

    Certain courses and programs require students to be provisionally registered with AHPRA or lead to a profession which will have specific expectations regarding ‘fitness to practice’. AHPRA, PACFA or other professional bodies may identify additional criteria with regard to ‘exceptions to maintaining confidentiality’ or required disclosure of mental health or disability status.

    Students enrolled in postgraduate psychology or counselling programs at the Institute are therefore required to disclose to the Institute any mental illness or any other condition which may impact their ability to practice or obtain professional registration. Disclosure may also be required, by either the student or the Institute, to placement providers and/or to AHPRA or other professional bodies where duty of care extends to a student’s eventual client group and to placement providers during training. Students with mental health difficulties must be given honest information about the possible impact that their mental health difficulties may have on their chosen course of study due to any additional regulatory requirements.

    11. Resources and References

    Legislative and compliance framework relevant to the development of this policy:

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