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The Sheltered Housing Network Supporting All Involved in The Provision of Sheltered and Supported Housing |
News Archive 1
News Archive 1
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Not
a woman's world The
commission says the case highlights the need for tenants and other service users
to have equal opportunities training if they are to be involved in managing
services and selecting staff, as the government is encouraging. Jepson
applied last March to become manager of St Katherine's Court, a sheltered
housing scheme run by Broadland in King's Lynn. He made it to a shortlist of two
after the first round of interviews. The final two candidates then faced a
second interview, plus a meeting with a group of 18 residents - most of whom
were women. Jepson
was later told that he was unsuccessful because he did not relate well to
residents. He alleged that the real reason was that residents favoured the other
candidate because she was a woman. When he complained about the selection
process, Broadland insisted it had been fair. After
Jepson contacted the EOC, Broadland agreed to settle the matter before it
reached an employment tribunal. Julie
Mellor, who chairs the EOC, says Jepson's claim raises broader issues about the
growing use of residents in the selection of housing staff. She says: "It
is important that housing associations make sure that residents understand what
anti-discrimination law means, so that they can guarantee all candidates are
treated fairly." Many
jobs in health and social care, including sheltered housing management, are
dominated by women, Mellor says. "We have to challenge old-fashioned
assumptions about 'women's work' and 'men's work' to ensure that no one's
options are limited by these unhelpful stereotypes." Broadland
retorts that the commission is being unrealistic. Bob Prince, its director of
operations, says: "The right of tenants to be involved in all aspects of
the management of their homes is being compromised by the standards of the EOC.
When you have a group of frail, elderly people I think you have got to draw a
sensible line somewhere." Though
the association was confident of winning the case at tribunal, it agreed to
settle with Jepson to save legal fees. "I can't see how he could claim
discrimination when he got through to the second short list," says Prince.
Jepson,
who before the interview was a sheltered housing manager for King's Lynn and
West Norfolk council, now manages a sheltered scheme in Sussex for Downland
Retirement Management. He says: "I've done this job for 10 years and there
is always a little barrier when a man comes into post because it's historically
seen as a woman's job. "Residents
should be involved in interviewing because it's their home, but they need to
know the rights and wrongs of equal opportunities." He
complains that during his Broadland interview there were no set questions and no
guidance was given to residents about what they asked. "They made it clear
that they were not happy with a man coming into the post," he says.
"Older people have old fashioned values. To them it's clear cut - a
sheltered housing scheme should be managed by a woman." Prince
says it is not possible to give frail, older people equal opportunities
training. "The average age of tenants in that particular scheme is over
80," he says. "They would not take kindly to equal opportunities
training. If you are going to have residents involved, and then put caveats and
qualifications on that, it makes it very difficult." Seven
of the association's 16 sheltered housing schemes are currently run by men,
Prince points out. "We don't accept there was any discrimination - our
staffing ratio speaks for itself." As
part of the settlement, Broadland has apologised to Jepson and will work with
the EOC to review its involvement of residents in selection of staff. "We
look forward to working with the EOC on the issue of tenant participation,"
Prince says.
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