What is the Rainbow Mark?

The Rainbow Mark is an equality mark sponsored by the Welsh Assembly Government and supported by the Welsh Local Government Association and Tai Pawb – a signifier of good practice, commitment and knowledge of the specific needs, issues and barriers facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Wales.In order to gain a Rainbow Mark, the LGBT Excellence Centre will provide a clear assessment criteria to work from and on-going guidance and advice to help collect evidence and develop good practice, including support services (where required) with rewording forms, policies and procedures.

The Assessment Criteria

The Rainbow Mark consists of ten simple assessment criteria, each asking for supporting resources. These resources could be specific documents, such as a copy of the Equal Opportunities Policy, a monitoring form, or brief details of working procedures (for instance, how and when new staff members are trained or whether there are always private areas available for service users to talk to your staff). The Excellence Centre’s staff will assist the organisation achieving the criteria and will undertake the assessment.The training packages and consultancy that the Excellence Centre delivers will also assist organisations with identifying what policies and procedures count towards Rainbow Mark accreditation, whereas some evidence will automatically be generated by staff simply by delivering training.

The Rainbow Mark will accomplish the following for your organisation:
 A Welsh Assembly Government endorsed accreditation with Kite Mark, indicating that your organisation is in line with statutory requirements and promotes best practice in engaging with the LGBT community.
 Identify and address the difficulties that your organisation might face in addressing the needs of the LGBT community;
 Make your services accessible to the LGBT community;
 Raise awareness among staff with regard to the particular issues that affect LGBT people in housing need;
 Begin monitoring products, goods, facilities, and services in terms of sexual orientation and gender identity;
 Raise awareness of the particular issues in addressing the needs of LGBT people through good management practice (i.e. complaint processes, harassment policies, etc.);
 Benefit from existing models of effective working practice and use these in the development of their own;
 Identify innovative new ways of working to meet the needs of LGBT people;
 Be fully aware of all legislative frameworks which impact on service delivery;
 Ongoing support and consultation with reviewing existing policies and procedures so that they are in line with statutory requirements and promote best practice

What will your organisation gain from achieving the Rainbow Mark?All organisations awarded the Rainbow Mark will receive a certificate and a supply of posters, leaflets and supporting material explaining the benefits of the Rainbow Mark to all visitors, service users, and customers. A series of “top tips” documents and a range of useful documents, research, resources and policy updates will be supplied by the Excellence Centre to provide a useful and accessible guidance.. Organisations will also have links to the Excellence Centre’ website and be able to use the Rainbow Mark logo on all their publications, paperwork, and other promotional material to prove their commitment to the community and contractors.

How much will the Rainbow Mark cost for my organisation?The Rainbow Mark is a FREE accreditation available to all members of the LGBT Excellence Centre. Training and consultancy services will carry separate charges as needed. To sign up to our membership click here.