Terms of Reference
1. Background
The Coalition for Women’s Sexual Equality was established in February 2024 by eight founding members, six of whom are still active. These are Beira’s Place, Glasgow Women’s Aid, Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis, Lanarkshire Rape Crisis, Hemat Gryffe Women’s Aid, and Fife Women’s Aid. Its purpose is to promote and protect the experiences of women when accessing single-sex services and bring together organisations across the VAWG sector in this shared objective The single-sex service provision complies with Section 193 and Section 212 of the Equality Act (2010).
2. The Coalition for Women’s Sexual Equality: Membership
There are two types of membership to the Coalition: Founding and Core.
a. Founding Member
Each one of the founding organisations will be a Founding Member (FM). Where an FM leaves the coalition, the remaining FMs will not seek a replacement.
b. Core Member
Organisations can apply to be a Core Member of the Coalition, where they can demonstrate their commitment to the Coalition’s Principles and Practice Criteria.
3. Purpose
The purpose of the Coalition is to:
• Protect the provision of single-sex spaces in services available to women who have experienced sexual violence, abuse, and sexual exploitation, or domestic abuse.
• Promote the experiences of women who access these services and those organisations who provide them.
• Prepare information and resources to guide interested organisations toward the lawful and compliant provision of single-sex services and practices in applying occupational requirements in staff recruitment.
4. Benefits of Membership
• Bringing together women’s organisations for mutual support to deliver and develop single sex, women only spaces for survivors of violence and abuse.
• Shared knowledge and expertise across the Coalition to further the aims of the member organisations.
• Joint training and information sharing on legal, governance, and HR issues
• Influencing the growth of single sex, women only spaces across Scotland.
• Joint development of quality service standards for delivery of single sex, women only services in Scotland.
5. Principles and Practice
All members should be able to demonstrate their ongoing alignment with the 4 Principles and Practice Criteria of the Coalition. Organisations interested in becoming a Core Member should be able to demonstrate this fulfilment before they can be considered to join the Coalition and as part of their application process.
Principles
1. The organisation provides dedicated single-sex services for survivors of sexual and domestic abuse.
2. The organisation’s governing document (Constitution, Articles of Association etc.) constitutes the delivery and safe provision of single-sex services.
Practice
3. The provision of single-sex services by the organisation is delivered wholly, or on dedicated days and times (due to other services in provision).
4. Services are delivered by women as directed in the Equality Act (2010).
6. Scope and Schedule of Work
The Coalition will agree on the annual scope and schedule of work between Founding Members and Core Members who have been with the Coalition for at least 6-months by the date the scope and schedule or work is being planned.
The scope of work will consider public, political, and economic factors of relevance to the Coalition’s purpose.
The schedule of work will consider meeting occurrence, and plan for the achievement of agreed outcomes by a set date/s throughout the planned schedule.
7. Decision Making and Planning
• Decisions affecting the Coalition as a whole, will be decided upon preferably by consensus, but otherwise by majority vote. All decisions must be made or ratified at a full Coalition meeting either by consensus or majority, and within a reasonable time frame as agreed by the members.
• Sub-groups may be set up to carry out specific pieces of work, but final decisions on that work will be, where necessary, decided by the Coalition in full.
• A calendar of meetings will be agreed in advance to ensure maximum attendance at meetings throughout the year.
8. Disputes
Any disputes arising among individual members of the coalition will be discussed and mediated by a specially formed sub group of the Founding Members. If a sub group of the Founding Members cannot be convened, members from the wider coalition may be co-opted on to the mediating group.
9. Application Process
Application to join the Coalition will be considered by the whole group. Any new applicants must adopt the Coalition Terms of Reference and sign up to the adoption of the Single Sex Service Standards for provision of women only services.
10. Resignation and Removal
Any Coalition member wishing to resign from the group may do so at any time with notice of leaving circulated to the entire group.
A member organisation may be asked to resign from the Coalition if that organisation is unable to adhere to the Terms of Reference, or if they actively obstruct the work of the Coalition.