Equalities Policy Review
Report of the Director of Strategy and Governance to Policy and Resources Committee 27.07.06
RECOMMENDATION 1: Key issues from the Review
1.1 Aims to achieve Level 5 of the Equality Standard by March 2009
The Equality Standard for Local Government came into effect in April 2002. It provides a framework to enable local authorities to mainstream equalities (including gender, race, disability and sexual orientation) into council policy and practice at all levels.
The Council will aim to achieve Level 5 in 2008 - 09
1.2 Develop Corporate Equality Scheme (incorporating the principles of the Inclusive Council Policy) to be adopted by full Council, incorporating the Race Equality Scheme 2006 - 2009 and as part of this develops a series of schemes to cover Gender, LGBT, Age and Disability in line with forthcoming duties.
The Council will publish a Corporate Equality Policy incorporating these schemes in October 2007
1.3 Requests that the Head of Human Resources produce an Action Plan on how the Council can improve the diversity of the Council's workforce (particularly the numbers of bBME and disabled employees). This plan should be taken to Policy and Resources for adoption and subsequently to the Equalities Forum for monitoring (on a quarterly basis). This fits with the Equality Standard for Local Government need for an Action Plan.
The Equalities Forum will receive regular updates on progress on the implementation of the strategy.
1.4 Ensures that all services across the Council are continually reminded by the Chief Officer and leader of the Council that they must be open, safe and accessible to all people and services across the Council. All services should be sensitive to service users needs for confidentiality . Access points need to demonstrate how they are responsive to the equality of service users.
The Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive agree that it is very important for them to convey strong messages regarding customer service standards to staff on a regular basis.
1.5 That in the light of these recommendations, the Inclusive Council Policy action plan is updated.
RECOMMENDATION 2: Measure and be accountable for what the Council does
2.1 Develops a broader set of localised Equalities Performance Indicators, reported quarterly to the Equalities Forum, and annually to Policy and Resources, the relevant Executive committee and OSOC. This is consistent with the Equality Standard and Inclusive Council Policy.
2.2 Ensures that an Annual Report from each Directorate on equalities performance and their ongoing work with impact assessments be submitted to the Equalities Forum. To include annual monitoring of customer satisfaction in terms of equalities breakdown.
2.3 Ensure that the Departmental Equality Groups and representatives are consulted on all Committee Reports and screen through such reports using the "Equalities Impact" box, ensuring an appropriate equality impact assessment is undertaken on all new and upcoming policies.
2.4 Ensures all departmental Equalities Impact Assessments include issues of age, as well as race, gender, faith etc, consistent with the Equality Standard.
2.5 Ensures that all public council meetings are open and accessible to everyone.
2.6 Undertakes an Access Audit of all council buildings and services, and reports its findings to the Policy and Resources Committee and the Equalities Forum on an annual basis.
2.7 Looks at developing a programme of mystery shopping, which includes customer profile information e.g. race, gender, disabilty, sexual orientation etc and provides an accessment of these to the Equalities Forum.
RECOMMENDATION 3: Policy Development, Consultation and Involvement
3.1 Works with voluntary organisations and communities to build constructive and open means of sustained engagement.
Engages with the communities of interest to identify the appropriate methods and routes for consultation, working in liaison with other services of the Council.
Ensures consistent consultation and feedback with partner organisations and communities and disseminating the results of consultation.
3.2 Recognises the request by the communities of interest for a dedicated 'LGBT Policy Officer' post and a dedicated 'Access Officer' post (for disabled people) to be identified as the first point of call for these communities.
3.3 Reviews its relationship between the Older People's Council and the Council's decision making bodies to build on its success and improve inclusion and participation.
3.4 That the Council works with representatives of the LGBT community to update the LGBT Community Strategy.
3.5 This recommendation asks that the Council's Travellers Strategy be renewed in light of new legislation and this was withdrawn at Policy and Resources. (if you should require more information on this point, please come back to me)
3.6 Continues to work with the Racial Harassment Forum and its members to take forward their own review.
RECOMMENDATION 4: Develop competent people - training of Council staff and Councillors
4.1 Develops a specific Equalities Whistle-blowing policy, which provides for an independent person for staff members to talk to, offers an informal and formal complaint process and an anonymous incident reporting mechanism.
4.2 Improves the monitoring of staff retention and exit interviews, which are reflected in the new Equalities Performance Indicators (Recommendation 1)
4.3 Continues and expands the current successful staff mentoring scheme, especially acknowledging the need for a diverse range of role models across the organisation.
4.4 Provides an induction programme training on equalities for all new (and existing) Councillors in 2007.
4.5 Ensures that all staff working for the Council continue to receive equalities induction, including temporary staff.
4.6 Develops an advanced training programme for middle managers on equalities.
4.7 Expects its contractors and consultants to offer similar training to their own staff, consistent with the Council's equalities policies. The review team highlighted the need for this in areas such as the Council's caring duties and also for its larger contracts.
4.8 Recognises the valuable contribution of the various Workers Forums, and seeks to consult and include them at the earliest stage possible of policy development.
4.9 Undertakes a review into the question of salary equality, especially in terms of gender.
4.10 Undertakes greater awareness work on issues such as mental health, carers, age, faith, occupational health and disability amongst the workforce.
4.11 Requests that the Head of HR reports progress quarterly to the Equalities Forum on the Council's Equalities Training Programme.
* The reporting will begin in November 2006.
4.12 Ensures that the revised Inclusive Council Policy is cascaded to all staff.
RECOMMENDATION 5: Equalities Forum
5.1 Requests the Head of the Voluntary Sector Grants Team attends the Equalities Forum and brings regular reports on the impact of the funding on the Voluntary sector.
5.2 Requests that the Equalities Forum and the Community Safety Forum should seek to work more closely together, where appropriate to do so, to include performance data in reports.
5.3 Proposes that each Staff Forum group should be invited to attend the Forum.
5.4 That the Forum continues to play a pro-active role in identifying new and emerging legislation.
5.5 That the Forum continues to support celebrations that celebrate diversity and equality across the city and continues in its role pro-actively promoting understanding and tolerance in the city.
The Council has a programme of communities of interest events it is supporting in 2006-07 including Pride, Black History Month, the International Day of Disabled Persons, Holocaust Memorial Day, Refugee Week, IDAHO, LGBT History Month.