Appendix a on Reviewed and Updated Corporate Equality and Diversity Action Plan
Appendix A: ROG Report on Reviewed and Updated Corporate Equality and Diversity Action Plan[1]
CORPORATE PRIORITIES
Action / EqualityIssue / Task/Improvement / Progress to date/
Outstanding issues / Future Action / BVPIs/ New
Target / Led by / Complete/
Review
Leadership / All / Champion leadership on equalities to ensure BoP’s priorities, our partnerships and community role addresses the needs of Poole residents / Leadership centred LGLC development work undertaken / Further leadership work planned as part of the workforce plan / BV2a[2]/ BV2b / Personnel & Training / Ongoing
Access to Services / All / Integrate equalities into service design & business planning to ensure that BoP meets the needs of local communities / Discuss DDA requirements to be reflected in 2007/08 business plan (partic loop development, procurement, communication tools)
Report progress to UMT every quarter / BV2a/ BV2b / ICT / Ongoing
All / Improve accessibility of service information & organise meetings/ events that consider the needs of all / BV2a/ BV2b / Ongoing
All / Better co-ordinate & share information on local support to equalities issues / BV2a/ BV2b / Apr 07
Dis. / Undertake access audits & review resource implications for key Council sites / Access audits completed to establish the programme of works / Continue to deliver the programme of works subject to funding (see comments re BV156) / BV2a/ BV2b / Property Services / Mar 07
Race / Review and develop a co-ordinated Gypsy & Traveller policy / BV2a/ BV2b / Ap 07
People & skills / All / Workforce planning and Joint Agency Children’s workforce planning to identify recruitment needs and gaps and to reflect equalities agenda / Assess actions required to address occupation segregation/workforce profile / BV11a-c
BV16
BV17 / ICT / April 07
Workforce plan proposed for Management Team
Joint workforce planning taking place / Cabinet consideration of Workforce plan to take place
Pursue joint workforce planning / Personnel
& Training / Mar 08
Gender / Undertake Job Evaluation & Equal Pay Audits / Equal pay audit been carried out and completed for particular groups where equality is identified as an issue / Full council wide job evaluation review is on its way to completion / BV2a / Mar 07/08
All / Extend personnel & training monitoring / Monitoring report submitted to Resources Overview Group / Achievable with new HR database – business case currently being compiled / BV11a-c
BV16
BV17 / Mar 06
All / All employees & Members to undertake appropriate equality training within a year of permanent appointment to a role & receive appropriate updates / Equality training is being undertaken and has been enhanced
Included within induction training
Further Members training needed following May 06 elections / Need to ensure equality training is kept up to date
Need to offer further member training on equality issues
Need to provide member training on recruitment / Ongoing/
6 monthly
Equality training is now embedded as part of the core training for all new staff / Ensure that all staff attend the dignity at work training to raise awareness / Property Services
Majority of ICT staff been on Embracing Diversity training / Remaining and new staff will undertake ED training / ICT
Prejudice
Reporting/
Complaints / All / Report incidents of harassment/ discrimination[3] against employees, service delivery & in the community / Communication to unit issued in Feb 06 highlighting the racist incident protocol. Team leaders issued with information pack / Ensure that all staff attend the dignity at work training to raise awareness / BV174
BV175 / Property Services / Ongoing
ICT rep to attend launch of new prejudice reporting process and roll out to ICT teams / ICT / April 07
All / Support individuals through such incidents / No incidents recorded / Issue another communication to raise awareness once the new protocol is issued. / BV174
BV175 / Property Services / Ongoing
Monitoring / All / Improve the scrutiny & monitoring of services, contracts, equalities action plans to be able to monitor & review progress, & identify priority actions / An EQIA action plan has been documented in Sept 05. Scrutiny and monitoring procedures now need to be established / Improvement and Policy Officer – Equalities to attend UMT to discuss monitoring process / Property Services / Mar 2006/
6 monthly
Communication / All / Improve corporate equalities information on internet & intranet / Comms/CPT / Apr 2006
All / Promote equalities stories in all forms of communications / No progress to date / Unit to look at examples of best practice across the council. / Property Services / Ongoing
STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY
Access to services / All / Consult key stakeholders Collection & Debt Recovery & amend information to encourage debtors to seek independent advice / Achieved March 2006. Additional wording in reminders and letters plus a leaflet with further advice about Court procedures / Financial Services / Jun 2006/07
R / Consult stakeholders to improve BME people’s take up & undertake a ‘Benefit Take Up campaign’ with ASSC / On going / On going / Ongoing/
Jun 2006
All / Benchmark Discretionary Housing Payments & Anti Fraud & Prosecution & Sanction with neighbouring authorities / Not yet complete / On going / July 2006/7
Apr 2006/7
R / Revise Anti Fraud & Prosecution & Sanction policy to consider where translation support need / Policy now revised / Sept 2005
PEOPLE STRATEGY
People & skills / G / Led on Job Evaluation & Equal Pay Audits / Fundamental objective of equal pay review / Examine gender balance and undertake further equal pay audits / Personnel & Training
Personnel &
Training / Mar 07/08
All / Publicise Buddy Scheme & recruit BME counsellor / Publicised in dignity at work course
BME counsellor recruited / Completed / Mar 06/09
All / Review Dignity at Work, Civic Temp Scheme, existing monitoring & results of IiP / Formal review initiated
Scope of civic temps has been extended to include a professional register
IiP accreditation received – equality issues received positive feedback
People matter survey – attempted to glean information regarding disability but sample was too small / Consider whether Civic Temp provision can be extended to occupational groups or explore other ways of procuring temporary services / Mar 07/09
All / Ensure consultants are aware of & promote Managing Diversity & related Policies / New contract drafted / Contract to be circulated including managing diversity and related policy provisions / Oct 05/06
All / Review diversity of trainers & training format to ensure access to all / Trainers from different backgrounds used to promote equality
Tailor programmes to meet the needs of the customer – e.g. provide training on different days/times / Continue utilising trainers from more diverse backgrounds & continue awareness / Ongoing
D / Induction Loop to be fitted in Creekmoor / Portable loop now available / NFA / Mar 06
All / Ongoing support, development & integration of equalities into corporate & Social Services training / Implemented for corporate training. Social services team now comes under Adult Social Care & Wellbeing / Completed / Oct 05
Ongoing
All / Develop NVQ’s & access to Learning Disability Award across LA, Private & Voluntary Sector / Now comes under Adult Social Care & Wellbeing / Development action undertaken / Mar 06/07
All / Review selection procedures/ study leave requirements for external qualifications / New recruitment policy agreed by JICC.
Study leave requirements for external qualifications reviewed / NFA / As above
Monitoring / All / Extend monitoring to training[4] & promotion, disciplinary, performance, grievance & exits, access to flexible working & implement with SUs / Monitoring report carried out / Full extension of monitoring to training only achievable upon implementation of new database. Business case prepared and being assessed / March 2006
Access to services / All / Assess need for equalities monitoring infrastructure / Watching brief / ICT / Mar 08/09
D / Consider DDA requirements in ICT procurement / ICT procurement process and procedures are currently under review within the project management team / DDA requirements will be factored into this documentation / Dec 05/07
Access to services / SO / Review of service delivery implications of Civil Partnership Bill / Legal & Democratic
Services / Nov 05/06
All / Provide legal advice to SUs on discrimination cases / Ad hoc
All / School Admissions/ Exclusions Panel recruitment to be inclusive / Advertisement Revised / Advertisement be placed in publications read by more diverse section of the community / Jun 06/ Feb 07
F / Consultation on consideration of other faiths in Civil Ceremonies / May 06
Commun-ications / All / Print & Design to advise SUs on Accessible Communications Guidance & Branding for print works / Discussions commenced / To be “rolled out” to all Units once finalised / Jan 06/07
Access to services / D / Improve accessibility to Council buildings & review resource implications / As part of the BoP access improvement programme, 34% properties were targeted for improvements and 35% were achieved. Many properties have had access improvements made and a large number of buildings are now reasonably accessible. However, due to the strict building regulation requirements under BV156, many of these cannot be considered as compliant but would be considered reasonable under DDA. / With current funding levels it will be possible to bring 3 more buildings to compliance with BV156 during 2006/07 together with the execution of further access improvements at a number of other properties in order to give the greatest benefit to the largest number of people. Similar targets can be set for 2007/08 and 2008/09 subject to funding availability. / BV156 / Property Services / Mar 06/07
D / Review key service policies to be DDA compliant / The unit has been reviewing its’ policies, processes and procedures taking the form of the Unit Operations Manual. Many procedures have been documented in draft and as part of this review, teams will also carry out an EQIA to identify an action plan to ensure compliance with the equality standard. / Improvements and Policy Officer – Equalities to attend UMT to discuss EQIA requirements. EQIA to be embedded as part of quality review of all unit policies and procedures. / Property Services / Dec 05
Access to services / All / Incorporate corporate guidance & monitoring mechanisms contracts in new Corporate Procurement Toolkit. / Corporate Procurement Toolkit written. / Still to be rolled out and embedded corporately / Financial Services / March 07/08
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Abbreviations
ASSC / Adult Social Service CommissioningBoP / Borough of Poole
BME / Black and minority ethnic
CHAD / Child Health and Disability
Comms / Communications
Consult / Consultations
DDA / Disability Discrimination Act
DEED / Development Education in Dorset
Dorset REC / Dorset Race Equality Council / Colour code by Service Unit
ES / Equality Standard / Personnel & Training
EQIAs / Equality Impact Assessments / Property Services
HCS / Housing & Community Services / Financial Services
H&S / Health and Safety / ICT
LA / Local Authority
LAA / Local Area Agreement
LTP / Local Transport Plan
MDWG / Managing Diversity Working Group
METAS / Minority Ethnic Achievement Service
PANDA / Pupil Annual Data Analysis
PAGHRI / Poole Action Group Against Racist & Homophobic Incidents
PSTP / Poole Safe Together Partnership
RES / Race Equality Scheme
Recruit / Recruitment
RR(A)A 2000 / Race Relations Amendment Act 2000
SD / Service Delivery
SUs / Service Units
SUMT / Service Unit Management Team
TPSG / Teenage Pregnancy Strategy Group
UASC / Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children
BVPIs / Indicator
BV2a / The level (if any) of the Equality Standard for Local Government to which the authority conforms (amended from 2002/03)
BV2b / The duty to promote race equality - percentage score against the RES check list (new from 2003/04)
BV11a / The percentage of top 5% of earners that are women (amended from 2002/03).
BV11b / The percentage of top 5% of earners from black and minority ethnic communities (new from 2002/03).
BV11c / The percentage of top 5% of earners that have a disability (new as of 2005/06).
BV16a / The percentage of local authority employees declaring that they meet the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 disability definition compared with the percentage of economically active disabled people in the authority area.
BV16b / Percentage of economically disabled people in the authority area
BV16x / The percentage of disabled staff employed in proportion to the economically active disabled population in the locality.
BV17a / The percentage of local authority employees from minority ethnic communities compared with the percentage of the economically active minority ethnic community population in the authority area.
BV17b / Percentage of economically active ethnic people in the authority area
BV17x / Percentage of minority ethnic staff employed in proportion to the economically active minority ethnic population in the locality.
BV156 / The percentage of authority buildings open to the public in which all public areas are suitable for and accessible to disabled people.
BV164 / Does the authority follow the Commission for Racial Equality`s code of practice in rented housing and follow the Good Practice Standards for social landlords on tackling harassment included in the Code of Practice for Social Landlords: Tackling Racial Harassment?
BV174 / The number of racial incidents recorded by the authority per 100,000 population.
BV175 / The percentage of racial incidents that resulted in further action.
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[1]Actions were taken from SUs Equality Impact Assessment registers so please refer to these if needs be. Available on Loop Equalities page
[2]Most actions on this page contribute to the achievement of Level 2 of the Equality Standard BV2a
[3]The current review of the Pan-Dorset racist and homophobic incidents will extend reporting to all the equalities strands. SUs should follow the current Racist Incident Protocol & Dignity at Work procedure until BoP’s policy is reviewed.
[4] Dependent on project support from ICT on skill point development