Equality Schemes & Assessments

Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs) are intended to examine the aims, implementation and effects of policies, practices and services to check that no groups are receiving or are likely to receive differential treatment or outcomes that are discriminatory or unfair in nature. They should cover the following areas of potential inequality:

• Race and ethnicity
• Gender
• Disability
• Age
• Faith/belief
• Sexual Orientation

However, clearly the amount of emphasis given to each area will vary according to its relevance in relation to the policy or service being assessed.

Equality Impact Assessment and the Wider Processess

Quality of Life - closing the gap in educational achievement, employment, health, income, victimisation etc - by gender, race, disability, age, sexuality

Social Cohesion - reduced racial tension, diversity valued, common vision and sense of belonging, developing positive relationships

Compliance - meeting equalities legislation

Equality Impact Assessment will help with the implementation of the Corporate Equalities Action Plan through:

Providing a mechanism for the collation and analysis of data and feedback from consultations on the main issues affecting equality

Using this information to identify how policies and services affect different groups and contribute to the overall goal of closing gaps in service provision

Identifying specific inequalities in policies/services and the reasons for them

Providing a firm basis for improving policies and services

Some basic principles underpinning Equality Impact Assessment

EqIAs are intended to enable close examination of a policy or service in terms of its potential or actual impact on equality of treatment or outcomes. Whilst there is a process to be followed to ensure that the assessment is thorough, carrying out an Equality Impact Assessment should not be an arduous task nor should the steps be adhered to rigidly where there are sound reasons for deviating from this approach. It is important that Equality Impact Assessment does not become simply a paper or a box ticking exercise.

To be effective, EqIAs must:

• Get to the 'core issues and priorities' as quickly as possible
• Satisfy stakeholders, both internally and externally, that it has been a sufficiently rigorous exercise - in proportion to the importance of the issue and nature of the policy/service
• Identify what is working well and what needs to be improved
• Focus on outcomes and tangible improvements
• Establish equality issues within the organisations wider review & decision-making processes

An important component of all Equality Impact Assessment should be consultation with service users, employees and communities of interest. Whilst often a useful early step, it is not enough in itself for diversity officers/professionals to speculate on the impact of a policy or service on the people affected by it. A judgement will need to be made about the nature of consultation required: this should clearly be proportionate to the scale of the policy or service concerned.

If you have any enquiries regarding the Equality Schemes and Assessments we offer, please don't hesistate to contact us.