Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC)

Description

The Equality and Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC) is a sub-committee of the Board of Trustees and Council of Management.  It was established in 2017 to advise the Board of Trustees and Council of Management on issues relating to Equality and Diversity. The Chair of the Committee is appointed by the Board of Trustees. This position should be reviewed every 3 years, and when possible, a new chair should be appointed.

The Chair on behalf of the Board of Trustees and Council of Management may invite members of ACAT to join the Committee, in order to bring together expertise in this field.  Non-ACAT members may also be seconded at the Chair’s discretion.  One member of the Committee will be a representative of the Board of Trustees, and another will represent the Training Committee and Exam Board.

The Terms of Reference and Work Plan for the year ahead are discussed between the Board of Trustees and Council of Management and Chair of the Equality and Diversity Committee thus providing areas for further work of the Committee.

The EDIC will function as a consultative group which can support the work and direction of the Council of Management and other Committees and working groups within ACAT through providing overview and encouraging an EDI perspective to be considered and embedded in all ACAT activity and strategy.

Satellite working groups reporting to the EDIC can be established at the Chair’s discretion. Special interest groups can be established separate / independent from the EDIC and work as a way of feeding into the EDIC. The EDIC in conjunction with the Inequality and Diversity SIG have been holding Black History Month events since 2020, which is to continue.

The EDIC have set up an informal support system. The aim of the support system will be to provide a safe space whereby ACAT members can receive informal support and discuss difficulties around inequality and diversity. 

This support system is therefore not intended as an alternative to the more formal channels of support, such as the ethics committee.

The EDI Committee will be supported by

• Space to host an Equality, Diversity Inclusion Forum at each annual ACAT conference
• Funding for members to attend one face to face meeting per annum
• Website support to allow on-line discussion and dissemination of information
• Funding for up to four Zoom / Teams meetings per annum
• To provide an ACAT email address for the Chair

Terms of Reference

• To report to the Board of Trustees and Council of Management of ACAT on issues of equality, diversity and inclusion within ACAT and with a view to facilitating equal access to CAT therapy and ACAT training courses within the NHS and other settings
• To act as a hub for dialogue about how to address issues of diversity and equality in our theory, our curricula and our training programmes
• To consider the needs of particular groups who have been marginalised within the theory and practice of psychotherapy and specifically CAT
• To support ACAT as an organisation, establish a strategy to implement sensitive but informative monitoring so that ACAT can make evidence-based decisions about the extent to which we are addressing diversity, equality, and inclusion issues in our teaching and training, and recommend positive steps to address barriers in our courses and curricula and encourage innovation
• To support individual practitioners and psychotherapists through the development of resources, scholarship and research on these issues.
• Other projects as agreed with the Board of Trustees.

Published: September 2022, reviewed February 2023, reviewed and updated 14^th March 2025