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Information, Advice or Guidance

Discriminatory behavior is where someone is treated less favourably than another
person or group of people because of a characteristic, such as, for example, the colour
of their skin, their religion, or their gender.

There are a number of characteristics protected by law: these are known as ‘protected
characteristics’, which means that people should not be treated differently as a result
of them:

• Age
• Disability

• Gender reassignment

• Marriage and civil partnership

• Pregnancy and maternity

• Race

• Religion

• Gender

• Sexual orientation.

All clients should be treated equally, with dignity and respect. An individual should not
be discriminated against because of particular characteristics, as listed above.

One of the key ways you can ensure all clients are treated fairly is by ensuring a
structured approach is used. In this way, when dealing with the needs of a client or
their advisor, they should always be treated individually.

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