Strategic Equality Plan Annual Review 2013-14, 03-15

Everyone Matters

Cardiff Council - Strategic Equality Plan Annual Report 2013/14

Foreword

Welcome to the updated issue of the City of Cardiff Council’s Strategic Equality Plan, ‘ Everyone Matters’ , annual report 2013/14 (first issued in April 2014). This document reports on work carried out during the second year of ‘Everyone Matters’ , which was initially launched and published in March 2012.

This updated issue re-emphasizes efforts and commitments made by Council Directorates to achieve many of the Council’s planned equalities outcomes for 2013/14, building on our aspirations and the foundations for a fairer society for all of Cardiff’s citizens in future years.

Since 1 April 2014 we have made further progress towards reducing inequalities, as well as assisting in and recognizing areas for improvement that will require a number of years of continued effort to successfully address. When we come to produce our annual report for 2014/15 this time next year, we will be able to show the early fruits of the Administration’s new vision for Cardiff, with an increased emphasis on working co-operatively with our partners, networks and citizens to achieve improved social justice and inclusion.

In recent times the City of Cardiff Council has developed a vision ‘To be Europe’s most liveable Capital City’ focusing on four key priorities (Education and Skills for People of All Ages; Supporting People in Vulnerable Situations; Sustainable Economic Development as the Engine for Growth and Jobs; and Working with People and Partners to Design, Deliver and Improve Services). This vision and priorities will help us focus our work in coming months as we work towards publishing our second Strategic Equality Plan on 1 April 2016.

In my role as Cabinet Portfolio holder responsible for equality and diversity, I am committed to advancing the outcomes set out in ‘Everyone Matters’ – building on Cardiff’s reputation as a warm and welcoming place, where diverse communities have come together to form a truly special city.

Councillor Daniel De’Ath, Cabinet Member (Safety, Democracy and Engagement) March 2015

Our Vision for a Fair, Just and Inclusive Society

Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, is the nation’s major centre of population, employment, business services and public administration. It is the seat of national government, providing a unique environment and culture that has, for more than a century, attracted settlers from all corners of the world. We want to retain and celebrate our uniqueness – The ‘Diff .

This Administration has a co-operative vision, and has adopted three key values recommended by our employees – ‘Open’ ‘Fair’ and ‘Together’. Building on the great steps forward set out in this Equality Annual Report for 2013/14, the year ahead promises to be an exciting and challenging period for Cardiff and its communities.

The ambition to become Europe’s most liveable Capital City ushers in a new era of community engagement and co-production which is at the heart of the Council’s relationship with its citizens. This brief overview illustrates a few examples of this vision as they relate to matters of equality.

Cardiff and Cardiff Council have benefited from the city’s cultural diversity and generational richness, two factors that have helped the city evolve and react in unity to demographic, economic and societal changes.

The City of Cardiff Council is committed to the goals of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Bill, due to be published in March 2015; working to tackle intergenerational challenges, ensuring that the Council’s services deliver long term goals not just for Cardiff but in co-operation with other partners across Wales in a spirit of co-production for the future well-being of the whole nation.

As a co-operative Council, the views and opinions of people across Cardiff are of fundamental importance to us in shaping services that meet the needs of all. The three year programme of engagement launched in 2014 under the title “The Cardiff Debate” has engaged thousands of citizens, both in local communities and in specific communities of interest such as Cardiff Youth Council, the City’s Access Focus Group and Older Person’s Forums.

Although co-production is central to our co-operative vision, the current financial challenges facing Cardiff have made partnership with communities more vital than ever, to ensure that we can together preserve services and facilities at a time of austerity. We are aware that for local communities, “Stepping Up” to adopt management of facilities traditionally managed by the Council is a significant ask, and want to do all within our power to support community groups as they step up to the challenge.

The Council is developing a “single view of the customer”, so that people can access a range of Council and partner services in a consistent and accessible manner. Our aim is to create a network of service points that bring together essential public services like libraries, housing, leisure, benefits advice and a wide range of other Council services such as waste management and street lighting under one roof.

The Council’s Community Hubs Programme has seen the delivery of multi- service buildings around the city, many of which (as in Ely and Caerau, Butetown, Llanrumney, St Mellons and Grangetown, and the City Centre Advice Hub) are already operational, with further ambitious plans for significant investment in hubs in areas of need such as Splott, Llandaff North and Llanishen.

The Hubs also provide Into Work support including Job Clubs, CV workshops and work related training. External advice services, credit unions, community groups and even in some locations South Wales Fire and Rescue Service also have a presence.

The Administration believes that Members of the Council need to take a lead by championing equality and diversity themselves. With the appointment in 2014 of Councillor Cecelia Love as the Council’s Member Diversity Champion, we can tap into a network of Member Diversity Champions across Wales. We hope to share and adopt good practice in leading positive values and behaviour in the way that we work with each other and with others.

Although the effect of increasing economic pressures and the need to consider further rationalising services cannot be ignored in the current climate, our Council’s efforts and strategies are seeking to put the needs of communities at the heart of our decisions.

We hope that from this short explanation of just a few of our current initiatives you can see our goals are to design and deliver improved services to the whole community, now and in the future.

Contents

1. Introduction 6 2. ‘What Matters’ – the ten year strategy for Cardiff 7 3. ‘Everyone Matters’ – Strategic equality objectives 8 4. Key Aspects of ‘Everyone Matters’ 10 5. Strategic equality objectives - Summary of Progress 13 6. Collecting Relevant Information 21 7. Council Services - Good Practice During 2013/14 29 8. Employment in Cardiff Council 47 9. Physical Access & Accessible Communications 55 10. Engagement, Consultation & Involvement 56 11. External Partners 63 12. Hate Crime, Community Cohesion & Community Safety 66 13. Equality Development Grant 73 14. Equality Events and Cultural Activities 78 15. Equality Impact Assessments 82 16. Conclusion & Summary 86

APPENDIX 1 – CARDIFF COUNCIL MONITORING FORM 87 APPENDIX 2 – EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION 91

1. Introduction

The Equality Act 2010 places a public sector duty upon Local Authorities to consider all groups when carrying out their day to day work – in shaping policy, in delivering services and in relation to their own employees. It requires public bodies to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different groups when carrying out their activities. The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to discriminate against people with a ‘protected characteristic’. The protected characteristics are:

• Age • Disability • Gender reassignment • Marriage and civil partnership • Pregnancy and maternity • Race • Religion or belief – including lack of belief • Sex • Sexual orientation

In response to the Equality Act, Cardiff Council published its Strategic Equality Plan ‘ Everyone Matters ’ on 2nd April 2012. It is a four year plan that outlines our commitment to reducing inequalities and sets out our key priorities for 2012-16 through a series of strategic equality objectives. Public authorities are required to produce a Strategic Equality Plan annual report by the 31 st March each year. In line with the Equality Act 2010, this annual report sets out:

• the steps Cardiff Council has taken to identify and collect relevant information • how we have used this information to meet the three aims of the public sector duty • any reasons for not collecting relevant information • a statement on the effectiveness of the authority’s arrangements for identifying and collecting relevant information • progress towards fulfilling each of Cardiff Council’s equality objectives • a statement on the effectiveness of the steps we have taken to fulfil each of its equality objectives • employment information

This annual report will also reflect upon our achievements, challenges and improvements during 2013/14, whilst outlining the way forward for future years.

Cardiff Council’s Strategic Equality Plan 2012 -16 can be accessed online in English and Welsh, hard and other formats upon request

2. ‘What Matters’ – the ten year strategy for Cardiff

Cardiff has a 10 year strategy for the City, ‘What Matters ’, which is the overarching strategy that will shape how Cardiff moves forward during 2010- 2020. It was developed by a range of public, private and third sector partners, focusing on outcomes for the city across organisational boundaries. It is based around the delivery of 7 key strategic outcomes, which will improve the quality of life for all people. The outcomes are:

• People in Cardiff are healthy • People in Cardiff have a clean, attractive and sustainable environment • People in Cardiff are safe and feel safe • Cardiff has a thriving and prosperous economy • People in Cardiff achieve their full potential • Cardiff is a great place to live, work and play • Cardiff is a fair, just and inclusive society

‘What Matters ’ was shaped by a comprehensive needs assessment which involved an in-depth analysis of the city across a broad range of areas. The needs assessment revealed a common theme of inequality across the outcomes. This meant that people on lower incomes living in the more deprived parts of the city were also more likely to suffer poorer outcomes relating to health, safety and educational attainment. The 7 outcomes for Cardiff were derived from this needs assessment.

Cardiff Council’s Strategic Equality Plan links directly to ‘ What Matters ’ to ensure a consistent approach is adopted to addressing inequalities in Cardiff. Our strategic equality objectives sit under each of the 7 outcomes for Cardiff, therefore ensuring that the Council is targeting its equality work specifically at the most prevalent areas of need for the City.

3. ‘Everyone Matters’ – Strategic equality objectives

Cardiff Council’s strategic equality objectives are:

People in Cardiff are healthy

1. Work to reduce differentials in life expectancy and health inequalities across the city 2. Ensure health services and preventative programmes are communicated effectively and meet the needs of service users

Cardiff has a clean, attractive & sustainable environment

3. Improve access to sustainable transport 4. Ensure households vulnerable to fuel poverty receive assistance and advice 5. Improve equality of access to parks and green spaces

People in Cardiff are safe and feel safe

6. Work with partners to reduce violence and domestic abuse, increase reporting and improve support mechanisms 7. Reduce incidents of bullying, increase reporting and improve support mechanisms for those vulnerable to bullying within specific groups 8. Work to raise awareness of hate crime across Cardiff and support the implementation of the Welsh Government Hate Crime Framework 9. Develop a Community Cohesion Action Plan to respond to Cardiff’s cohesion priorities and embed cohesion principles across the Council and our partners

Cardiff has a thriving and prosperous economy

10. Work with partners to address barriers to employment within Cardiff 11. Work to reduce the pay gap between men and women in Cardiff Council

People in Cardiff achieve their full potential

12. Continue to raise standards of achievement for those vulnerable to underachievement 13. Increase the number of under-represented groups attending post 16 education

Cardiff is a great place to live, work and play

14. Ensure the availability of high quality and affordable accommodation particularly for those in most need 15. Support people most at risk of losing their independence to live independently 16. Promote play, sport, culture; and volunteering opportunities for under- represented groups

Cardiff is a fair, just and inclusive city

17. Work to ensure citizens have the opportunity to participate in and influence the design of services 18. Address the effects of socio-economic disadvantage, particularly child poverty

Changes to the strategic equality objectives for 2014/15

All strategic documents need to reflect the diverse and changing needs of our citizens and our organisation. Cardiff Council has produced a new Corporate Plan for 2013-2017, outlining the administration’s commitments for Cardiff over the forthcoming years. Learning has also taken place during 2013/14 regarding the implementation of our objectives and prioritisation of our equality work. Alongside this, we have also engaged with a wide range of organisations and citizens from different groups. Our strategic equality objectives for 2014/15 have therefore changed slightly to reflect these changes.

We have removed the following objective: “ensure mental health support and prevention programmes are tailored to meet the needs of different groups of service users”. Although a highly important area, the Council was unable to fully realise this objective due to the large proportion of responsibility being with Cardiff & Vale UHB. Actions under this objective are also still captured under objective 2.

We have removed the objective: “work with partners to reduce the fear of crime, especially amongst vulnerable groups”. Due to the publication of the Welsh Government’s hate crime framework and community cohesion strategy, we have realigned our priorities to reflect their key priorities for Wales. We have therefore added two new objectives: • Work to raise awareness of hate crime across Cardiff and support implementation of the Welsh Government Hate Crime Framework • Develop Community Cohesion Action Plan to respond to Cardiff’s cohesion priorities and embed cohesion principles across the Council and our partners

4. Key Aspects of ‘Everyone Matters’ 4.1 Commitment & Leadership

Commitment and leadership are essential for driving forwards our strategic equality plan and implementing our strategic equality objectives. During 2013/14, the Council’s equality agenda received senior commitment and leadership at political, managerial and operational levels:

• Political – the political leadership of the equality agenda is led by Cllr Lynda Thorne, Cabinet Member for Community & Neighbourhood Regeneration and Social Justice. As a member of the Cabinet, Cllr Lynda Thorne, works in partnership with the older persons champion, Cllr Huw Thomas, Cabinet Member for Social Care Health and Wellbeing - Adult Services, to champion equalities issues at a Cabinet Level. Cllr Heather Joyce, the Leader of Cardiff Council also chairs the Cardiff Partnership Leadership group. The Cardiff Partnership Leadership Group sets the vision for partnership working in Cardiff and provides strategic leadership for the partnership model as a whole.

• Managerial – During 2013/14, Christine Salter took senior leadership of the Strategic Equality Plan until December 2013, whilst acting as acting as Interim Head of Paid Service. Paul Orders, Cardiff Council’s new Chief Executive, has now taken on strategic leadership of ‘Everyone Matters’ by ensuring the aims and objectives are communicated at a senior leadership team level. Sarah McGill, Director of Communities, Housing & Customer Services, and Rachel Jones, Operational Manager – Policy, Partnerships & Citizen Focus, drive forward the equalities agenda at a senior manager team level, ensuring the strategic equalities objectives are incorporated into service area business plans.

• Operational – The Council’s Citizen Focus Team consists of officers who support directorates to meet the requirements of the equality duties. The officers specialise in various aspects of equalities, working to progress the work of the Council in physical access and accessible communication, older people, policy & research and evaluation, delivery and monitoring. The officers also work directly with every directorate in Cardiff Council to ensure strategic equality actions are embedded into business plans.

4.2 Key Principles

Our strategic equality plan ‘ Everyone Matters ’ is based upon a number of key themes which cut across the equalities agenda and have shaped our approach to equalities during 2013/14. The following principles underpin ‘Everyone Matters ’:

• Engagement – ensuring all citizens have a voice and are empowered to influence the design and delivery of services so that we can meet diverse needs.

• Communication – clearly communicating the services that are on offer through a number of different media.

• Accessibility – striving to ensure all of our services are accessible to all our citizens.

• Leadership – placing a clear emphasis on working in partnership with communities and other public, private and third sector organisations. The Council recognises it has a leadership role to play in Cardiff, which means maintaining a focus on the equalities agenda and continuing our efforts to improve quality of life for all.

• Intelligence – providing timely and robust evidence to identify priorities and shape our services. In this way we can ensure we are developing the right responses and targeting them successfully. Business intelligence will also enable us to monitor the progress we are making towards achieving the outcomes, helping us to demonstrate success or modify our approach where necessary.

4.3 Mainstreaming strategic equality objectives

Extensive work has been conducted with directorates during 2013/14 to ensure that equality actions are embedded within directorate business plans. This mainstreams actions relating to our equality objectives into the work of the Council and ensures that these actions are subject to the same quarterly monitoring and reporting processes as all other Council actions. Our strategic equality plan is also embedded within Cardiff Council’s Corporate Plan 2013- 2017, therefore promoting a further commitment to increasing our commitment, accountability and transparency in reducing inequalities in Cardiff.

The equality objectives were also mainstreamed into individual personal, performance and development plans during 2013/14, as each manager was required to undertake actions relevant to the Council’s Strategic Equality Plan as part of their yearly development reviews. This ensures that it is not only the owners of key actions that work towards our strategic equality objectives – each employee with management responsibility is also responsible for undertaking action to fulfil these strategic goals, making equality a vital part of our performance reviews.

Through embedding the objectives within our delivery structures, we are starting the process of streamlining our equality agenda and adopting a more consistent approach towards ensuring the Council promotes equality to the highest standards. The monitoring of our strategic equality objectives are conducted through the Council’s Corporate Plan, which is subject to quarterly review by the Council’s Senior Management Team and the Council’s Cabinet and Scrutiny Committees.

Our Strategic Equality Plan is fully adopted by the Council’s Cabinet. It was subject to consideration by the Council’s Policy Review & Performance Scrutiny Committee on 18th January 2012. The Committee supported the

11 approach adopted by ‘Everyone Matters ’ and recognised the important role that the Council has to play as an employer and service provider in eliminating discrimination, promoting equality and fostering good relations between different groups in Cardiff. The Annual Report for 2012/13 was considered by the Policy Review and Performance Scrutiny Committee on 6 th March 2013, prior to its approval by Cabinet on 14 th March 2013 and publication on 31 st March 2013. This annual report was presented to Cabinet on 13th March 2014 and approved for publication.

5. Strategic equality objectives - Summary of Progress The Equality Act requires us to outline the progress we have made towards fulfilling each of our strategic equality objectives and provide a statement on the effectiveness of the steps we have taken to fulfil each objective. The following table summarises this information. More detailed information about our equality work during 2013/14 is available in sections 7 to 16 of this report.

People in Cardiff are healthy Our Strategic Equality Objectives are :

Progress towards fulfilling objective in 2013/14

During 2013/14, we worked in partnership with Cardiff & Vale University Health Board to develop an ‘In-Reach Service’ pilot which identifies patients suitable for reablement at University Hospital Wales and University Hospital Llandough at an earlier point in their care. The pilot looks specifically at understanding why BME people are under-represented in reablement services. The ‘In-Reach Service’ pilot is also actively working to increase the number of patients with dementia accessing reablement services The effectiveness of the pilot is currently being assessed, with the learning being taken forwards for 2014/15 (see 7.2).

During 2013/14, we committed to identifying a more diverse range of service users for our Community Alarm Service in order to increase use amongst all groups. We progressed work to collect data on ethnicity to assess whether people from all communities are accessing the service. The Community Alarm service continued to grow during 2013/14, with work to reach all communities set to continue during 2014/15 (see 7.3).

Statement on the effectiveness of the steps we have taken to fulfil th e equality objectives

‘Everyone Matters ’ identified a difference of 11 years in life expectancy between the highest and lowest life expectancies; Radyr & Morganstown had the highest at 85.5 years, while Butetown had the lowest at 71.9 years. Whilst steps have been taken to reduce differentials in life expectancy and health inequalities during 2013/14, we recognise this is a long-term goal that will continue to be driven forwards throughout the duration of ‘ Everyone Matters ’ and our ten year strategy for the city ‘ What Matters ’. Progress was made to ensure that reablement and community alarm services meet the needs of people from different groups and were communicated effectively. Work on these areas will continue during 2014/15, with us further developing the accessibility of our health and preventative programmes.

Cardiff has a clean, attractive and sustainable Environment Our Strategic Equality Objectives are:

3. Improve access to sustainable transport 4. Ensure households vulnerable to fuel poverty receive assistance and advice 5. Improve equality of access to parks and green spaces

Progress towards fulfilling objective in 2013/14

We have introduced an ‘orange wallet’ – a portable and discreet product that can be tailored to meet the needs of the individuals to help them communicate to bus / train / taxi staff in order to increase accessibility of transport for disabled people (see section 9). The Access Focus Group, in partnership with Network Rail, assisted in the development of contracts for modifications to several road bridges in Cardiff, including: colour contrasting, tactile paving, widths of pavement and the use of effective lighting.

Transport was identified as a key priority by the Cardiff Youth Council and was discussed at the Children and Young People Symposium in March 2013. Representatives from Cardiff Bus were present and subsequently bus fares were reduced so that 16-18 year olds now travel at a discounted rate (see 7.7).

During 2013/14, we supported delivery of the ‘Affordable Warmth Strategy’. We set up an Affordable Warmth Working Group; we are now implementing the action plan (see 7.5). We led the ‘Cyd Cymru’ project, which is a collective energy buying scheme to help households save money on energy costs. The concept is that by purchasing energy in bulk, the providers will be able to sell at wholesale prices and sell onto households at reduced prices. This scheme was launched in October 2013 to help those who are struggling with the increased costs of fuel and to assist in ensuring that families are not put in difficult positions when prioritising household expenses. It has already helped thousands of households across Cardiff to access cheaper energy prices (see 10.6).

We have taken significant steps to improve access to our parks and green spaces during 2013/14. We began a development plan for Hailey Park, commenced the Heath Park Management Plan and undertook a consultation on Roath Park. A plan to implement multi-sensory signage in parks is underway, with work due to commence in 2014/15. We began work with RNIB and Cardiff Institute for the Blind Gardening club to develop a sensory herbal garden in Bute Park. In January 2014, Innovate Trust started a long term project to improve access to Bute Park. Furthermore, new footpaths were developed in Bute Park and the footpath network in Pontcanna Fields. Work to improve the accessibility of our parks will continue during 2014/15 (see 7.6).

Statement on the effectiveness of the steps we have taken to fulfil the equality objectives

Both the Access Focus Group and the 50+ Forums identified transport as a key

14 priority for their groups during 2013/14. Work to improve access to transport was progressed this year and will continue throughout 2014/15. Access to buses was greatly improved for 16 to 18 years and they are now able to travel at a discounted rate. In order to reduce fuel poverty, we developed and launched an ‘Affordable Warmth Strategy’; work on implementing the strategy will continue throughout 2014/15. We led the ‘Cyd Cymru’ project, enabling households vulnerable to fuel poverty to reduce their fuel costs. We took significant steps to improve access to our parks and green spaces this year, with a particular focus on working with partners to improve access for disabled people. Work to improve equality access of our parks will continue during 2013/14.

People in Cardiff are safe and feel safe Our Strategic Equality Objectives are:

Progress towards fulfilling objective in 2013/14

We launched Cardiff’s Women’s Centre in March 2013; a multi-agency centre which brings together a multitude of support services such as advocacy, housing support and legal aid. This provides a wraparound provision in a single location to support women and children in Cardiff who have experienced, or are currently experiencing domestic violence or abuse.

We introduced a project on ‘Gay-Straight Alliances’ into Cardiff’s schools in order to tackle homophobic bullying. The project identified that, while many examples of good practice are evident in Cardiff’s schools, greater support is needed specifically for young Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) young people. The project launched a good practice guidance book for schools in February 2014. We are currently exploring funding to roll the programme out across all high schools in Cardiff following the successful pilot period (see 7.8).

In order to increase reporting of incidents of workplace bullying and harassment, we developed a new reporting function on our internal website. The form enables Cardiff Council employees to anonymously report activity taking place, therefore assisting HR to deal with the matter and obtain data on any bullying / harassment that is being reported across the organisation. At present, the system is being piloted; it will be formally launched for all employees during 2014/15 (see 8.2). We developed a new Dignity At Work Policy, incorporating all protected groups, and an accompanying employee ‘appropriate language’ booklet. The policy and the booklet will be published during 2014/15 and made

15 available to all employees.

Steps have been taken to raise awareness of hate crime and increase reporting during 2013/14. We have continued to provide funding to Race Equality First to provide a casework service to victims of hate crime and discrimination in Cardiff (see 11.2). We have set up groups for LGBT and Trans citizens (LGBT Voices & Trans Voices) and worked in partnership with Tell MAMA to run hate crime awareness sessions for the Islamic communities in order to increase reporting of Islamophobia. We have run ‘Hate Crime Awareness Training’ for Cardiff Council staff across all directorates; 17 sessions were run, training approximately 340 employees (see12.1).

Statement on the effectiveness of the steps we have taken to fulfil the equality objective

The opening of the Cardiff Women’s Centre was a significant step forwards in increasing reporting and improving support for victims of domestic abuse. We undertook valuable initiatives in schools and the workplace to reduce bullying related to the protected groups; these will be progressed further during 2014/15. We made steps towards raising awareness of hate crime through the implementation of various initiatives. We have added a strategic objective specifically on hate crime and will continue to employ a Community Cohesion Officer to ensure this work is further progressed during 2014/15. We have committed to developing a Community Cohesion Action Plan through a new objective for 2014/15, which will further focus this work on priority areas for the city.

Cardiff has a thriving and prosperous economy

Our Strategic Equality Objectives are:

10. Work with partners to address barriers to employment within Cardiff 11. Work to reduce the pay gap between men and women in Cardiff Council

Progress towards fulfilling objective in 2013/14

We have collected and analysed employment information in line with the requirements in the Equality Act. The recruitment data will help us to identify any barriers to employment within the Council (see 8.1 & appendix 2). We began a review of our Recruitment & Selection Policy to ensure the process is fair, transparent and accessible to people from all protected groups (see 8.3). We have continued to support our employee equality networks, which actively support employees from protected groups and promote equality in the workplace (see 8.2). We continued to use the ‘Service Desk’ as an online process for requesting an assessment for reasonable adjustment and monitored the effectiveness of any adjustments implemented and agreed (see 8.5).

We introduced a Framework for Work Experience, Work Placements, Traineeships, Apprenticeships & Graduates, following approval by Cabinet in November 2013. This framework provides a consistent corporate approach to

16 supporting young people who are not in education, employment or training and helping citizens develop skills to enable them to access jobs in the city. The framework will continue to be implemented during 2014/15.

We worked with the Department of Work & Pensions to take NEET individuals on an 8 week work experience programme; some individuals were then employed by our employment agency Cardiff Works. We are currently assessing the success of the NEET programme, with a view to expanding this during 2014/15 (see 7.9).

Following the implementation of ‘Single Status’ in Cardiff Council in April 2012, we continued to use the Job Evaluation Scheme as a systematic approach to determining grades for jobs, therefore ensuring pay grades are fair and equitable for both male and female employees (see 8.5).

Statement on the effectiveness of the steps we have taken to fulfil the equality objective

We have undertaken various initiatives during 2013/14 to reduce barriers to employment within Cardiff Council. We developed a Framework for Work Experience, Work Placements, Traineeships, Apprenticeships & Graduates. We successfully supported young people to access work experience placements within the Council and are looking to expand this NEET programme during 2014/15. We continued to ensure male and female employees were paid equally for work of equal value and will continue to monitor our gender pay gap during 2014/15. We are due to complete the review of our Recruitment & Selection Policy during 2014/15 and will continue to support employees from protected groups through our equality networks and reasonable adjustments process. We recognise that access to employment is a significant issue in the current economic climate and that Cardiff Council is only undertaking very limited recruitment due to major budget restraints. Due to this, we have focussed our efforts upon work experience schemes and supporting existing employees from protected groups to reach their full potential.

People in Cardiff achieve their full potential Our Strategic Equality Objectives are:

12. Continue to raise standards of achievement for those vulnerable to underachievement 13. Increase the number of under-represented groups attending post 16 education

Progress towards f ulfilling objective in 2013/14 In May 2013, the Council’s Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Committee conducted an inquiry into the impact of poverty and educational attainment. The inquiry received evidence from a range of sources, resulting in a report into educational attainment and poverty. The key findings and recommendations from this will assist Cardiff Council to ensure the educational outcomes of all children are improved and every child’s outcomes, regardless of their

17 socioeconomic background, reflect their true potential (see 7.7).

We completed a two year project exploring how best to welcome and integrate newly arrived immigrant families into the Cardiff education system. We worked specifically with 14 to 19 year olds from BME communities to prevent them becoming NEET, working largely with Czech, Slovak and Roma pupils who are vulnerable to underachievement. We established bespoke vocational and ESOL courses for these pupils, supporting 10 groups of over 90 young people. We secured a grant from Families First to help with engagement, attainment and progression routes for Roma young people over the age of 16. This work will continue throughout 2014/15 (see 7.8).

We continued work on our Schools Organisation Planning in order to improve accessibility within our schools. We ensured that disability access is an integral part of all building designs and each proposal was subject to an equality impact assessment. We added a new consideration to the checklist for architects - higher specification accessible toilets will be now be included in all designs in order to future proof the building in terms of disabled toilet provision (see 7.8).

We expanded our work with pre-school children with hearing impairments and opened a new school in September 2013, St Teilos Church in Wales School, which includes purpose built facilities for visually impaired pupils. Our Traveller Education Service supported Gypsy / Traveller young people through a range of activities including delivery of workshops to primary schools and celebration of Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month. Our Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS) was awarded funding from Families First to employ a bilingual Teaching Assistant who speaks Czech and Slovak. During 2013/14, the Teaching Assistant worked with Roma children and their families in order to improve their experience of the educational system and increase educational attainment. This group is one of most educationally under-achieving ethnic minority groups; the project is funded for three years and will continue through 2014/15.

Statement on the effectiveness of the steps we have taken to fulfil the equality objective

We recognise that educational achievement and access to post 16 education varies by protected groups, with some ethnic minority groups being less likely to achieve the best educational outcomes. During 2013/14, we have undertaken targeted work to improve the educational outcomes for newly arrived young people, Czech, Slovak and Roma pupils and disabled children. We recognise that there is much work to do to improve outcomes for these groups and will continue our efforts throughout 2014/14 to reduce attainment gaps for different protected groups.

Cardiff is a great place to live, work and play Our Strategi c Equality Objectives are:

14. Ensure the availability of high quality and affordable accommodation particularly those in most need

15. Support people most at risk of losing their independence to live independently 16. Promote play, sport, culture; and volunteering opportunities for under- represented groups

Progress towards fulfilling objective in 2013/14

During 2013/14, the UK wide welfare reforms lead us to ensure that we assisted those affected by the Housing Benefit Spare Room Subsidy to downsize. As a result, we have regularly monitored cases and continued to assist individuals to downsize or exchange their property. During the first half of 2013/14, we successfully applied for grants to deliver 30 one and two bedroom units by 2015/16 (see 7.11). We continued to run the Welfare Reform Task Group to help mitigate some of the impacts of the reforms and help reduce the impact of the reforms to the citizens of Cardiff (see 7.12).

We supported people at risk of losing their independence to remain living independent through the introduction of the ‘In Reach Service’ pilot of reablement support, looking at increasing access specifically for ethnic minority communities and people with dementia (see 7.2).

During 2013/14, we increased access to sport for young people through eliminating fees and charges for mini / youth football, rugby, cricket, tennis and fishing. We also now offer free use of pitches for all of these sports We worked with Disability Sport to develop the ‘In Sport’ programme in order to improve inclusion in sport and were successfully granted ‘ribbon standard’ (see 7.13). During 2013/14, we continued to fund ‘Voluntary Community Services’ to promote volunteering and support placements in Cardiff Council and across the City (see 11.4).

Statement on the effectiveness of the steps we have taken to fulfil the equality objective

During 2013/14, we have taken steps to increase the availability of one and two bedroom properties through successfully securing a grant. We supported citizens affected by the government’s welfare reforms and introduced a pilot reablement project to assist people to remain living independently in their own homes. We increased access to sport through eliminating fees and charges and introducing the Disability Sport ‘In Sport’ initiative. Although we have made progress in these areas, we recognise that there is still much to be done to ensure Cardiff is a great place to live, work and play for people from all protected groups and will continue to work progress these strategic objectives during 2014/15.

Cardiff is a fair, just and inclusive city Our Strategic Equality Objectives are:

17. Work to ensure citizens have the opportunity to participate in and influence the design of services

18. Address the effects of socio-economic disadvantage, particularly child Poverty

Progress towards fulfilling objective in 2013/14 We have undertaken extensive engagement, consultation and involvement activities throughout 2013/14 to ensure that citizens have the opportunity to participate in and influence the design of services. Additionally, we have undertaken considerable engagement with protected groups through our Access Focus Group, 50+ Forums, co-production work, community covenant work and our budget consultation events (section 10). We have established groups for LGBT and transgender citizens (section 12.1) and actively engaged with children and young people in the design of our services and budget priorities (section 7.7). We have worked with our partners to engage with citizens and improve equality of access to our services (section 11) and provided equality grants to a considerable number of organisations to support them to provide services to local communities (section 13). We have hosted several equality and cultural events throughout the year, enabling citizens to come together to celebrate diversity and fostering good relations between different groups (section 14). We have undertaken extensive Equality Impact Assessments of our policies and budget proposals, identifying potential impacts upon our citizens and protected groups (section 15).

We published the White Paper ‘Building Communities, A New Approach to Neighbourhood Working’ in October 2013, which outlines methods for improving neighbourhood working and improving the way we engage with communities in the creation, delivery and evaluation of local action plans and services (see 7.1).

We have addressed the effects of socio-disadvantage through our Welfare Reform Task Group (section 7.12) and through conducting research into the impacts of poverty and educational achievement (section 7.7). We have continued to coordinate the ‘Families First’ and ‘Communities First’ programmes, which provide support to the city’s most vulnerable children and addresses the impact of child poverty.

Statement on the effectiveness of the steps we have taken to fulfil the equality objective

We recognise the importance of ensuring citizens have the opportunity to influence the design of services, particularly during this economic climate when budget restraints are impacting upon services. We have taken steps to engage with citizens from across the city, with a particular emphasis on engaging with children and young people, older people, disabled people and LGBT and transgender people. We will continue to engage with these protected groups during 2014/15 and work to ensure that all protected groups are represented in our consultation activities. We will continue to implement the White Paper ‘Building Communities, A New Approach to Neighbourhood Working’ during 2014/15, ensuring that citizens have the opportunity to influence decisions about their neighbourhoods. We have taken steps to address the effects of socio- economic disadvantage in the City, but recognise that this is an ongoing task that will require focussed efforts during forthcoming years to reduce inequalities experienced by some groups.

6. Collecting Relevant Information

Under the Equality Act 2010, we are required to identify how we have collected relevant information, how the information is meeting the three aims of the duty and any reasons for not collecting information. We are also required to provide a statement on the effectiveness of our arrangements for identifying and collecting relevant information.

Cardiff Council collects a vast array of information which supports us in meeting the three aims of the general duty in the Equality Act. This information is used throughout the Council to:

• Prepare and publish our strategic equality objectives • Assess the impact of policies and practices on different groups • Conduct equality impact assessments • Assess who is and who is not using our services • Understand priorities for citizens in Cardiff and levels of satisfaction with services

Further information about how we collect and use relevant information is detailed below.

6.1 Relevant Information & Strategic Equality Objectives

Cardiff Council’s strategic equality objectives were developed after a comprehensive needs assessment of Cardiff and our citizens. The needs assessment brings together relevant information – both nationally and regionally for Cardiff – in order to produce a detailed picture of our city. It utilises relevant information from Cardiff Council and our partners, drawing upon population data, demographic data and health data. The needs assessment provides a clear evidence base for our strategic equality objectives.

Cardiff Council’s needs assessment can be accessed online in English and Welsh and in hard copy by request

6.2 Relevant information & our service users

Cardiff Council collects a multitude of relevant information across many of our services. Services collect information that is relevant to their service delivery, along with information that is required under Welsh Government directives and other statutory requirements.

Since the introduction of the ‘relevant information’ requirements in the Equality Act, Cardiff Council has begun work to standardise the equality information that each service collects. A standardised approach such as this will ensure that we are able to collect and analyse equality information across a wider range of our services. Collecting this equality information will benefit Cardiff Council by:

• Providing us with a clearer picture of who accesses Council services and who does not • Helping us to assess whether we are engaging with all sections of the population, and if not, why not • Allowing us to understand who our customers are and what needs they have • Enabling us to have data that will better inform our policies, practices and our equality impact assessments

Standardising our approach to collecting equality information will enable us to:

• make better informed decisions • inform council and service area planning • ensure services are delivered to those who need them • have more information about services users and who does and does not use our services • tailor our services to meet specific needs

In order to capture this information, a new monitoring form has been developed which covers all the protected characteristics in the Equality Act (Appendix 1). This form will be rolled out across Cardiff Council and used by services where this data will assist them in meeting the three aims of the general duty. All services will need to review their functions and where they would benefit from gathering this data.

Cardiff Council began piloting the collection of this equality information in April 2013. Three services were involved in the initial pilot:

• Leisure centres • Consumer Advice Services • Cardiff Story Museum

Learning from these three pilots has supported us to roll out use of this equality monitoring form to a wider range of services, with the questions being incorporated into existing forms i.e. membership / registration forms where possible.

The following services are now also collecting this information as part of their standard application / referral forms:

• Leaseholder Services • Children’s Services • Private Sector Housing • Low Cost Homeownership • Housing Benefits • Local Training & Enterprise

Cardiff Council’s Council Tax Team will be distributing the form to a snapshot of households in March 2014 along with the annual Council Tax bill in order to provide us equalities data in relation to the population of Cardiff.

Cardiff Council is introducing ‘hubs’ across the city in order for citizens to access several Council services in one location. During 2014/15, we will be introducing this equality monitoring process to the hubs across the City. We will also be introducing equalities monitoring to our Families First and Communities First services.

During 2014/15 we will continue to identify services which are relevant to the three aims of the Equality Act’s general duty and roll out this equality monitoring process across the Council.

6.3 Cardiff Research Centre

Cardiff Research Centre is part of Cardiff Council’s Policy, Partnerships & Citizen Focus Team and delivers key consultation, research, and information services for Cardiff Council and other key organisations in Cardiff and Wales

Core services include:

• Collection, analysis and interpretation of primary survey data • Analysis and interpretation of a wide range of secondary demographic and socio-economic statistical data including the Census and in-depth economic impact assessments. • Specialised studies on a wide range of topics including land use planning & development, social, economic and demographic subjects • Quantitative and qualitative research and consultation projects • Cardiff Citizens’ Panel • Focus Groups and meeting facilitation • Advice and support on all aspects of research and consultation. • GIS mapping services

During 2013/14 Cardiff Research Centre undertook several projects involving the collection and analysis of relevant information. For each of these projects, Cardiff Research Centre includes the collection and analysis of respondents’ equality data as an integral part of the information they collect. The research centre determines the relevance of the equality questions and asks those where the data will be used to inform the service development or project. During 2013/14, the research centre undertook the following consultations:

• East Cardiff Pupil Consultation Online survey with pupils, parents, staff and governors to gauge opinion on a new school uniform for the East Cardiff High School.

• Schools Super Survey A major project which has collected the opinions of 11-18 year olds in full time education on a wide range of issues. All 22 Secondary Schools in Cardiff took part in the consultation.

• Splott Pool Leisure Hub Paper and online survey plus workshops and drop-in sessions with local residents in order to gauge public opinion on a new community leisure hub, replacing two existing services.

• Ely Community Hub Paper and online survey with local residents on an integrated hub in Ely.

• Grangetown Hub & District Centre Paper and online survey with residents in Grangetown on a proposed multi- purpose hub in the area. In addition, residents are also being consulted on proposed improvements for the Clare Road/ Penarth shopping centre.

• Super Connected Cities Consultation Paper and online survey to residents and businesses to find opinions on current broadband service and establish potential demand for the UltraFast broadband service.

• Older Persons Strategy Consultation Paper and online survey with Cardiff Citizens Panel and relevant stakeholder groups on how to meet the health and social care needs of the local population.

• Children’s Literature Festival Paper survey distributed during the Cardiff Children’s Literature Festival in order to gauge views on levels of satisfaction of the festival.

• Events Economic Impact Assessments Face to face interviews at major events in Cardiff throughout 2013, including the Harbour Festival, Food & Drink Festival, Cardiff Marathon and Winter Wonderland in order to understand the profile of visitors at the events and to record their behaviour as a visitor.

• Housing Allocations Consultation Online survey on changes the Council wished to make to its Housing Allocation Scheme.

• Cardiff Castle Survey Face to face Visitor Survey, to understand the profile of visitors to the Castle; to record their behaviour as a visitor; and to evaluate marketing activity in 2013.

• Birdies Lane Ongoing consultation with residents around the area of Birdies Lane, which was gated and closed overnight between 7pm and 5am in 2008. Consultation

24 aims to find out how often and why people use the lane and on how best to deal with problems associated with Birdies Lane.

• Alley Gating Paper survey to local residents in a range of areas across Cardiff including Canton, Grangetown, Riverside, Adamsdown, Cathays and Penylan in order to consult with residents on the gating of a number of Alleys in these areas.

• Tenants Satisfaction Survey Paper and online survey with 4000 Council tenants identifying levels of satisfaction and current services they receive. Also used to monitor Cardiff Council’s performance as a landlord and find out what improvements tenants would like to be made.

• Childcare Sufficiency survey Online surveys to a wide range of stakeholders including parents/ guardians and childcare providers in order to ensure that future school and childcare provision meets the needs of the residents of Cardiff.

• Waste Strategy Online survey seeking views on the future steps the Council needs to take to minimise waste and further encourage recycling in Cardiff.

• Community Litter Online survey inviting views on the Council’s Community Litter Plan which aims to tackle issues such as littering, fly tipping, dog fouling and graffiti.

• Bute Park Restoration Online survey to Cardiff Citizens Panel and Cardiff Castle Key holders to gauge views on the Bute Park Restoration Project, which is due for completion in March 2014.

• Employee Survey Staff survey asking employee views on how the Council is performing on the key areas of concern highlighted in the recently reported findings of the Peer Review.

• Job Seekers / Into Work Paper survey with jobseekers on proposals for a new, consistent and joined up service across the city.

• Web Refresh Project Online survey to Cardiff Citizens Panel to ask their opinion on the Cardiff Council website.

• Ask Cardiff Residents Survey ‘Ask Cardiff’ is an annual resident satisfaction survey which is sent to over 65,000 households in Cardiff. It includes questions on Council services and is distributed online, through paper, Twitter via the Council’s website and to employees. This year’s ‘Ask Cardiff’ survey was conducted during July and

August 2013; a total of 6195 completed questionnaires were received. Data was disaggregated by some protected groups, revealing that:

• Gender - 43.2% were male / 56.8% were female • Age – 29.9% were aged 16-34 / 40.2% were 35 to 54 / 29.9% were 55+ • Disability – 88.3% were not disabled / 8.4% were disabled / 3.3% preferred not to say • Religion – 56.2% had no religion, of those 43.8% that did have a religion the breakdown was as follows:

No. % Christian (Including Church in Wales, Catholic, Protestant and all other Christian denominations) 2,378 87.7 Muslim 74 2.7 Hindu 49 1.8 Buddhist 32 1.2 Jewish 22 0.8 Sikh 8 0.3 Prefer not to answer 65 2.4 Other 85 3.1 Total 2,713 100.0

• Sexual Orientation - 87.7% considered themselves to be heterosexual. The breakdown was as follows:

No. % Bisexual 107 1.8 Gay Man 161 2.8 Gay Woman/ Lesbian 60 1.0 Heterosexual/ Straight 5,077 87.7 Prefer not to answer 357 6.2 Other 26 0.4 Total 5,78 8 100.0

• Race - Respondents stating they were of a White background (Welsh/English/Scottish/ Northern Irish/British, Irish or any other White background) accounted for 92.6% of all those responding to the survey. The 2011 Census identifies ‘white groups’ as accounting for 84.7% of the Cardiff population. This shows us that further work is required to ensure that ‘Ask Cardiff’ reaches Cardiff’s ethnic minority communities.

No. % White -Welsh/English/Scottish/ Northern Irish/British 5,161 87.4 White - Irish 68 1.2 White - Gypsy or Irish Traveller 4 0.1 White - Any other white background 233 3.9 Mixed/Multiple Ethnic Groups - White and Black Caribbean 23 0.4 Mixed/Multiple Ethnic Groups - White and Black African 12 0.2 Mixed/Multiple Ethnic Groups - White & Asian 27 0.5 Mixed/Multiple Ethnic Groups - Any other 16 0.3 Asian/Asian British - Indian 78 1.3

Asian/Asian British - Pakistani 26 0.4 Asian/Asian British - Bangladeshi 17 0.3 Asian/Asian British - Chinese 38 0.6 Asian/Asian British - Any other 18 0.3 Black/African/Caribbean/Black British - African 15 0.3 Black/African/Caribbean/Black British - Caribbean 19 0.3 Black/African/Caribbean/Black British - Any other 6 0.1 Arab 17 0.3 Any other ethnic group 29 0.5 Prefer not to say 101 1.7 Total 5,908 100.0

• Transgender – We do not currently monitor ‘Ask Cardiff’ respondents by transgender.

The results of the 2013 survey are currently being analysed and will be disaggregated by all of these equality groups. The full reports will be available on the Ask Cardiff website during the first quarter of 2014/15. We have produced a ‘Voices for Cardiff’ report which outlines key questions in relation to satisfaction with living in Cardiff and Council services broken down by some of the protected characteristics. This report can be accessed here .

Ask Cardiff

The information collected by Cardiff Research Centre can be accessed online through the Ask Cardiff website . This website highlights the relevant information that Cardiff Council collects and analyses, including:

• ‘Facts and Stats’ - provides a wide range of socio-economic analysis of small area spatial variations in socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the residents of Cardiff • ‘Consultation’ – what we’re currently consulting on and how you can have your say, including outcomes of past consultations and how to become a member of the Cardiff Citizens Panel • ‘Resources’ – this section provides links to numerous online resources including the ‘Cardiff Online Mapping Portal’, Cardiff Research Centre reports and the Cardiff Partnership organisations.

The Ask Cardiff website also contains Neighbourhood Intelligence Reports . As part of work to support neighbourhood partnerships in Cardiff, a series of quarterly Neighbourhood Intelligence Reports are prepared. They draw together the wide range of information that is available at a neighbourhood partnership level, including: demographics, crime and anti- social behaviour, NEETs, deprivation, looked after children and community first activities, amongst others.

6.4 Statement on relevant information

During 2013/14 we have made significant steps to identify and collect relevant information which supports us in meeting the three aims of the Equality Act’s general duty. Cardiff Research Centre has continued to collect a vast array of relevant information about our citizens through surveys, questionnaires, consultations, public meetings and assessments. They have collected and analysed equalities data alongside this information, ensuring that the impact upon the protected characteristics is considered as an integral part of each of these projects.

We have analysed which of our services collect service user equalities data and identified the need to develop our approach to collecting this more extensively and comprehensively across the Council. During 2013/14, we have taken steps towards developing a consistent, standardised approach towards service user equality monitoring, with several Council services now incorporating this into their service delivery. During 2014/15 we will continue to develop this approach, ensuring that the relevant information that we identify and collect is strengthened further. This data will be analysed to provide us with a more detailed profile of who does and does not access specific services, therefore allowing us to use the data to assess how we are meeting the three aims of the General duty.

7. Council Services - Good Practice During 2013/14

Section 5 of this annual report provides an overview of our progress in 2013/14 in relation to our strategic equality objectives. This section of the report provides a more detailed account of the projects, developments and initiatives that have taken place over the last year to further equality and meet the three aims of the Equality Act’s general duty.

7.1 Building Communities, A New Approach to Neighbourhood Working White Paper

During 2013/14, significant steps were made to further neighbourhood partnerships across the city. Neighbourhood Partnership provides a structured way of bringing people, service providers and decision makers closer together to develop tailored solutions for the local community. It represents an effective way of bringing together the energy, ideas and resources of a lot of different people and organisations. This is particularly relevant given the financial challenges currently facing public services in the city - it is important that we effectively coordinate our limited resources around shared priorities. The vision for neighbourhood working therefore is to:

• Bring services closer to people: This means that local people can help shape the services they receive so they are what they need. • Understand local needs and aspirations: Because local communities have different needs and aspirations it is important that these are understood so we can spend our resources most effectively. • Coordinate resources to solve problems and deliver local priorities : Because of the impact of the global economic downturn everyone must now work together to effectively target their resources if we are to achieve real success

What are Neighbourhood Partnerships ?

Neighbourhood Partnerships is simply a way to bring together local communities and service providers to problem solve issues and improve services. It is based on the idea that within local authority boundaries there are often big differences across the many communities and neighbourhoods within that area. As a result there is often a need to shape services according to local preferences. The Neighbourhood Partnership process therefore looks to identify and tackle the key priorities at the most appropriate level – and looks at neighbourhoods according to the outcomes we want to achieve together rather than focussing on how to deliver services individually. Put simply, by getting a better understanding of local issues, and how we can address them together, we can deliver better, more effective services.

To gauge views on Neighbourhood Partnerships, where we can improve the way it works and get an understanding of who should be involved in determining what is done, we published a Green Paper in April 2013. This

29 recognised that it was time to evolve to the next phase of maturity regarding multi-agency problem solving and there needed to be greater involvement of communities in helping to identify and deliver the solutions. We therefore initiated a consultation through the Green Paper which enabled a discussion to take place between partners, elected members and stakeholders about how improvements could be made to provide a more locally focussed, responsive approach which was firmly embedded in partner organisations as the model for service delivery. The consultation was undertaken over a six- week period between 26th April and 7th June 2013 and included email responses, an online survey and community events. Additionally, youth engagement events were conducted and four focus groups were held in conjunction with Cardiff Youth Council. The focus groups were set up specifically to find out about how the Neighbourhood Management Teams can improve the way they engage and involve young people in the creation, delivery and evaluation of local action plans and service provision.

Following the Green Paper, we published a White Paper in October 2013, which outlines proposals for improving neighbourhood working in Cardiff based upon the views and ideas collated as part of the Green Paper consultation. The White Paper makes a series of recommendations for the future of Neighbourhood Partnerships which are being implemented between December 2013 and June 2014.

The White Paper ‘ Building Communities A New Approach to

Neighbourhood Working’ and a full outline of these recommendations

can be accessed here .

7.2 Health & Social Care

During 2013/14, the Health & Social Care Directorate set out to ensure that reablement services would be equitable, accessible and communicated effectively to service users from different protected groups who were most at risk of losing their independence, including people with dementia. Progress towards this was made by:

• Developing an ‘In-Reach Service’ pilot which would identify patients suitable for reablement at an earlier point in their treatment University Hospital Wales and University Hospital Llandough. Two Homecare Co- ordinators were placed in UHW to work with ward level nursing and therapy staff to identify people for reablement at an early stage. This includes identifying people with dementia who would benefit from reablement at an earlier stage. • This pilot helped the service to understand the issues around the low take- up of BME people in reablement service and ensure they are appropriately communicated with. There is now improved communication with the Community Resource Teams which will lead to more effective discharge planning and a positive experience for the service user. • The OM for Maintaining & Regaining Independence has met with other local authorities to explore their models of reablement service provision for people with dementia.

• All Occupational Therapists in the Council undertook a programme of dementia reablement training in November 2013. • Following the launch of a multi-agency Dementia Implementation Plan, we have developed a Dementia Task Group and are now collaborating with Cardiff & Vale University Health Board to implement the actions. This work will continue to be progressed during 2014/15.

Health & Social Care have continued to increase awareness of their services amongst BME communities through holding surgeries in various venues. The sessions have now been extended further, with the Contact Assessment Team now also holding information sessions with other new groups:

• Bangladesh Association • Multi-Cultural Health Resources & Information Centre • South Asian Women’s Association • Henna Foundation • Women Connect First

Although every effort has been made to explain our services to a wide range of minority ethnic groups in their community venues, attendance in the previous surgeries and the new Information Sessions has been sporadic. The reason could be that minority ethnic people might not see a need for social care until they are faced with a crisis situation. Nevertheless, the team has created links with the communities to enable them to contact a designated social worker should there be a need in the future. This work will be ongoing during 2014/15.

7.3 Community Alarm Service

During 2013/14, we committed to developing a strategy to identify a more diverse range of service users for our Community Alarm Service. Progress towards this was made by identifying the demographics of users of the products. This has showed that:

• The Community Alarm dispersed alarm product has been found to serve older and/or disabled clients, Telecare clients, housing association clients, trading standards units for doorstep crime as well as units for the Police and Women’s aid for domestic violence and repeat victims. • The Community Alarm Sheltered Housing Scheme provides mainly for older and/or disabled clients. • The Community Alarm Lone Worker service deals with 1000 council workers as well as 500 external clients.

The Community Alarm service continued to grow during 2013/14 and work is underway to collect data on ethnicity to ensure that all groups are represented within the database.

7.4 Children’s Services

During 2013/14, we set out to develop an Early Intervention and Prevention Strategy to promote partnership working and strengthen the interface between

Families First, Flying Start, the Integrated Family Support Services and Communities First. We have made progress towards this during this year, with a review of the Parenting Framework, which plays a key role in the strategy, taking place. We have re-established a workforce development group, developing a work plan and priorities for this group for 2014/15.

7.5 Affordable Warmth Strategy

During 2013/14, we supported delivery of the Affordable Warmth Strategy, which targets citizens on low income with advice and support. We set up an Affordable Warmth Working Group where we reviewed the strategy and set up specific sub-groups. We launched the Affordable Warmth Strategy and held stakeholder meetings; we are now implementing the action plan and monitoring progress against this.

7.6 Parks

Our strategic equality plan commits Cardiff Council to increase access to our parks and green spaces. During 2013/14, we held a public consultation and a stakeholder meeting on Hailey Park and began a development plan for the park. We commenced work on the Heath Park Management Plan and developed a consultation plan for Roath Park to feed into Roath Park’s management plan for 2014/15.

Plans to improve signage in parks so that it becomes multi-sensory are underway. A tender for this multi-sensory signage went out in December 2013, with work due to commence in 2014/15.

Work is currently underway to develop a new sensory herbal garden in Bute Park. Cardiff Council’s Education and Outreach Officer is currently working with the RNIB and Cardiff Institute for the Blind Gardening club who are creating this in the community space within the new polytunnel at Bute Park Education Centre.

Over 12 weeks (April to July 2013) three students from Vision 21 volunteered for 12 hours a week in Bute Park, refurbishing planters in the park with one member of staff from the charity.

In January 2014, Innovate Trust started a long term project with the Bute Park Community Ranger. The group of 15 will be working on laying an alder matting path in the wettest areas through Blackweir Woods. This provides a drier less slippery surface to walkers but it also has the added effect of slowing off road cyclists down. The group has also regularly also taken part in litter picking, distributing woodchip pathway from Blackweir towards to the Education Centre and Himalayan Balsam pulling.

Work is ongoing in making Bute Park more accessible to citizens, particularly disabled people. New footpaths have been developed around the ‘Dock Feeder’ and ‘Blackfriars Friary site’ to improve accessibility around the Ancient Monument. A new footpath has also been installed linking Fields Park Road housing estate to the footpath network in Pontcanna Fields. Work to improve the accessibility of our parks will continue during 2014/15.

Dock Feeder Footpath, Bute Park – this new footpath path runs the length of the Dock Feeder in Bute Park between the rear of Cardiff Castle and Blackweir Farmhouse and the area is a haven for wildlife.

Bute Park - works underway to construct a new hard surface footpath through ‘Old Man’s Woods’ in Bute Park and to improve access to the Scheduled Ancient Monument site Blackfriars Friary. This work was completed mid October 2013 and the path is now open.

7.7 Children & Young People

Within our Corporate Plan we have made a central commitment to ensuring that children and young people are able to access their human, social and economic rights outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Our commitment means that, as a Council, we need to put mechanisms in place to ensure that all our work relating to children and young people is underpinned and informed by the Convention.

• Statutory Screening Tool This year we incorporated Children’s Rights into our Statutory Screening Tool. This enables us to pay specific attention to the rights and best interests of children when making decisions and changes to policy and service provisions.

• Awareness Raising of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child As part of our commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, we have a responsibility to raise knowledge and awareness of Children’s Rights. In November 2013, we developed a Children’s Rights training workshop with young people and delivered it to Councillors. Moving this forward, we will work with children and young people to develop a comprehensive training programme for all officers across the Council.

• Celebration of International Human Rights Day On 10 th December 2013, the Council supported Cardiff Youth Council to celebrate International Human Rights Day in Llanover Hall. The event saw children and young people and a number of high-level senior decision-makers from across the country raising the awareness of children’s rights agenda. Attendees included the South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, Chief Executive of Youth Cymru, Cardiff Councillors, University Professors of Children’s Rights and European Youth Policy.

Children and young people’s participation and involvement in decision-making processes that affect them is a fundamental right outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This year the Council has continued to support children and young people to exercise and access these rights through our continued support:

• Cardiff Youth Council This year the Council Youth Service has continued to support Cardiff Youth Council as one of the mechanisms we listen to children and young people. Cardiff Youth Council is a network of young people from across the city advocating for positive social change. They often represent the views of children and young people across the city. The Youth Council has approximately 40 active members (aged between 11 and 25 years old) representing a number of individuals, youth organisations and youth provisions from across the city,

34 including; school councils, colleges, student unions, youth support services and youth fora. Throughout the year, we supported Cardiff Youth Council to be actively involved in:

o Council Budget Priority Setting for 2014/2015; o Reporting to our Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Committee; o Educational Attainment and Poverty Research o Youth Mayor Research, and; o Priority setting for Cardiff Partnership Board

During 2014/15, the Council will continue to support Cardiff Youth Council in representing the voices of children and young people across the city.

• Budget Priorities Consultation Budgets and austerity has been a central theme to running and delivery of local governments over recent years. We need to reduce costs and improve the way we work to meet our city’s needs. To enable us to do this and plan effectively, we need to find out what is important to our citizens and listen to their views. In December 2013, the Council carried out a consultation exercise with young people from across the city into the current budget situation, allowing them to express their budget priorities. Moving forward we will continue to identify ways in which children and young people can influence this decision-making process.

• Youth Mayor Research Over the course of the year, we have been continuously involving children and young people in reflecting on how, as a Council, we can get better at listening to their views and opinions. In May 2013, we worked with representatives from Cardiff Youth Council to carry out a research project on potential new listening structures. We carried out research into the possibilities of establishing a Youth Mayor structure for the city. Study visits to areas of best practice were carried out in Tower Hamlets, Lewisham, Bristol and Merthyr. Desktop studies were carried out on Swansea, Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan. The report will be presented to decision-makers later this year.

• Reduced Bus Fares Transport was identified as a key priority by the Cardiff Youth Council and as such was a theme of discussion at the Children and Young People

Symposium in March 2013. Representatives from Cardiff Bus were present and, after conversations with young people, fares were reduced in 2013/14 so that 16-18 year olds now travel at a discounted rate. The Transport Team within Cardiff Council has worked with the Youth Council and other partners to produce a young person friendly page on their website “keep Cardiff moving” so all information relating to transport is accessible in young person friendly format.

• Schools Improvement Plan From a rights-based perspective, education must provide children and young people with opportunities to be the best they can be and fulfil their potential. Cardiff is committed to continuing this support and improving standards of education is a key priority for the city. In September, Cardiff saw the opening of the new Eastern High School offering high quality education for children and young people from the east of our city. The opening of Eastern High, however, saw the closure of two older schools and the merger meant we had to provide high quality support to the children, young people and families affected. With this in mind, the Council undertook a process of stakeholder engagement that enabled our citizens to access information and have opportunities to influence the decision-making processes. To do this effectively, we embedded a restorative approach within the transition. Almost every child affected by the decision was presented with opportunities to have their say in many of the decision-making processes, including:

o The School Identity – the badge; o Identifying their concerns, ideas and solutions; o What support mechanisms they needed in place; o Transition activities; o New school Policies, to name a few.

The new Eastern High School saw the introduction of the high quality teaching methods, staff and a quality education institution that will serve generations of children and young people in the community for years to come.

• Educational Attainment and Poverty Research The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child outlines that no child should affected by poverty and education should help them be the best they can be. Poverty, however, blights the opportunities available to children and young people that enable them to fulfil their potential. Education is one of the significant mechanisms provide children and young people with a route out of poverty. Conversely, the realities of poverty negatively impact children and young people’s educational attainment. In May 2013, the Council’s Children and Young People’s Scrutiny Committee conducted an inquiry into the impacts of poverty and educational attainment. The inquiry received evidence

36 from a range of sources including the Welsh Government, Save the Children, People and Work Unit, Cardiff University, Families First, Cardiff Youth Council, Student Volunteering Cardiff, Flying Start, ISOS partnership and a number of Cardiff Primary and Secondary schools. Following evidence being received, a report into educational attainment and poverty was produced and sets out key findings and recommendations that will assist and support Cardiff Council to ensure the educational outcomes of all children are improved and every child’s outcomes, regardless of their socioeconomic background, reflect their true potential.

• “Building Communities” Consultation In May 2013, we conducted a review into how well the Council is responding to the local needs of local people through the Neighbourhood Management structures. Throughout the review, we listened to voices of children and young people from a number of schools, youth centres and youth forums in the city. Their views and opinions were included in the development of new Neighbourhood Partnership structures that brings the Council closer to the needs of our citizens.

• Our Children Are Unbeatable Pledge In December 2013, Cardiff Council demonstrated their commitment to protecting the wellbeing of children and young people by officially pledging to support the “Children Are Unbeatable” campaign. The campaign backs the prohibition of all physical punishment of children and the promotion of positive ways of raising children and managing their behaviour. In signing the pledge, we have joined the call for the Welsh Government to address the inequalities faced by children and introduce legislation that affords children with the equal protection from harm and assault that adults have. Officially signing and supporting the pledge is clear demonstration to promoting the equality of children. • Putting Families First and our Approach to Anti-Poverty The Council continues to play a vital role in supporting the development of Welsh Government’s Families First programme. The initiative is part of a national anti- poverty agenda in building resilient communities. Over the last year, the Council has continued to coordinate and deliver the Families First programme across the city. The programme offers intensive ‘wrap-around’ support tailored to our city’s most vulnerable families; providing support through:

o Early Years o Child & Youth Engagement o Sustainable Employment o Healthy Lifestyles o Emotional, Mental Health & Wellbeing o Disability Focus

• Social Impact Bonds for Looked After Children Council’s have a responsibility to ensure that children are looked after Social Impact Bonds are a way of attracting external investment into public services in certain circumstances. An investor in a Social Impact Bond will fund a social care intervention where there is a credible business case that will generate a financial return on the investment and where there is evidence that it will produce a positive social outcome. The return on the investment and the positive social outcome are inextricably linked so that if interventions do not produce the desired results then investors do not see a return. Investors enter into this risk from the outset. Advice received from Manchester City Council, which has an active SIB, has confirmed that there are large private investors with socially conscious objectives that are interested in very long term change for the social good and who are prepared to 'wait' for financial return. Following a feasibility study, the Council approved the use of Social Impact Bonds to meet the needs of Looked After Children who are currently placed in external residential placements or who are on the brink of being placed in such premises. The approach seeks to improve outcomes for this cohort of children by placing them in specialist foster placements with wrap around support within the Local Authority area. The Social Impact Bonds has enabled Children’s Services to fund the approach without using its care budget, alongside meeting its statutory responsibilities to find LAC placements in the traditional way for those children who do not meet the criteria for the project.

7.8 Education

• Schools Organisation Planning During 2013/14, the School Organisation Planning team worked with schools in order to plan accessibility improvement works and liaise with the corporate Access Officer where necessary. Our 21st Century Schools Programme has funding agreed for the £140m programme. All projects include amounts to ensure issues of equality / disability are addressed within building plans and designs. All Schools Organisation Planning proposals are subject to equality impact assessment and are kept under review. The assessment is done in stages - at the proposal stage and at the design stage. The public, pupils, staff and Governing Bodies are engaged during these stages. At the design stage a checklist has been produced to ensure designers/architects consider key accessibility issues and the Design Equalities Advisory Group (DEAG) and/or the Cardiff Council Access Focus Group (CCAFG) are given the opportunity to comment. This year a new consideration has been added to the checklist for designers/architects - wherever possible higher specification accessible toilets will be included in a design and the required space to provide a ‘Changing Spaces’ toilet will be factored in to meet need when or if it is identified. This would future proof the building in terms of disabled toilet provision.

During 2013/14, the following proposals were developed:

o Nursery for Radyr primary (implemented) o Nursery for St Francis CW Primary (implemented) o Transfer of Ysgol Treganna Primary School to new build premises (implemented) o New build to replace Eastern High (currently on the Rumney High School site) o Extension to Mount Stuart Primary school o New build primary school in Pontprennau

• GSA – Gay/Straight Alliance Good Practice Guidance This unique project was delivered in partnership between Cardiff Council, Vale of Glamorgan Council and Full Circle Education Solutions. It was funded by the Welsh Government via Community Cohesion Officer for Cardiff and the Vale. The project was established to raise awareness of homophobia in schools, while encouraging young people to take an active role in the creation of safe, inclusive environments. While many examples of good practice are evident in Cardiff’s schools, it was identified that greater support was needed specifically for young Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) young people. The project has the following aims for participating pupils - it was expected that pupils would:

• Learn about homophobia and inequality experienced by LGBT people • Understand what a GSA is and how it could work in their school • Learn about campaigning and how to raise awareness of important messages • Start their own campaign to promote a Gay-Straight Alliance in their school or challenge homophobia.

Three pilot Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) were created across Cardiff High Schools with the intention of eventually rolling the toolkits out across all High Schools. GSAs are youth-led extra-curricular groups that seek to promote inclusion and challenge homophobia by campaigning for and supporting the rights of young LGBT people. A GSA is a coalition of both straight and gay young people, working together to create respectful schools for all. Full Circle worked extensively with the three pilot schools over a period of months to explore the issues of homophobia, homophobic bullying and inequality. Participating pupils completed a pre-project questionnaire to create a measurement of impact for the pilot, with all pupils demonstrating an improved understanding of LGBT equality and an increase in confidence in educating peers or supporting LGBT young people in schools following the pilot.

A good practice guidance book has been produced which has been sponsored by the Welsh Government’s Minister for Communities and Tackling

Poverty and was launched at the Senedd on 20 th February 2014, during LGBT History Month 2014. We are currently exploring funding to roll the programme out across all high schools in Cardiff following the successful pilot period.

• European Education Projects Since 2009, our International Development Officer has been developing a range of Trans-European projects on the theme of equality, diversity and inclusion in education. To date, there have been 9 such projects funded via the EU Comenius Region funding stream and we are currently the only Local Authority in Wales to be accessing this funding. Currently, the projects we are leading involve a range of partner organisation, including the voluntary and private sector, as well as schools and cover a range of protected characteristics. For example, we are approaching the end of project with Sweden on identifying levels of homophobia in both Wales and Sweden and producing a range of resources for use in schools in both countries and across Europe to educate pupils in the theme of LGBT equality.

We have recently completed a two year project exploring how best to welcome and integrate newly arrived families (immigrant families) into the Cardiff education system and we are now following that up with a project with Warsaw, Poland on ‘Literacy in Home Language’ to support pupils from other countries who are currently resident in Cardiff to maintain their home language.

We are also currently engaged in projects with the Czech Republic and Spain on tackling discrimination against Gypsy Traveller and EU Roma pupils and inter-generational work. In Poland we are involved in a project aimed at empowering pupils of both genders to promote gender equality and tackle gender discrimination. In Germany we are working with schools in Bavaria to support them to develop their work around integrating disabled pupils into mainstream education.

• 14 – 19 Education EMTAS currently employs an Achievement Officer with responsibility for 14-19 education whose role is to work with pupils / students from the BME communities to prevent them becoming NEET. The work is across several partnership agencies, including: Cardiff Council 14-19 team, Careers Wales, Youth Service, CAVC and training providers. Working with many vulnerable groups, the Achievement Officer has established bespoke Vocational/ESOL courses for pupils in the 14-16 age groups for pupils in a number of secondary schools throughout Cardiff. Although established mainly for pupils from the Czech/Slovak community (mainly Roma), it has grown from two groups of 18 pupils set up in September 2012. There are currently six groups of over 50 pupils. Predicted growth for the end of 2013/14 is 10 groups of approximately 90+ pupils. They are currently studying auto mechanics, fashion, media studies and ESOL supported by CAVC, EMTAS and the Youth Service. Within the current cohort of Roma pupils we have secured a grant of £17,000 from Families First to help with engagement, attainment and progression routes at post 16 for this very vulnerable group. In linking with CAVC, a number of pupils who normally would have become NEET are now doing post 16

40 courses at the college. It is hoped that these numbers will increase over the next few years as courses improve and develop.

• Schools and inclusion New guidance for schools on managing inclusion was published in 2013. The document ‘Excellent Practice in Managing Inclusion- the Expectation of Mainstream Schools, Cardiff 2013’ sets out the expectation of mainstream schools in managing inclusion effectively and how this will be supported by the Team Around the School. It provides advice and guidance, in line with Welsh Government and Estyn guidelines, to schools on improving outcomes for pupils with additional learning needs. The document sets out a 5 Stage Model of graduated support for children and young people with additional needs; it provides a detailed description of the strategies and interventions to be used at each stage and the training and specialist advice available to support the model.

• Children with hearing impairments The Specialist Teacher Team for children with a Hearing Impairment have expanded their work with pre-school children to include provision of radio aids. This will further enhance the work they do to support early language development in hearing impaired pre-schoolers.

• St Teilos Church in Wales School St Teilos Church in Wales High School opened in September 2013, and includes purpose built facilities for a specialist resource base for pupils with a visual impairment.

• Children with Special Educational Needs The SEN Casework Team have established regular meetings with parents of children with a statement of SEN and a new set of information leaflets.

• Traveller Education Service (TES) The Traveller Education Service undertook the following activities during 2013/14:

o Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month celebrations have been actively supported by the TES for 4 years. During 2013/14, the TES supported an event held in St Davids Hall, Cardiff. o Funding for work at Shirenewton site was secured following Partnership working with Romani Cultural Arts Company; the TES Homeclub facilitated afterschool activities on site. o The TES supported the design a T-Shirt competition in conjunction with the Romani Cultural and Arts Company. TES arranged for details of the competition to be sent to all Head teachers. o Workshops and assemblies were delivered by TES to Primary Schools and free resources were loaned. We also arranged performance workshops and attendance of Gypsy and Traveller pupils from schools. o The TES supported the participation of a Gypsy / Traveller reader at the Holocaust memorial event, which we have done for 5 years.

o We supported the Holocaust memorial "Building Bridges " project, by providing artefacts purchased by the TES in liaison with the Gypsy / Traveller community and the exhibition co-ordinator. The exhibition took place at Barry Town Hall.

• Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS) EMTAS was successful in being awarded funding from Families First for 3 years. The project funded provides a bilingual Teaching Assistant who speaks Czech and Slovak and is trusted by the community. Their role is to support families and schools to ensure integration, improved attendance, achievement and inclusion. The project takes a holistic approach to working with pupils from ethnic monitory and traveller communities, with the bilingual Teaching Assistant being an essential link between school and Roma families. Roma children belong to one of the most educationally under-achieving ethnic groups in Europe and parents have often expressed dissatisfaction with the education system themselves. These factors contribute to a mistrust of the education system; the Teaching Assistant therefore develops an important connection between the school and the family. In June 2013, we persuaded two families to allow their children to take part in a trip to Bristol Zoo; for the previous four years, none had gone. This is a real breakthrough in terms of inclusion for the school and the children and families it serves.

One of the mothers said: “I love the fact that my daughter had a great time. She “I toldlove me the all fact about that the my animals daughter she’d had never a great seen time before.. She I’ll told let herme goall onabout tripsthe in animals future now she’d that never I know seen she’ll before. be safe”. I’ll let her go on trips in future now that I know she’ll be safe”.

Mother of child that attended the zoo trip

7.9 NEET Individuals

A key objective for our strategic equality plan is to reduce barriers to employment. During 2013/14, we worked with the Department of Work & Pensions to take NEET individuals on an 8 week work experience programme. We have held several workshops for individuals and had over 20 people join the 8 week work experience programme within C2C. All have been fully trained to take a variety of calls and gain experience in working in a Customer Service Representative role. Some members have proved themselves to such a high standard that we have been able to keep them on working as a customer service representative through our employment agency Cardiff Works. They plan to apply for permanent roles if they become available. We are currently assessing the success of the NEET programme, with a view to expanding this during 2014/15.

7.10 Neighbourhood Learning

During 2013/14, we aimed to target under-represented groups for our Neighbourhood Learning programmes. We established Neighbourhood Development Learning Officer posts within Neighbourhood Management Areas to identify needs within particular wards. We met with key teams to

42 further identify needs i.e. Communities First Cluster Group, Youth Services, Flying Start and Families First. We reviewed uptake in course provision and are reviewing what is currently being delivered and where we can ensure we are targeting the relevant groups.

7.11 Housing

During 2013/14, the UK wide welfare reforms lead us to ensure that we assisted those affected by the Housing Benefit Spare Room Subsidy (bedroom tax) to downsize. As a result, we have regularly monitored cases at the Social Landlord Welfare Reform Working Group and continued to assist individuals to downsize or exchange their property. The group continues to actively monitor and support the issue with monthly reports produced. We also set a key action to ensure that we maximised funding opportunities for delivering further affordable housing this year. During the first half of 2013/14, we applied for £6.5 million worth of grants and were successful in being awarded £1.884 to deliver 30 one and two bedroom units by 2015/16.

7.12 Welfare Reform Task Group

The Welfare reform task group, set up in 2012 to help mitigate some of the impacts of the reforms, has developed from strength to strength during 2013/14. The task group has now developed sub groups which have developed work plans around: digital inclusion, financial inclusion, debt recovery, registered social landlords, communications, council tax support, health and data support. These groups were set up after an impact assessment of the welfare changes. The groups look at trying to help reduce the impact of the reforms to the citizens of Cardiff. The group is made up of public and third sector partners, these include: Health, Police, Fire and rescue, Race Equality First, Diverse Cymru, DWP, Credit Union and many more.

Work has been progressed around debt collection - this is looking at a ‘one council’ approach to debt collection and standardising procedures across organisations. A referral approach has been taken to help people who become late with payments for Council tax or rent.

A significant amount of work has been done by Housing and the Registered Social Landlord partners to identify who will be affected by the reforms. This has been done by letter, phone calls and, where necessary, visits to homes.

Various road shows have taken place across Cardiff to inform residents and professionals on the changes and the options to residents.

A review of the learning and training enterprise centres has also taken place which will lead onto more digital inclusion and financial inclusion training.

The rollout of the hubs across Cardiff has been linked to the welfare changes and advice has been offered by Cardiff Council and partners on how households can save money on bills, budgeting and where to access training for digital and financial inclusion.

A communication plan was developed which saw a marketing campaign around the benefit changes to ensure residents knew how the changes would affect them and where they could access support. This included social media campaigns, capitals times, letters, radio adverts and road shows.

The Welfare Reform Task Group has been coordinating work between all of the partners to ensure Cardiff as a whole has been prepared for the changes. This has included communicating a consistent message, as well as offering services which have minimised the impact of the benefit changes for thousands of people.

7.13 Sport

• Charging policy During 2013/14, we committed to increase access to sport for young people through eliminating fees and charges for mini / youth football, rugby, cricket, tennis and fishing. We have implemented these changes and now offer free use of pitches for all of these sports. The Football Association of Wales has heralded this as a best practice example in Wales.

• ‘In sport’ programme During 2013/14, we set out to develop the “In Sport” programme in partnership with Disability Sport Wales in order to improve standards across the city’s sporting infrastructure. As a result, we introduced the criteria for “In Sport” for sport development to the Sport Cardiff team and trained the officers in disability sport and inclusion. We applied and were successful granted ‘ribbon standard’ accreditation and we began work for the bronze level accreditation.

• Community Asset Transfer We committed to implement a comprehensive programme of Community Asset Transfer to enable local community organisations to manage local buildings for local benefit. We have run a workshop with local bowls clubs and the Welsh Bowls Federation to develop a model for Community Asset Transfer for Municipal Bowls. Two clubs have expressed an interest in this and we are currently working to progress it further.

7.14 Community Hubs Work has been ongoing during 2013/14 to improve our approach to customer management so that council services are more accessible, convenient and easier to engage with. We launched a city centre hub in April, which has been very successful with positive comments from both customers and partner organisations based in the Hub.

Additionally, consultation has taken place on proposals for Hubs in Splott and Ely / Caerau. Cabinet agreed the proposals for the Ely / Careau Hub following a consultation process which nearly 80% of respondents supported the process. This Hub is due to open in July. We are currently consulting on the opening of a Hub in Grangetown. Further Hub plans are expected going forwards into 2014/15.

7.15 Families First & Communities First

We committed to supported the effective delivery of Communities First and Families First programmes to promote early intervention and tackle poverty. During 2013/14, we launched the new Families First programme, including a new city wide team around the family service and we supported the new Communities First Clusters to begin delivery. We supported Communities First to secure an additional grant of £400k through the Pupil Deprivation Grant. Through this, we have established a Workforce Development Group which includes partners from across the early intervention and prevention agenda and a wide range of awareness raising sessions and events have been held across the city.

7.16 Scattering of Ashes for Sikh and Hindu Communities

It is customary for the Sikh and Hindu communities to place the remains of loved ones into flowing water which will eventually reach the sea. Many Sikh and Hindus are accustomed to traditionally taking their deceased back to India to places such as the Ganges to perform this ceremony. With regards to our ever growing Sikh and Hindu communities, estimated at over 2,000 living in Cardiff, this ceremony is happening more and more within the UK. Currently there are sites in London, Plymouth and Leicester. There is one agreed site in Wales which is on the edge of the Beacons and not very accessible to our Cardiff residents. With Cardiff having the largest Sikh and Hindu community in Wales, both communities have been searching for a place in Cardiff to officially perform this ceremony since 1997 without a satisfactory outcome. This forced the communities to perform some ceremonies in secret. With regards to the sensitive nature of this community need, we recognised that this is not acceptable.

During 2013/14, community members made contact with Councillor Lynda Thorne to discuss an agreed way forward and find a solution. Community members worked in partnership with the Citizen Focus Team, Parks and Bereavement services to collaboratively agree a suitable venue. After several

45 site visits and meetings with community groups, a site on the river Taff has been agreed. This place has ample car parking, offers relative privacy, is accessible to where most of the communities live and is downstream from any bathing. From several proposed and possible sites, this site, as agreed by all partners, is the most suitable.

The work carried out on this project during 2013/14 has been viewed by community members as huge progress in relation to the sensitive nature of the project, but also due to the fact that they have been dealing with this issue with little consistency for over 6 years.

“We in the local Sikh community have been concerned with the lack of facilities for performing the last rites with Funeral Ashes of our ‘near and dear departed’ in Wales. First generation South East Asian Immigrants tended to take the ashes back to India. However, with many of us either born or having spent most of our life in Wales, we wanted our ashes scattered in Wales as it is our home.

In conjunction with the Hindu Council of Wales, the Sri Lankan community and the Bhatra community, The Sikh Association South Wales approached Cardiff Council. During the last year Cardiff Council has worked with the communities to find and plan construction of a site which meets our needs. The chosen site meets the requirements of a slow flowing river, reasonable privacy for mourners, easy access for all (including the disabled and elderly) and is central to the majority of the Sikh and Hindu population in South Wales.

Our thanks go to the Cardiff Council for allocating the site in the heart of Cardiff and being the first ever Council in Wales (if not UK) in helping us with facilities to perform last rites. Cardiff Council can take pride in claiming that Cardiff is a progressive city that caters for all.”

Channi Kaler Sikh Association South Wales

8. Employment in Cardiff Council

Cardiff Council’s Human Resources (HR) department develop a programme of work and a Human Resources Equality Act Plan that feeds directly into the Council’s Strategic Equality Plan and furthers our work around the three aspects of the Equality Act’s General Duty:

• Eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation is being achieved through the policies and procedures that HR develop and deliver, striving to ensure that all employees are treated with dignity and respect.

• Advancing equality of opportunity is integral to HR’s recruitment and selection process, employee training and our implementation of reasonable adjustments for employees. The Single Status Collective Agreement has also ensured equal pay for equal work, closing the gender pay gap and encouraging a transparent system.

• Fostering good relations is a strong agenda for HR as we support and fund the five employee equality networks to raise awareness of equality matters and provide additional support and training to employees.

8.1 Employment Information

The Equality Act requires Cardiff Council to collect and publish employment information on the 31 st March each year. This information must include:

• people employed by the authority on 31 March each year by protected characteristic • men and women employed, broken down by: o job o grade (where grading system in place) o pay o contract type (including permanent and fixed term contracts) o working pattern (including full time, part time and other flexible working patterns) • people who have applied for jobs with the authority over the last year • employees who have applied to change position within the authority, identifying how many were successful in their application and how many were not • employees who have applied for training and how many succeeded in their application • employees who completed the training • employees involved in grievance procedures either as complainant or as a person against whom a complaint was made • employees subject to disciplinary procedures • employees who have left an authority’s employment.

All of the information above must be presented for each of the separate protected groups, with the exception of data on job, grade, pay, contract type and working pattern, which must be broken down only in relation to women

47 and men. We are using our Strategic Equality Plan Annual Report to publish this information. It is available in Appendix 2 .

We collect our ‘employment information’ through three methods:

• Digi-GOV - HR Database managing employee information Digi-GOV enables employees to manage their own personal data, which includes equality monitoring, bank account details, annual leave, training and development. DigiGov is able to generate reports on employee data for employees which enables us to analyse the workforce.

• Tribal - recruitment system Tribal manages job applications and includes an equality monitoring form, this assists HR to monitor the recruitment system and ensure the process is fair and transparent. Tribal is the system we use to extract data on applicants applying by protected characteristic groups. .

• SAP - Council’s finance system When a successful applicant has been offered employment they are sent a contract of employment and an equality monitoring form. The equality monitoring form is then entered onto SAP. However, the SAP system does not have the facility to capture all of the equality monitoring fields. SAP transfers the data over to Digi-GOV (which does have all the required monitoring fields) automatically and therefore there will be data gaps until the information is verified by the employee. As some employees are not required to use Digi- GOV, for example schools and non IT users, the data gaps remain. During 2014/15, we will be continuing work to address these gaps in our employment data. Information received by HR from successful applicants will be input directly to Digi-GOV and then the data will transfer to SAP. This will ensure all data fields are completed. At present there are technical difficulties with the communication between the two systems when operating the data transfer. However, we have identified the cause and this will be rectified during 2014/15. Furthermore, we are planning to hold ‘data update sessions’ at various Council locations where employees who do not usually use Council computers will be supported to access DigiGov to input their equality information. This will support us to increase the number of employees for whom we hold equality information for.

8.2 Employee Equality Networks

Cardiff Council has established 5 Employee Equality Networks:

• LGBT Network (for lesbian, gay and bisexual employees) • Women’s Network (for female employees and male employees that support the women’s equality agenda) • BME Network (for Black and ethnic moniroty employees)

• Disability Network (for disabled employees) • Carers Network (for employees who look after a disabled child or young person, relative, partner, friend or neighbour who is unable to manage without help because of age, impairment or health condition, drug or alcohol problem or long-term illness.)

These networks are a valuable resource for furthering equality within the organisation. They act as a consultative forum for Council policies and procedures; actively participate in Equality Impact Assessments; identify organisational need such as training and development; identify specific employment issues; and act as a support network for employees. Each network is allocated a budget in order to facilitate these aims and objectives. Each network has undertaken a number of projects during 2013/14 to promote equality within the organisation and support us to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation.

• International Day Against Homophobia 17th May 2013 marked the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, which was actively supported by Cardiff Council’s LGBT Network. The LGBT Network ran a series of awareness campaigns throughout the Council and asked employees to wear orange on the 17th May, in addition to a wrist band and Campaign Ribbon. These campaigns were focused around various Council locations, including: County Hall, City Hall, Central Library, Lamby Way, Global Link and Wilcox House. A prize for the most orange team was provided by the Active Card Team which was 5 x free health MOTs and a free month-long Active Cardiff Membership. There were many great contenders, but the LGBT Network selected the Payments Team at County Hall to be the winners.

• Partnership with Remploy Cardiff Council and Remploy developed a partnership during 2012 in order to support colleagues in HR and Occupational Health. This partnership continued during 2013/14, with Remploy’s ‘Retention Service’ being utilised. The Remploy service is designed to support employees who could be at risk of losing their job due to a health condition, or may have been on long term sick and could be soon entering disciplinary steps. They also support

49 employees who require extra support in their role as they are not performing because of an underlying health condition. Remploy provide financial support in areas such as counselling or physiotherapy and are able to attend sickness / review meetings as support if required. Remploy have also held application workshops for our officers, advising on how the application process could be made easier to support candidates with a health condition or disability. During 2013/14, we also amended our ‘new starter’ packs so that a leaflet about the Employee Networks and Remploy’s Retention Service is distributed to every new Council employee.

• Prayer and Reflection Rooms Cardiff Council has a Policy on Religious and Non-Religious Belief in the Workplace, which outlines our commitment to creating a workplace where diversity is valued and where each employee is treated with dignity and respect. During Ramadan the BME Network publicised the availability of prayer rooms in County Hall and worked with our Facilities Management Team to set up additional prayer rooms in City Hall and Cardiff Training Academy to ensure that employees and visitors to those locations would have suitable facilities during Ramadan.

• Chwarae Teg: Effective Communication Training The Women’s Network organised a training session with Chwarae Teg on ‘communication skills for women’. This was a great opportunity for female employees to gain new skills and received positively by all those that attended.

• Carers Rights Day During November 2013, the Carers Network, with the support of Trade Unions and HR, held an event in County Hall to deliver key messages about the role of carers and the Council’s Carers Network. The event featured stalls from Cross Roads Care, Carers Rights UK, Age Concern Carers Welfare Project, Hafal Carers Advocacy Project, Unison, Unite, GMB, LGBT Network, Carers Network and others. The event was a great platform to launch the new Carers Online Forum that was set up by Cardiff Council Academy as a mechanism for employees who are members of the Carers Network to provide support to one another and share experiences.

• Carers Policy and Carers Agreement Form During 2013/14, we consulted with the 59 members of our Carers Network and identified that carers experience difficulty managing their work commitments due to the sporadic nature of their caring responsibilities. For example, carers may need to leave work at short notice to provide care, in addition to taking leave to provide more extensive care. The Carers Policy sets out the types of leave available; however, once these arrangements have been exhausted employees may have to result in taking sickness absence. In

50 order to reduce this happening and to ensure carers are provided with adequate support, a ‘Carers Agreement’ has been developed. This enables effective dialogue between the employee and manager to take place and methods to be put in place to ensure both the demands of being a carer and fulfilling your responsibilities at work can be met, for example working at home, condensing hours or working additional hours to-repay the time owed. The agreement form will be maintained by the employee and manager and will be subject to review as determined by both parties. The form has been added to the Carers Policy as an appendix and is now part of the Employee Support Framework; the Employee Carers Network have welcomed the form and have expressed that they feel their voices have been listened to with positive steps taken to meet their needs.

• Bullying and Discrimination Intranet Reporting Facility In order to increase reporting of incidents of bullying, discrimination and harassment, the Equality Networks supported the establishment of a new reporting function on our internal website. The form enables employees to anonymously report activity taking place, therefore assisting HR to deal with the matter appropriately and obtain data on any bullying or discrimination that is being reported across the organisation. The Council has policies in place, for example the Whistle Blowing Policy and the Harassment Policy & Procedure, which will ensure that allegations are responded to appropriately and sensitively. At present, the system is being piloted and processes are being established to respond to allegations. During 2014/15, the system will be launched to all employees.

8.3 Recruitment & Selection

During March 2013, we hosted a focus group with Race Equality First (REF) for BME citizens who had recently, or wished to, apply for a post at Cardiff Council. The focus group raised concerns about the accessibility of the recruitment and selection process for BME people. The focus group recommended that the short listing element of the recruitment process should be studied in order to establish whether employees with certain protected characteristics are more likely than others to be rejected at the short listing

51 stage and to identify the possible causes i.e. minor English language or grammatical errors, specifying that they require a reasonable adjustment or their name. Our Recruitment and Selection Policy has been under review throughout 2013/14. This review is due to be finalised during 2014/15 and will be subject to an Equality Impact Assessment to ensure the process is fair, transparent and accessible to people from all protected groups.

8.4 Gender Pay and Single Status

Within Cardiff Council all jobs below Operational Manager level have been evaluated using the proven Job Evaluation Scheme - Greater London Borough Provincial Council Scheme (GLPC). The Scheme itself provided a fair, equitable and systematic approach to the determination of grades for jobs. Using this scheme, we implemented Single Status in Cardiff Council in April 2012, therefore ensuring pay grades are fair and equitable for both male and female employees. During 2013/14, we have continued to use this scheme to assess the grades of all posts in Cardiff Council.

8.5 Reasonable Adjustments Guidance and Service Desk Facility

The Equality Act requires us to provide reasonable adjustments for employees, or those seeking employment, within Cardiff Council. In response to this, we have published Reasonable Adjustments Guidance, following extensive consultation with the Disability Network, Occupational Health and HR. This ensures that tailored support can be provided for employees, actions can be documented and agreements can be made about the provision of adjustments. During 2013/14, we continued to use the ‘Service Desk’ as an online process for requesting an assessment for reasonable adjustment. This process enables effective and documented dialogue between the employee and manager and is formally recorded. It is a record of agreed review dates and assists both parties to monitor the effectiveness of any adjustments implemented. Since the documents were uploaded to the intranet, they have been downloaded for use the following number of times:

• Tailored Reasonable Adjustment Agreement – 63 • Reasonable Adjustment Guidance – 119 • Reasonable Adjustments FAQ – 55 / Quick Guide - 64 • Reasonable Adjustment EIA – 58

8.6 Dignity at Work Policy

During 2013/14, we developed a ‘Dignity at Work Policy’, incompliance with the Equality Act and incorporating all protected groups. To support the policy, an ‘appropriate language’ booklet was developed in collaboration with the five Employee Equality Networks. The policy and the booklet will be published during 2014/15 and made available to all employees.

8.7 Equality Training

During 2013/14, we provided a range of equality and diversity training for our employees:

• Equality and Diversity Awareness This one day workshop explores equality and diversity and what it means to everyone in their everyday activities. The workshop covers the Equality Act and the general duties. It is supported by an equality & diversity e learning module.

No of Courses 2 No of Places available 24 No of attendees 18

• Equality Impact Assessment This one day workshop gives knowledge and understanding of the principles and practice of Equality Impact Assessments. We introduced a new session during 2013/14 and encouraged managers and those involved in policy development across the organisation to attend these sessions.

No of Courses 7 No of Places available 82 No of attendees 77

• Equality Impact Assessment of Council Budgets During January 2013/14, we ran two sessions for Councillors who are members of Scrutiny Committees on risk management and the budget. We briefed the Councillors on our process for assessing the equality risks of budget proposals and our equality impact assessment procedure.

During 2014/15 we will continue to monitor the equality training needs of the organisation and review the provision of equality training available.

8.8 Equality Impact Assessment of Employment Policies

During 2013/14, HR continued to Equality Impact Assess new and revised policies. We also undertook to impact assess all existing policies; this process will continue through 2014/15. To date, we have EIA’d the following policies:

1. Online Recruitment and 10. Exit Interview Policy Selection Process 11. First Aid Allowance Policy 2. Reasonable Adjustment 12. Grievance Policy Guidance 13. Market Supplement Policy 3. Acting up and Honoraria Policy 14. Overtime Policy 4. Schools Disciplinary 15. Probationary Period Policy Investigations Procedure 16. Recruitment of ex-offenders 5. Annual Leave Policy Policy 6. Capability Policy 17. Redeployment Policy 7. Carers Policy 18. Re-location Scheme 8. Casual Worker Policy 19. Sabbatical Leave Scheme 9. Disciplinary Policy 20. Secondment Policy

9. Physical Access & Accessible Communications

During 2013/14, Cardiff Council has undertaken a number of projects to increase access to our buildings and services, in terms of both physical access and access to our communications:

• Built Environment and Infrastructure Alley Gating Strategy – the installation of alley gates around the city has highlighted a number of access related concerns. Through co-production with the alley gating team and Diverse Cymru, a process and policy to suitably and independently adjudicate the appropriateness of installing alley gating has been developed. This process will reduce the potential of alley gates causing detrimental impacts for a number of the protected groups and lessen the effect of alley gating through ergonomic and policy driven solutions.

• Adoption of Combined Audits We have ensured that we have integrated Equality Impact Assessments into highways stress audits. This ensures that equalities, inclusion and access into the core considerations of the assessments. The new combined audit now takes into account the needs of the wider protected characteristics and ensures that access issues are included, such as: specifications of signage, drop kerbs, colour contrast and tactile paving.

• Council Buildings – Hearing Loops, Ramps, Car Parking A number of new improvements have been made in to all core Council buildings. These include: within County Hall hearing loops have been installed to the Council Chamber and Committee Rooms; ramps have been installed to exits; improved parking provision to the underground facility and external car parking; improved evacuation equipment / processes for staff; and the installation of automatic doors to key locations. Within City Hall, access improvements have included improved evacuation processes for staff and plans to replace the existing aging lifts with accessible evacuation lifts, suitable for all and providing lift access for the first time to all floors.

• Walkable Neighbourhoods As part of Cardiff Council’s sustainability agenda, we have undertaken a series of street / walkable audits. These audits have been designed to identify criteria by which to gauge the accessibility and quality of neighbourhoods’ pavements and pedestrian areas. This work will lead to improved quality of public realm schemes; better accommodating the needs of a range of groups, including older people and people those with visual, hearing, cognitive and learning impairments.

• Inclusion / Access Awareness Rising In partnership with Guide Dogs Cymru, Guide dogs UK and SUSTRANS, a number of activities promoting and raising awareness of the needs of the wider disabled communities have been created. These events have included a guide dog awareness event at Cardiff Castle demonstrating the abilities and usefulness of guide dogs and SUSTRANS awareness sessions designed to assist other local authorities in their delivery of accessibility and inclusion within their built environment schemes.

• Orange Wallet – Practical Communications Working with the third Sector and Welsh Government, the ‘Orange Wallet’ has been developed and endorsed by a range of groups as a simple communications device. This simple assistive portable and discreet product that can be tailored to meet the needs of the individual in order to help them communicate to bus services staff and a range of staff from other services.

It can also be used as a hailing device for flagging down buses and taxis. The ‘Orange Wallet’ was originally intended for the Cardiff area, but has been so successful that it is now available to the public and endorsed by all the councils in wales, providing a unified and single approach for communications with bus service providers across the country.

“The orange wallet is an important sign for people who work on public transport to identify someone who may need extra help. Its introduction has been an invaluable tool for the blind community in particular, signifying the start of a new range of inclusive tools to improve bus travel for all'

Teresa Sueref, Locality Development Manager , Cardiff Institute for the Blind

• Accessibility Communications Guidance In conjunction with a number of third sector partners, an accessible communications guide is being developed and will be launched in 2014. The guide will be a practical approach to producing accessible literature within Cardiff Council.

10. Engagement, Consultation & Involvement

10.1 50+ Forums

Following feedback from partner organisations, Welsh Government, the Older Person’s Commissioner for Wales, UK Ageing Cities Network and, most importantly, older people across Cardiff, new 50+ Forums were launched in Cardiff to enable those citizens in Cardiff over the age of 50 to get their voices heard.

The 50+ Forums aim to ensure that there is a real voice for Cardiff’s older citizens. They enable the council to gather the views of older people and will influence our policies and improve the development of services over future years. During 2013/14, six 50+ Forums were created in the following areas of the City: North, East, City & South, South West and West. During 2014/15, we will be working to develop a 50+ forum for the South East of the City.

Launch of the 50+ Forum Cardiff East, Llanrumney, May 2013

The 50+ Forums were launched in May / June 2013 and are currently attended by over 80 of Cardiff’s citizens. Since their launch, the Forums have contributed to the following consultations:

• Cardiff Councils commissioning strategy for adult social care. • Cardiff Councils Ask Cardiff Survey • NHS Wales South Wales Programme • Cardiff Councils website development • Get Online survey for City Centre Hub • Canton / Riverside community survey • Cardiff Council budget consultation • Older People’s Commissioner Residential Care Review

The Forums have also undertaken the following activities:

• Contributing to the organisation of an intergenerational event at Cardiff’s Millennium Centre as part of the Everyone’s Future project • Participating in a focus group meeting on “the community around Wyn” for the Wyn Campaign • Participating in focus group meetings on perceptions and fear of crime • Providing representation on the Cardiff and Vale Ageing Well Group • Providing representation on neighbourhood management groups • Providing representation on Cardiff’s Access Focus Group • Representing and distributing information at the LGBT Mardi Gras • The setting up of a monthly drop in cafe within the Buzz Café, Grangetown • Attending a welfare reform briefing session in order to pass on information to others • Participating in a Houses of Parliament Public Bill Seminar • Participating in a Equality and Human Rights Commission Annual Human Rights Lecture • Participating in a project to utilise a community venue in the Canton area for people 50+

50+ Form in Cardiff East, Llanrumney, May 2013

10.2 Access Focus Group

The Cardiff Council Access Focus Goup is now in its 5 th year. Project managed and supported by the Citizen Focus Team Access Officer, the Cardiff Council Access Focus Group has created a nationally recognised and unique co-production based function. It operates as a critical friend for Council officers to gain insight and experience from a wide sector of the community in all aspects of equality, inclusion, diversity and access. The group encourages the adoption of best practice and improved thinking regarding projects and schemes within the build environment, transport, infrastructure and services. Taking place monthly, the group is attended by over 30 representatives from in excess of 100 local and national, community, services and voluntary groups such as: Diverse Cymru, 50+ forum’s, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Network Rail, Cardiff Bus, Down’s Syndrome Association, Asperger Association, National Deaf Children’s Society, amongst many others. The group uses task and finish groups, site visits and further detailed engagement sessions to provide

57 an effective method of communicating their views to Council officers and influence major projects.

2013/14 Achievements of the Cardiff Council Access Focus Group include:

• Evolution of the Cardiff Council Access Focus Group (CCAFG) Following the groups inception in 2008, the group has seen many changes and been involved in a range of subjects. In order to assess the group’s successes, management and validity, a review was conducted during 2013/14. The review consisted of member engagement events and questionnaires in order to seek feedback and opinions about the group. The findings unanimously proved that the group is valued by the community and the Council and that it clearly represents its co-productive views. Following the review, the group developed revised Terms of Reference, an improved group identity, more timely feedback and engagement within projects and a re- launch of the group in 2014.

• Parks Strategy And Parc Cefn Onn HLF Application Working with the Council’s Parks and Leisure teams, the group provided a valuable resource and insight into how access can be improved for disabled people and people with mobility impairments in the rural environment. This has directly informed the Parks Strategy and has also lead to a successful Heritage Lottery Fund application for accessibility improvements to Parc Cefn Onn. This includes: accessible paths, signage and WCs. Furthermore the group advocated for the provision of 4x4 mobility scooters within the Cardiff parks services; funding for implementing this during 2014/15 is currently being investigated.

• Cardiff Story Improved Accessibility For The Visually Impaired, Hearing Impaired And Those With Learning Disabilities Through regular liaison with the Access Focus Group, the exhibition in the Cardiff Story Museum has continued to build on its accessibility through improved considerations for the visual and hearing impaired communities such as: audio description hand held devices, BSL guides tours, audio / text stories and interactive learning tools all designed and considered to provide as accessible an experience as possible.

Interactive exhi bit at Cardiff Story Museum, The Hayes, Cardiff

• Network Rail The Access Focus Group, in partnership with Network Rail, assisted in the development of contracts for a series of modifications to several road bridges in Cardiff. This assistance was in the form of guidance regarding the use of colour contrasting, tactile paving, widths of pavement and the use of effective lighting.

10.3 Coproduction

We all recognise the challenges that face councils and public service providers in the age of austerity. Across the public sector we are all going to have to deliver more for less with an increase demand on services. It is important that we find new, creative and innovative ways of providing services to the public that meet their changing and evolving needs. There is a growing evidence-base to suggest that working with communities and citizens rather than just delivering services to them, results in the achievement of better quality and more sustained outcomes, and higher levels of satisfaction. In order to try and harness the potential of these emerging approaches to co- productive working, Cardiff Council and its local partners established a working group during 2013/14 to develop these ideas. The working group is part of the Cardiff partnership board’s work stream. Membership of the Working Group includes: Cardiff Council; Public Health and the Local Health Board; local social enterprises; South Wales Police; and Cardiff University. The aim of the group is to build upon the excellent collaborative working that is already taking place across the city and to pilot new projects locally.

We are currently working on 3 Cardiff based pilots:

• Sustainable Holiday Provision The Trelai Skater Team, based in Ely and Caerau, have co-produced a scheme which supports young people in the area with a variety of activities. Working closely with a number of other community based groups and supported initially with a small amount of funding from Communities First, the provision has engaged with children and young people to provide them with a safe, social environment that focuses on educational opportunities. This informal method of engagement is achieved through activities such as skateboarding, dance classes and sporting activities. The results have seen a marked increase in participants taking up further training and some have moved into employment within the sports and recreation arena.

• Women Seeking Sanctuary Advisory Group (WSSAG) This support and advocacy group was co-produced to support displaced women who are seeking asylum or have been granted refugee status. The emphasis is on peer support and developing relationships with women who have already experienced the asylum process and who can offer practical and emotional advice. A collection of stories have been put together to document the journeys that these women have undertaken and offer hope to others. The booklet acts as a guidance for practitioners working within the community development.

• Futurespace A group of local volunteers have collaborated on a project to tackle the issue of fuel poverty. In an attempt to lower fuel bills and provide a program of education, Futurespace was formed in collaboration with a Communities First group in Cardiff West. The group worked with local people and families to develop a home energy survey that would give advice on energy saving tips to lower fuel costs. The pioneering aspect was that by delivering the information through a peer-led proposals could be more influential than more mainstream services.

Futurespace Group members planning energy saving advice for a community member

To facilitate this transformation in how Cardiff works with its communities, the Working Group will:

• Demonstrate how this approach can reduce the costs of delivering key services • Developing a more co-ordinated approach to engagement between the partners in Cardiff • Helping people to take responsibility for solving their own problems • Sharing information and best practice about citizens' needs and best practice • Mobilising communities to have an equal voice in building social cohesion

This work has also been incorporated within Cardiff’s Corporate Plan 2013-17. We understand the challenges of introducing coproduction into the organisation, but we are at the beginning stages of instigating an organisational change of ethos to set us upon the right path and to ensure sustainability of our local communities and fundamental services.

10.4 Community Covenant

In March 2013, Cardiff Council pledged its commitment to supporting the Armed Forces by signing the Community Covenant. By doing so, a public declaration of support was given to serving and ex-serving personnel to ensure that they do not experience any disadvantage when accessing services, such as housing and education. In addition, it would enable community groups, associations and public bodies to apply to the Community Covenant grant scheme for funding for community projects. To complement the work that is being achieved through the community covenant, Cardiff Council has developed an online directory of services that brings together a range of local services that are available to support the transition and ongoing support of service personnel within the City. By doing so, we are endeavouring to provide a host of provisions that will offer support to a range of personnel in overcoming possible physical, emotional or personal barriers. This year has seen the successful endorsement of two applications to the Community Covenant fund. These have had two distinct areas of interest that have both aligned the key principles of the Community Covenant. The two projects are assisting a variety of individuals and these are not necessarily connected directly with the Armed Forces, but show how both the military and the civilian communities can be brought together. A distinct theme within both projects addressed the issue of young people who are not in education, employment or training. This was seen as a key priority and could be coupled with issues that were directly associated with individuals and families of the Armed Forces. The projects are offering support to individuals who have been affected by displacement, substance/alcohol misuse and unemployment. The themes have been centred on the engagement and inclusion of both the civilian and military communities. Whilst these groups have been our central target, the projects will continue to benefit other members of the community also, including providing a resource for members of the general public to view and engage with the oral histories of past conflicts.

10.5 Budget Consultation

Cardiff Council, along with other local authorities across Wales, is facing tough financial decisions with aligning the budget over the next three years.

The council provides many services across the city which are non-statutory, therefore funding for these services needs to considered in line with demand. To establish the views of our citizens, we arranged a number of consultation events that engaged with citizens to collate their ideas about what services mattered to them the most. Importantly these events encouraged the participants to not only consider their individual needs, but those of the city as a whole. To achieve a valid cross-section of opinion, the consultations were held on three separate occasions. The first worked closely with the Cardiff Youth Council to establish a consultation that worked with children and young people from across the city. Their ideas and contributions were collated to give an insight into the priorities, as felt by the younger citizens of the city. The second consultation was attended by a range of citizens and also included representation from third sector and charitable organisations, particularly those who advocate for the rights of minority or under-represented individuals. The third consultation was aimed at the citizens in the city who were over fifty years of age. With an aging population, which is estimated to be at 26% over 65’s by 2033, collating the priorities that are important to this group of citizens was also seen as a key part of the consultation. The consultation results of all three groups were catalogued into a report which outlined overall, what the key priorities for the citizens of Cardiff were. Additionally, it also outlined some of the ideas that the public submitted in coping with a retracting budget and how services can be adapted to accommodate this. A copy of the budget consultation report is available here . 10.6 Cyd Cymru

As fuel prices continue to rise, the squeeze on household bills is tougher than ever. Greater provision is being made available across Wales to ensure that people can access practical advice and support about energy saving. One such initiative is Cyd Cymru, which offers a collective energy buying scheme to households as a way of saving money on energy costs. The concept is that by purchasing energy in bulk, the providers will be able to sell at wholesale prices and sell onto households at reduced prices. This scheme has been introduced to help those who are struggling with the increased costs of fuel and to assist in ensuring that families are not put in difficult positions when prioritising household expenses. Launched in October 2013, the scheme has already helped thousands of households across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan to access cheaper energy prices .

11. External Partners

Cardiff Council has partnership arrangements with several organisations to support us in complying with the general and specific duties in the Equality Act.

11.1 Diverse Cymru Diverse Cymru provides a range of services including Advocacy, Training, Consultation and Information services in order to promote diversity and equality and reduce discrimination and conflict.

Diverse Cymru recognises that in order to achieve equality a shared regional approach is needed and work with public, private and 3 rd sector organisations, partners and representatives of all protected characteristics.

• Intended activities o Continue campaigning role o Actively promote volunteering opportunities for under-represented groups o Promote the inclusion of Disabled people o Coordinate Diverse Cymru Access Group o Chair the Cardiff Partnership Board’s Independent Scrutiny Panel

• Achievements to date

o 17 workshops and service user involvement meetings held across Cardiff o 21 Strategic Partnership, Networks and Forums attended o 473 clients accessing and using each service o 34 volunteers accessing services o 14 volunteers gaining meaningful volunteer placements

11.2 Race Equality First

Race Equality First deliver a multi-strand service to support local organisations, communities and victims of discrimination and harassment.

They also provide advice and advocacy services, training and awareness raising.

• Intended activities

o Provision of a fully accessible multi-strand casework service to 200 victims of discrimination / harassment across Cardiff

o Promote REF’s casework service by producing and distributing 500 leaflets, posters and flyers o Improve planning, practice, policy and procedures for Cardiff council o Improve community safety and services to victims of discrimination through initiatives aimed at reducing Hate crime o Reduce educational achievement gap of minority ethnic pupils in Cardiff o Increase capacity in local BME communities to tackle issues related to discrimination through the Community Link Project o Raise awareness and inform local communities and the statutory sector of local support, race and equality issues in Cardiff & the Vale o Promote race equality, attitudinal change and community cohesion in young people across Cardiff through anti-discrimination workshops

• Achievements to date

o Provided casework service to 205 victims of discrimination o Produced 500 A5 booklets promoting REF’s services, updated REF’s website, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages o Assisted with individuals of Hate Crime o Worked with pupils from EU Roma backgrounds and EMTAS ( Ethnic Minority & Traveller Achievement Service ) o Meetings and presentations delivered to several community groups across Cardiff to raise awareness of REF’s services in relation to discrimination

11.3 C3SC C3SC provides infrastructure support to the third sector in Cardiff. The third sector includes voluntary organisations, community groups, volunteers, self-help groups, community co-operatives and enterprises, religious organisations

and other not for profit organisations

of benefit to communities and people

in Wales.

C3SC also provide information services, funding and commissioning advice, training services, governance and organisational advice

• Intended activities

o Facilitate two joint meetings between representatives of the third sector and key public service providers o Update the Compact Agreement to reflect new partnership arrangements in Cardiff o Develop and maintain a Third Sector Directory o Develop a third sector that understands and can respond to commissioning opportunities o Develop and support the third sector o Ensure coherent third sector engagement in public partnerships

• Achievements to date

o Six joint meetings held between representatives of third sector and key public service providers o Worked in partnership with the local authority and the NHS to develop new Compact arrangement o Third sector Directory available online – www.c3sc.org.uk/support/become-a-member/member-directory o Developed and publicised a training sheet around Commissioning and delivered two training sessions to members on commissioning, tendering and procurement support o Acted as key partner in the development and promotion of the Cardiff Transition Fund, focused on promoting consortium and partnership working o C3SC is a key partner in the new Co-production work being led by Cardiff Council

11.4 Voluntary Community Services

Voluntary Community Service promotes volunteering in the city of Cardiff.

• Achievements to date

o 1,775 volunteers interviewed o 402 interviewed and referred within resource under grant o 335 volunteers referred to 22 Cardiff Council projects o Worked on delivery and development of volunteering aspects of the Cardiff Voluntary Sector Compact Action Plan o Launched a new website offering news & information on volunteering issues, developed social media presence on Twitter and Facebook o Core services as a Volunteer Centre delivered o Continue to work in partnership with various strategic partners o Responded to 10,877 e-mail enquiries from potential volunteers

12. Hate Crime, Community Cohesion & Community Safety

12.1 Hate Crime & Community Safety

Cardiff Council and the Vale of Glamorgan Council employed a Community Cohesion Co-ordinator in 2012, funded by the Welsh Government. The community cohesion coordinator has been leading on several key pieces of work to promote inclusion, tackle hate crime and foster good relations between people from different groups:

• Trans Voices and LGB Voices

Following the closure of the LGBT Excellence centre in March 2013, the Cohesion Coordinator has worked with members of the Trans and LGB communities to establish engagement groups for people in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. ‘Trans Voices’ and ‘LGB Voices’ are member led group which aims to provide anyone who self-identifies as LGB+T, with a safe and respectful space in which to meet up, discuss issues, identify solutions, share, and engage with service providers. The groups are continuing to expand and currently have over 40 members, along with a growing online presence through social media. ‘Trans Voices’ meet on a bi-monthly basis, whilst ‘LGB voices’ meet quarterly, as directed by members. In February 2014, a Trans representative from ‘Trans Voices’ spoke at the Holocaust Memorial Service in City Hall for the first time. Key work for the groups has so far involved:

• Awareness raising stall at Mardi Gras in August 2013 • Open coffee morning for Transgender Remembrance Day in November 2013 • Bi-monthly Trans Voices meetings in community meeting places such as Chapter Arts Centre • Coordination/ link up with other LGBT groups and Networks • A community led Face book Group to raise awareness • The development of an LGBT service directory in partnership with the Police LGBT group LGBT United

• Tell Mama (Monitoring Anti-Muslim Attacks) The Tell Mama project has been working with Cardiff and the Vale, Newport and Swansea Councils to run Hate Crime Awareness Sessions for the Islamic communities in order to increase reporting of Islamophobia.

Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) is a national project which records and measures anti-Muslim incidents in the UK. As part of the Tell Mama communities’ project Tell Mama has run 9 workshops in mosques, Muslim women’s groups and youth settings in Cardiff, Swansea and Newport.

• Hate Crime Awareness Training The Community Cohesion Coordinator has funded ‘Hate Crime Awareness Training’ for staff across directorates in Cardiff Council. The training aimed to:

• Give staff a good level of awareness of the forms of hate crime and issues affecting people from different protected characteristic groups • Give staff the skills to identify potential hate incidents and provide the information they need to report hate crime on behalf of service users/members of the public • Help staff to encourage members of the public to report and signpost to specialist support

During 2013/14, 17 sessions were undertaken in Cardiff Council with approximately 340. The training will be evaluated in March 2014 to measure the impact, with the aim of developing a permanent training programme to tackle hate crime and raise awareness.

• Hate Crime Data During 2013/14, we continued to monitor reporting of hate incidents through our neighbourhood intelligence reports. This data is presented below:

All Hate Incidents Reported 2012/13 and 2013/14

HATE INCIDENTS MONTHLY TRENDS CHART 100

0 Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

2012 2013

This graph shows an increase in reporting during 2013/14

Race Hate Incidents Reported 2012/13 and 2013/14

RACE HATE INCIDENTS MONTHLY TRENDS CHART 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

2012 2013

This graph shows an increase in reporting of race hate incidents during the first half of 2013/14.

Religion Hate Incidents Reported 2012/13 and 2013/14

This graph shows the religious hate incidents reported during the last two years. Due to the low numbers of reporting, we are unable to analyse any trends at present. However, we will continue to monitor this data throughout 2014/15.

Disability Hate Incidents 2012/13 and 2013/14

This graph shows an increase in reporting of disability hate incidents during 2013, particularly during August and November.

Sexual Orientation Hate Incidents 2012/13 and 2013/14

This graph shows an increase in reporting of sexual orientation hate incidents during 2013/14.

Transgender Hate Incidents 2012/13 and 2013/14

At present, we are unable to gauge any trends from our 2013/13 and 2013/14 data on reporting of hate crime incidents in relation to transgender as the number of incidents reported is so low.

The graphs for religion, disability, sexual orientation and transgender hate incidents show the low numbers of incidents that are reported and the sporadic nature of reports. We will continue to collect and monitor this data to analyse any trends that appear with reporting.

During 2013/14 we will also be undertaking targeted work around hate crime which is reflected in our new strategic equality objectives on hate crime and community cohesion:

• Work to raise awareness of hate crime across Cardiff and support the implementation of the Welsh Government Hate Crime Framework

• Develop Community Cohesion Action Plan to respond to Cardiff’s cohesion priorities and embed cohesion principles across the Council and our partners

Through these objectives, we intend to improve our strategic response to hate crime during 2014/14. We recognise that there is further work to be done to increase reporting of hate crime incidents and will be furthering this programme of work during the next year in line with the Welsh Government’s new Hate Crime Framework.

• Asylum Seekers Multi Agency Group To support a coordinated approach to work ongoing to support Asylum Seekers and Refugees the Multi Agency Asylum Group has been re- launched. Chaired by the Director of Communities, Housing & Customer Services, the group aims to provide a strategic overview of the provision of support and services to Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Cardiff that will:

• Provide regular coordinated information sharing for key agencies to discuss issues relating to asylum seekers and refugees. • Use a multi-agency approach to problem solve identified service gaps and blockages • Develop a multi-agency pathway to escalate any high risk or recurring issues where immediate action is required, or where high level intervention is necessary • Recognise and support good practice • Link into regional and national structures

The group is run on a quarterly basis and is made up of representatives from all key service areas within the council and multiagency partners that include: Education, Housing, Children’s Services, Adults Services, Housing, Police, Health, Wales Refugee Council, Displaced People ion Action, City of Sanctuary, Wales Migration Partnership, Home Office and Clearsprings. Further to the establishment of the Asylum Seeker Stakeholder Group Cardiff will also be seeking to promote awareness raising amongst front line staff to better understand the needs and challenges of this service user group.

12.2 Community Safety

We have been involved in a number of community safety initiatives during 2013/14 that have furthered equality.

• Alcohol Treatment Centre The Cardiff Alcohol Treatment Centre was set up as a pilot project in September 2012 and has created an immediate place of safety in Cardiff City Centre at night. In the first 3 months of operation, the Centre significantly reduced the impact on emergency services and admissions to the A&E department at the University Hospital of Wales. In addition to reducing harm, brief intervention therapy is also delivered at the centre which challenges the behaviour of individuals when they have sobered up. Patients are also sign posted for further specialist help if required. It is estimated that the ATC achieves a saving of £242 for every person it successfully diverts from A&E and ambulance services and once the bedding-in period is complete it is expected that the ATC will yield a valuable cost effective service. Due to the success of the pilot, funding has been secured through the Welsh Government’s Regional Collaboration Fund for 3 years, with a view to securing a sustainable funding model going forward.

• Neighbourhood Resolution Panels In March 2013, two Neighbourhood Resolution Panels were piloted in Cardiff North and Cardiff East in an effort to respond to Anti-Social Behaviour, and low level Crime in a restorative approach to actively involve victims, offenders and local communities in the justice process. They can enable a proportionate response to some of the problems that matter most to those affected by an issue locally, and result in agreed shared meaningful outcomes that repair harm and rebuild relationships. Following the successful completion of the pilot the panels have been rolled out across Cardiff with the support of the Youth Offending Service following the introduction of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, requiring a consistent use of restorative justice approaches when disposing of low level crime and is being monitored by the Criminal Justice Board.

• Domestic Abuse Cardiff’s Women’s Centre was launched in March 2013. It is a multi-agency centre which brings together a multitude of support services such as; advocacy support, housing support and legal aid among others. These services have been brought together to provide wraparound provision in a single location to support women and children in Cardiff who have experienced, or are currently experiencing domestic violence or abuse.

• Street Sex Work A multi-agency group has been developed in Cardiff to tackle the issues of street sex working. The group has been developed to; provide leadership to ensure that service provision for women is fit for purpose, divert street sex work away from residential areas ensuring the safety of street sex workers is effectively prioritised and to develop and implement a multi-agency service model for off-street sex work in Cardiff. A multi-agency referral pathway has also been developed for both children and adults who are perceived to be victims of human trafficking.

13. Equality Development Grant

The Equality Development Grant Scheme provides small one off grants to local community and voluntary groups for a wide variety of activities that involve and benefit local communities. It aims to:

• Help support new groups and new community projects / initiatives • Provide support where no alternative financial support is available from the Council • Support community and voluntary groups in areas which suffer from high levels of deprivation

Grants have previously been provided for: start-up costs for new groups, equipment, community events, contributions towards running costs and community day trips. The scheme feeds directly into the 7 wider outcomes for Cardiff that are within the ten year partnership strategy ‘ What Matters’ . The Equality Development Grant also supports Cardiff Council to meet the three aims of the Equality Act’s general duty. In 2013/14, the following Equality Development Grants were provided:

• Grangetown Community Concern This organisation works towards providing services and organising events for the residents of Grangetown, providing 3 community newsletters and a week long summer festival culminating in a parade. The festival aims to bring together several hundred Grangetown residents in order to promote positive relations, tolerance and understanding across Grangetown’s diverse community. The grant of £500 contributed towards the costs of the summer festival.

• Hijinx Theatre The grant of £500 contributed towards the costs of the Unity Arts Festival. The festival took place in Cardiff’s Millennium Centre, Pierhead Building and Queen St from June 21st to June 30th and was listed as part of the Cardiff Summer Festival. The festival promoted inclusion and the joint working of people of various abilities in the arts. This is the only mixed ability festival in Wales. The organisers believe that the festival results in attendees breaking down barriers that exist between disabled and non-disabled people.

• Sikh Association South Wales The organisations aims to promote Sikh philosophy and support its interests and welfare, support the needs of Sikhs in South Wales, raise Sikh awareness amongst the wider communities and promote Sikh festivals amongst the wider communities. The funding contributed towards a Conference for Sikhs and other faiths to explore and share understandings of faith and promote the positive contribution Sikhs have made to Welsh life.

• Gwyl Ifan Folk Dance Festival Cwmni Dawns Werin Caerdydd organises and holds a Welsh Folk Dance Festival held over the weekend nearest to St John’s Day, which promotes traditional heritage. A number of events took place on Saturday 22nd June in locations throughout the city centre. They are also visited Welsh Language

73 primary schools to give a workshop. The £500 contributed towards advertising costs. The benefits were for Cardiff citizens and visitors to the city who were able to see and participate in traditional heritage.

• Club 1400 The organisation aims to promote Bengali arts and culture amongst younger generations as well as the wider community, work with other community groups to advance understanding and bring different communities together through cultural events. The grant of £500 contributed towards a Bengali New Year celebration event.

• Cardiff Refugee Asylum Seeker Welcome The organisation provides a weekly evening drop in service for asylum seekers and refugees enabling them to make friends and meet members of the community and learn English to integrate within wider society. The £500 helped the running costs of refreshments, venue hire and educational trips.

• Hayaat Women Trust The organisation aims to promote health, education & wellbeing of African women, empower African women to integrate into wider society to prevent social exclusion, encourage new refugees and asylum seekers to integrate into wider society and help Africans access health and education providers and hold health, cultural and personnel development awareness events. The group used the £500 towards an ‘Eid’ Celebration event, where they invited Muslim women & their families to celebrate together; it played a part in encouraging other women to join the group, encouraging integration and reducing isolation.

• Sudanese Community Assn South Wales The organisation aims to improve the socio-economic status of Sudanese people in Cardiff, work in partnership with statutory, voluntary and private sector to improve the lives of Sudanese people, promote positive images of the Sudanese community as active members of the community. Activities include: running mother tongue school, weekly social club, organising cultural gatherings and running a children’s play scheme. The group used the £500 towards an ‘Eid’ Celebration event. They invited members of the Sudanese community members to celebrate together. The event was also open to other community groups and organisations, therefore encouraging community cohesion.

• SEF Cymru The organisation aims to advance education for the public benefit through the provision of educational programmes, ESOL classes and seminars in particular but not exclusively amongst the Somali community with a view to: overcoming educational underachievement, working towards the removal of barriers to lifelong learning and skills training, promoting social inclusion; and raising awareness with others of negative influences which hinder people from reaching their full potential. The organisation used the £500 towards running an out of school hours literacy project within Butetown aimed at children who have English as a second language.

• Kerala Cultural Association The Kerala Cultural Association works towards the improvement of social lifestyle of Keralites living in Wales, promotes the Kerala heritage and traditions, hosts traditional festivals and strengthens links between members and local community. The grant was used to contribute to the ‘Onam’ festival.

• Theatre Versus Oppression The organisation works with educational establishments, healthcare workers and individuals to develop arts based training for individuals in need. It challenges discrimination and injustice and develop understanding and respect in communities through cultural arts. They used the funding towards funding performances of a play in community venues within Cardiff tackling the issue of human trafficking.

• Iris Prize Outreach The organisations aims are: to promote the education of people in the arts, eliminate discrimination, advance education and raise awareness in equality and diversity and promote activities to foster understanding between people of different backgrounds. The organisation used the £500 grant to contribute to the cost of refreshments for school children attending an arts project to help tackle homophobia and transphobia as part of Iris Education Day based at the Chapter Arts Centre.

• Daily Hope Foundation The Daily Hope Foundation aims to raise awareness of and to educate the community about Aids & HIV, promote social inclusion and promote integration by working with women from Africa, Asia and the local community via cookery classes. The grant of £500 was used towards the cost of World Aids Day event being held on December 4th.

• Moorland Rd Community Centre This organisation aims to: provide an opportunity for elderly people to enjoy a freshly cooked meal each day, provide older people the opportunity to enjoy the company of others in a warm safe environment, provide entertainment for members and keep members informed of changes that affect them. The grant of £500 was used towards the costs of putting on a Christmas meal and entertainment for members.

• Cardiff 3rd Sector Council on behalf of South Cardiff Interfaith Network The aims of the InterFaith Network are to: forge closer links between different faith groups, promote positive faith experiences by focusing on how different faith groups have lived alongside each other in Cardiff and to carry out visits to various faith venues. The grant of £500 was used towards costs of transport and publicity for a tour of faith venues to commemorate interfaith week which took place between18th – 22nd November.

• Women Seeking Sanctuary Advocacy Group This group aims to empower and support asylum seekers and refugee women in Cardiff, represent them and voice their needs at strategic and policy

75 making levels, tackle isolation, promote positive opportunities & social cohesion and provide a space where refugees and asylum seekers can come together to share / gain information and be signposted to service providers. The £500 was used towards the costs of a computer that will be used in the running of the group and to produce promotional information.

• African Mothers Foundation The main activities of this group are to create a forum where young girls / women’s needs and voices can be heard, create an environment where ongoing learning with intergenerational peer support exists, promote gender equality, provide information and advice and provide training and advocacy. The grant of £500 was used towards a new media project which will run alongside a Duke of Edinburgh award. The aim of the project is to enable young people 16+ from different cultural backgrounds to learn about each others culture in order to promote social inclusion and to raise greater understanding.

• The Congolese Community of Wales The main activities are to provide advice, information and advocacy for members of the Congolese community, enable members of the Congolese community to interact and integrate with the local community, provide information and opportunities for members to access local services and enable members to access activities at national parks in order to promote health and wellbeing. The grant of £500 was used to contribute to an end of year event where members of the Congolese and wider community can come together to share food, music, cultures and way of life. This helped promote inclusion and cohesion.

• St Saviours and St Germans Church, Splott The main activities of this Church are: to provide a meeting place for all community members, to provide an accessible food bank for all community members and to enable a space for older & younger members of the community can work together. The organisation received a grant of £153 to contribute to a Christmas event that took place for people who access the food bank.

• The Mentor Ring The aims of the organisation are to provide personal support, encouragement and guidance to people of all ages and backgrounds, to build a pool of qualified volunteer mentors to assist local communities and to provide workshops focusing on health and wellbeing, fitness, confidence building and employment. The organisation used the £500 towards a minority ethnic community health fair in partnership with a number of organisations.

• Full Circle Education Solutions The organisation is a social enterprise working to improve the wellbeing of children and young people, improve school attendance, attainment and aspirations. It aims to raise awareness of key issues faced by young people that becomes barriers to achievement, well-being and success. It provides training, youth programmes, consultancy services and the creation of resources to enable professionals to support wellbeing for children and young

76 people. The £500 contributed to an event to celebrate both national careers week and international women’s day. The event encouraged young women to consider a wider range of careers, job roles and leisure activities to help tackle low aspirations of some women which leads to low paying jobs, disaffection and deprivation.

14. Equality Events and Cultural Activities

Cardiff Council has hosted, or worked in partnership with others to host, a number of equality events and cultural activities during 2013/14.

• Cardiff Story Museum During 2013/14, the Cardiff Story Museum has continued to ensure that a range of voices and experiences from different people and communities are present in the museum galleries. A wide variety of events specifically for different groups are held at the Museum – ranging from family fun school holiday activities to history talks and music events. Additionally, specific accessible provision for visitors is in place in the museum including, this includes: tactile maps, audio guides for visually impaired and deaf visitors, Braille and large print versions of gallery text, Braille and large tactile lettering on signage, subtitles on films, written transcriptions of audio points and lift and ramps making all areas of the building accessible. Audio guides are also available in English, Welsh, Chinese, Arabic, French and Spanish. During 2013/14, the Cardiff Story Museum has held the following events:

• Exhibition on Leisure in Cardiff developed by the Museum’s youth advisors and Cardiff Youth Advisory Panel • Reminiscence Monthly – open event, inviting people to socialise about a chosen topic • BME communities shared their stories for Diverse Cymru’s HLF funded project • Menter Caerdydd displayed exhibition for City Showcase gallery • Supported the Romany Cultural Arts Company to develop their own exhibition exploring the lives of the Gypsy, Roma, Traveller community • Supported young women from various ethnic backgrounds ( Somali, Yemeni, African & Gypsy, Roma, Traveller) with a heritage project, providing them with oral history training, exhibition development training • Worked with members from African Caribbean communities to develop an event for Black History Month • We undertook consultation with members of Cardiff Chinese Church for research & development for future projects and collaborated with members of the Chinese community for a New Year craft activity • Worked with members of the LGBT community to host an Ivor Novello evening in celebration of LGBT History Month

‘Dinky Dragons ’, Cardiff Story Museum’s new monthly free all day drop in event for babies, toddlers and their grown- ups, started in February 2014

• Cardiff Mardi Gras

The Mardi Gras was once again held in the City during August 2013, this year being held in the Millennium Stadium for the first time. Thousands turned up to a street parade through the city centre and an afternoon concert in the stadium, making this Wales’ largest celebration of LGBT equality and diversity.

• St David’s Day

The Lord Mayors Civic St. David’s Day Service took place on 1st March 2014. It is an annual service, hosted by the Lord Mayor, in honour of Dewi Sant or St David, the patron saint of Wales. An annual parade through the city centre also took place, with colourful street dancers, school children and youth groups dressed in Welsh traditional costume and music.

• Cardiff Mela

During 2013/14, Cardiff Council supported the annual Multicultural Mela. Mela is a Sanskrit word meaning 'gathering' or 'to meet' or a Fair. It is used in the Indian subcontinent for all sizes of gathering and can be religious, commercial, cultural or sports. Cardiff Multi Cultural Mela is a community and social cohesion event is open to everyone, all ages and from all sections of society. The Mela is in its seventh year and attracts up to 30,000+ visitors in a day. It takes place in Roald Dahl Plas in Cardiff Bay and consists of stalls, exhibitions, a market bazzar, a kids zone and a main concert stage.

• Holocaust Memorial Day The Wales’ National Commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day was held at City Hall on January 27 2014; the event was jointly hosted by Cardiff Council and the Welsh Government. Holocaust Memorial Day is an international day

79 of remembrance for victims of the Holocaust, Nazi persecution and other genocides. The Memorial Day honours the survivors of regimes of hatred and remembers those who have lost their lives; it provides the opportunity for people to reflect on the ways in which we live our lives today in order to bring our communities together to create a safer, better future.

• Soundworks Music Project Supported by Cardiff Council through Arts Active, St David’s Hall Arts Active’s weekly music sessions bring adults with learning difficulties and special needs into St David’s Hall for a regular music class that is designed to be both hugely enjoyable and beneficial for the all the participants and carers attending. Arts Active works closely with Cardiff’s Adult Services to ensure the participants are able to come to the sessions.

• Gypsy Roma and Traveller Art and Cultural Gala - 5 June Supported by Cardiff Council through Arts Active, for the second year running St David’s Hall supported a day of performances music, dance, art and films celebrating the rich and diverse cultural heritage of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in Wales. The event which took over the whole for St David’s Hall was open to the public who were encouraged to take part in workshops, listen to talks or just enjoy the displays and stalls. Both primary and secondary schools from all over Cardiff attended workshops and enjoyed the performances. Members of the Gypsy Roma and Traveller communities from Cardiff and all over Wales made the trip to attend and perform at the event.

• YPWD Choir Proms Performance Thursday 25 July Supported by St David’s Hall, the YPWD (Younger People with Dementia) Choir has 255 regular members who meet to enjoy the both the social and health benefits of singing together and perform to raise awareness of dementia and show how to live well and have a good time.

• Cardiff Carnival - Saturday 10 August Supported by Cardiff Council through an Arts Grant, SWICA’s day long programme of free family entertainment culminating in a finale parade starting from the Atrium University of South Wales. The day brought together a variety of different arts and cultural participatory groups including Cardiff School of Capoeira, Samba Galez to compliment the SWICA Carnival Crew.

• Black History Month Launch – Friday 27 September Diverse Cymru, supported by Cardiff Council through Arts Grants and St David’s Hall, hosted a launch of Black History Month 2013. Every October throughout the UK, Black History Month celebrates the achievements and contributions of Black people to the development of British society, technology, economy and arts & culture. Year on year Black History Month is proving to be one of the most engaging, lively and welcoming events in Wales’ cultural calendar. This month of activities was launched at St David’s Hall with a specially commissioned performance by resident group Ballet Nimba, Wales’ leading African Dance Theatre Company and Catrin Finch, Wales’ world renowned harpist. A new photographic exhibition recorded the history of Black History month in Wales.

• The Iris Prize Festival - 9 – 13 October Supported by Cardiff Council through an Arts Grant, Cardiff’s International gay and lesbian short film prize is presented annually during the Iris Prize Festival. The full programme of events includes new feature films, panel sessions, parties and screenings of all 30 short films competing for the prize.

• Tiddly Prom Bert & Cherry’s Christmas Plum Pudding – Flying Start special performance – 12 December Supported by Cardiff Council through Arts Active, St David’s Hall held a special performance of the Tiddly Prom performance for under 5s and their parents was arranged to enable approximately 100 clients of the Flying Start parenting courses, stay and play centres and support services in Cardiff to attend for a nominal cost of £1.50 per family. This is a regular event has developed out of Arts Active’s ongoing collaboration with Flying Start.

• Flying Start Family Activity Day - 26 February Supported by Cardiff Council through Arts Active, St David’s Hall held a day of activities for the under 5s and their parents including participatory Music and Art activities offered free of charge to the clients of the Flying Start parenting courses, stay and play centres and support services in Cardiff.

• Malaysian Students Society of Cardiff University – 8 February Supported by St David’s Hall, the Cardiff University Malaysian community’s annual performance attracted a sell-out audience drawn from the community of Malay students, and families in Cardiff.

15. Equality Impact Assessments

15.1 Equality Impact Assessments of our policies & procedures

Cardiff Council continues to assess the impact of new, revised and proposed policies, strategies, functions and decisions. During 2013/14, Equality Impact Assessments that were undertaken include:

• Into Work Advice Review, Local Training & Enterprise Centres • Ely / Caerau Community Hub • White Paper: Building Communities - A New Approach to Locality Working • Local Development Plan – High Level Rapid Transit Options • Route 6 Cycle Network • Walkable Neighbourhoods • Parks and green spaces strategy • WCs in Cardiff Council • ‘Our Space’ alterations, including car parking, including modification of City Hall offices / toilets and the smoking Shelter • Cardiff Story Museum • 20 mph zones • Central Square Redevelopment • Various undertaken through the schools organisation planning - see 7.8

Castle / Canton Bridge Case study

The Council’s Transport Team secured funding to develop an on-road cycle route along the Cowbridge Road corridor, west of the city centre. The scheme formed a major section of the Cardiff Strategic Cycle Network (Enfys) Route 6. The design comprised a series of engineering measures to make conditions on the highway safer and more conducive to cycling. It included the introduction of a bespoke segregated cycle lane across Cardiff Bridge. Cardiff Bridge is a key route for general traffic, buses and pedestrians west of the city centre. The design of the cycle arrangement had to overcome a major constraint presented by bulky raised ‘Trief’ kerbs separating the main carriageway and footways on the upstream and downstream sides of the bridge. Through consultation with the Cardiff Council Access Focus Group (CCAFG), the designers were able to establish that the best arrangement for disabled users of the footway would be a cycle lane entirely segregated from the pedestrian space by a kerb edge with a minimum height of 50mm. Through this engagement, it was possible to reach a compromise whereby the width of the cycle lanes originally proposed was reduced from 1.8 metres to 1.4 metres, thus minimising the reduction of the footway and maintaining a footway width of 2.1 metres - slightly above the minimum width recommended by the Department for Transport’s Inclusive Mobility guidance. Following a series of discussions facilitated by the Council’s Access Officer, the final proposals were presented to a meeting of the 38 members of the CCAFG which supported the design as an acceptable

compromise, along with the wider membership of the CCAFG which exceeds

500 individuals from a range of protected groups. This engagement formed the basis of a robust Equality Impact Assessment of the Castle / Canton Bridge and ensured that the CCAFG were pivotal to informing the development, design and the engineering process, beyond minimum standards, therefore making accessibility central to the whole process. 82

15.2 Equality Impact Assessment of our Budget

In compliance with the EHRC’s guidance on ‘The Public Sector Equality Duties and Financial Decisions’, we developed a comprehensive process for assessing the equality risks of budget proposals during 2013/14, building upon the process we have implemented during previous years. We developed equality impact screening tools for the following three aspects of the budget:

• Financial Pressures Proposals 2014/15 • Fees and Charges Proposals 2014/15 • Financial Savings Proposals 2014/15 4.HANR.2660

These budget screenings use a simplified methodology for undertaking an initial equalities screening of each proposal. The methodology is similar in approach to the Council’s risk assessment matrix. The screenings ask three key questions about the proposal:

• Which equalities group(s) will this proposal affect most? • Please give an estimation of how many people from these groups might be adversely affected? • What will be the consequences of this proposal for these groups? (please briefly detail the impact)

Managers are also asked to rate the equality risk through the following matrix:

CONSEQUENCE / SERIOUSNESS OF IMPACT Likelihood: (1 = MOST SERIOUS) A Very Likely 1 2 3 4 B Likely

G G C Unlikely N N

I A I D Very Unlikely R R

C C ) ) t t Consequences: C C s s B O e O e 1 Major

h h F F

g 2 Significant g 2 Significant i i O O

H H 3 Moderate

D D = =

C O O 4 Minor A A O O ( ( H H I I L L E E D K K I I L L

The table below indicates how this matrix is used to determine which proposals need to be subject to full impact assessments:

Score Ratings: • Where proposals are rated as being RED or RED AMBER a full impact assessment will need to be carried out. • Where proposals are rated as being AMBER GREEN , please contact the Equalities Team for further advice and guidance on the need to complete a full impact assessment. • Where proposals are rated as GREEN , please send the completed matrix to the Equalities Team where we will confirm your rating. Confirmed green ratings will not need a full impact assessment.

During 2013/14, this process was used to assess the equality risks of every budget proposal. Over 325 budget proposals were screened for their potential equality risks and over 65 full Equality Impact Assessments were conducted. Equality Impact Assessments of our budget proposals were published on our website in February 2014.

During 2013/14, we undertook a review into the way we issue grants to partner organisations, our priority being to provide services which deliver the best outcome for our citizens through a fairer, more accountable commissioning process whilst making much needed savings. In the past, we have been fortunate to be able to fund a diverse range of organisations, ranging from those providing essential services such as care and support to the elderly, to a variety of smaller groups and organisations. In the current economic climate against a backdrop of severe financial restraints, our priority has to be the services which support the Council's strategic aims and which support identified need. On this basis, the Cabinet began a consultation on proposals to cease some grant funded schemes from April 2014. To ensure that all relevant information is considered as part of this decision making process, Equality Impact Assessments were undertaken on the potential loss of grant funding. These EIAs can be accessed here .

15.3 Revised EIA Template

During 2013/14, we established a partnership between Vale of Glamorgan Council, Cardiff Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and Cardiff & Vale University Health Board to revise our Equality Impact Assessment templates and guidance. We aim to introduce collaborative forms and guidance documents early in 2014/2015 so that a consistent approach is used throughout these organisations. This will reduce repetition when we are undertaking EIAs of partnership projects and ensure that we are all working towards an effective, consistent methodology.

15.4 Statutory Screening Tool

When the Council develops a strategy, policy or activity that is likely to impact people, communities or land use in any way then there are a number of statutory requirements that apply. Failure to comply with these requirements, or demonstrate due regard, can expose the Council to legal challenge or other forms of reproach. For instance, this will apply to strategies (i.e. Corporate Plans, LDP, Housing Strategy or Disabled Play Strategy), policies (i.e. Procurement Policy) or activity (i.e. developing new schools, social care delivery etc). During 2013/14, we developed a Statutory Screening Tool to ensure that all Cardiff Council strategies, policies and activities comply with relevant statutory obligations and responsibilities. Equality is embedded within the Statutory Screening Tool, therefore ensuring that all strategies, policies or activities must include Equality Impact Assessment, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the United Nations Principles for Older Persons and the Welsh Language Measure 2011, amongst others.

This Statutory Screening Tool allows us to meet the requirements of all these pieces of legislation as part of an integrated screening method that usually takes no longer than one hour to complete. To embed this in the corporate process and ensure the Council can demonstrate that it is actively taking every reasonable step to meet its obligations, we have ensured that:

• The screening is included in the Cabinet Forward Plan to provide an early prompt for Directorates to engage with the Policy, Partnerships and Citizen Focus Team to discuss the Statutory Screening Tool. • The screening is included within the Cabinet Report template of a ‘Statutory Screening Implications’ section to follow legal and financial implications. • The completed Screening Tool must be referred to as a supporting background document within the Cabinet report – and be published on the intranet and made available if requested.

16. Conclusion & Summary

Throughout this updated Strategic Equality Plan Annual Report 2013/14, we have identified our efforts to ensure that we are showing due regard to the three limbs of the General Equality Duty set out the in the Equality Act 2013 – eliminating discrimination, advancing equality of opportunity, and fostering good relations between different groups when shaping our policy, delivering services and supporting our employees.

We have outlined the work that has taken place during 2013/14 to progress our strategic equality objectives, and have highlighted compliance with key Specific Equality Duties for Wales – engagement, assessment of impact, equality information, employment information and annual reporting.

This Annual Report also points out areas of improvement required in order to further progress our strategic equality objectives. Although we have made steps to reduce inequalities, many years of consistent and concerted work will be required to ensure equal outcomes for all protected groups. We will therefore continue to deliver effort throughout the duration of our Strategic Equality Plan ‘Everyone Matters’ and our ten year community strategy for the city ‘What Matters’ . It is clear that these actions will require the increased use of co-production models and partnership working.

Now two years into our Strategic Equality Plan (SEP), we can begin to reflect upon how the City of Cardiff’s Equalities Objectives can be developed into our second SEP, which is due to be published by 1 April 2016. We hope that you will help us develop this Plan.

We aim to ensure that the next Plan will target precious resources into areas of greatest need. We will need to continue mainstreaming actions to improve service delivery in spite of austerity, underling the City of Cardiff’s commitment to embedding a culture of equality and fairness at the heart of the organisation.

City of Cardiff Equality Team: [email protected] Telephone: 029 2087 Room 263 County Hall, Atlantic Wharf Cardiff CF10 4UW

APPEND IX 1 - Cardiff Council Monitoring Form Cardi ff Council wan ts to make sure that all its services are accessible to everyone. We therefore ask you to answer the following questions so we can be sure our services are delivered fairly and that no-one is discriminated against.

All questions are volun tary and it will not make any di fference to the services you receive if you do not answer them. By choosing to answer them you are helping us to ensure everyone in our city is treated equally.

Any information pro vided will be treated confidentially and we will not ask you to provide your name.

If you require this form in another format or language, please con tact the Citizen Focus Team on: 029 2087 3059. Where you live

So that we can target our services across the city, please tell us which area/suburb of Cardiff you live in:

Gender

Male Female Is your gender identity the same as the gender you were assigned at birth? (Please tick one box only)

Yes No Prefer not to say

Age

What is your age?

Under 16 16 - 24 25 - 34

35 - 44 45 - 54 55 - 64

65+ Prefer not to say

Disability

Identifying as a disabled person can include people with hearing or sight impairments, people with mental health difficulties or learning disabilities, people with mobility impairments, or those who have long-term health conditions, for example: depression, diabetes, asthma, multiple sclerosis, HIV or cancer.

Do you identify as a disabled person?

Yes (please specify) : No Prefer not to say

Deaf / Deafened / Long standing illness Mobility impairment Hard of hearing or health condition

Wheelchair user Learning impairment / Visual impairment difficulties

Mental Health difficulties Prefer not to say Other (please specify):

Page 1 Cardiff Council Monitoring Form

Sexual Orientation (only answer this question if you are over the age of 16)

Gay Man Gay Woman / Lesbian Heterosexual / Straight

Bisexual Prefer not to say Other (please specify):

Religous Belief / Non-Belief

Do you regard yourself as belonging to any particular religion?

Yes (please specify): No, no religion

Christian Buddhist Hindu

Muslim Sikh Jewish

Prefer not to say Other (please specify):

Language Skills

What is your first language?

Please tell us the language you speak at home and your level of ability to read, write or speak that language and any other languages listed below: Speak Read Write Learning

English

Welsh

Would you prefer to receive council information in any of the following languages?

English Welsh Other (please specify):

Marital or Civil Partnership Status (only answer this question if you are over the age of 16)

What is you current marital or civil partnership status?

Single Married Registered Civil Partnership

Prefer not to say Other (please specify):

Page 2 Cardiff Council Monitoring Form

Ethnic Monitoring

YES NO Do you consider yourself to be Welsh?

White Welsh / English / Scottish Irish Northern Irish / British Any other White background (please specify) :

Mixed / Multiple Ethnic Groups

White & Black Caribbean White & Black African White & Asian

Any other Mixed / Multiple ethnic background (please specify) :

Asian / Asian British

Indian Pakistani Bangladeshi

Chinese

Any other Asian background (please specify) :

Black / African / Caribbean / Black British

African Caribbean

Any other Black / African / Caribbean background (please specify) :

Other Ethnicity

Arab Czech Gypsy/Irish Traveller

Japanese Polish Yemeni

Other (please specify):

Prefer not to say

Page 3 Cardiff Council Monitoring Form

Pregnancy and Maternity

Are you pregnant, or have you given birth in the last 26 weeks ?

Yes I'm pregnant Yes I've given birth within the last 26 weeks

No Prefer not to say

Carers

Do you have Caring responsibilities?

Yes No

A carer is a person who looks after a relative, partner, friend or neighbour who is unable to manage without help because of age, impairment or health condition, drug or alcohol problem or long-term illness. The care they give is unpaid. It also includes Parent Carers (or a person who has assumed parental responsibility) of a child or young person under 18 years old who needs support due to having a physical or mental impairment or long-term health condition

Thank you for taking the time to complete the Cardiff Council Monitoring Form

City of Cardiff Council

HR People Services Strategic Equality Plan Annual Report

January 2014 – December 2014

Produced by

Employee Relations Team

February 2015

CONTENTS

Section 1 Introduction

Section 2 Relevant Information

Data Collection Methods Data Comparison and Actions Required

Section 3 Objectives for 2015

3.1 Eliminate Discrimination, Harassment and Victimisation 3.2 Promote Equality of Opportunity 3.3 Foster Good Relations

Appendix 1 – HR People Services Equality Action Plan Appendix 2 – Employee Monitoring and Information

SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION

1.1 On an annual basis HR People Services (HRPS) develops an Equality Report based on the statutory requirement for provision of equality data.

1.2 Within the report actions are developed for the following year and assigned to the most relevant officer within HRPS to lead on the action and report on any progress being made.

1.3 Monitoring of progress on the actions is the responsibility of the Operational Manager, Centres of Expertise, actions progress and barriers are then submitted to the HRPS Senior Management Team.

1.4 HRPS recognise the pivotal role they play regarding the General Duties of the Equality Act 2010:

• Eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation is being achieved through the policies and procedures that HRPS develop/ review relating to employees to ensure that every employee is treated with dignity and respect.

• Advance equality of opportunity is embedded in the recruitment and selection process. Training and promotional opportunities are advertised to all employees and a process is in place to supporting managers and employees to implement reasonable adjustments. The Single Status Collective Agreement has also ensured equal pay for equal work, closing the gender pay gap and encouraging a transparent system.

• Foster good relations is a strong agenda item for HRPS which support and fund the five employee equality networks to raise awareness of equality matters and provide additional support and training to employees.

SECTION 2 - RELEVANT INFORMATION

2.1 Employee Monitoring Data will be set out in Appendix 2; however a brief comparison of key information against last year's data and actions required will be presented in this section.

Data Collection Methods

2.2 Employee data is managed through three operating systems: a) Digi-GOV which is the main HR Database managing employee information b) Tribal which is the recruitment system c) SAP which is the payroll system

2.3 Digi-GOV enables employees to manage their own personal data, which includes equality monitoring, bank account details, annual leave, training and development in addition to other services such as claiming travel and subsistence.

2.4 All employees who are paid by the Council have a record on Digi-GOV and a report when generated will produce employee data for each employee or group of employees which enables HRPS to respond to the changing demands of the workforce. Council employees who are required to use ICT equipment are required to verify their data in Digi- GOV when they are appointed or when prompted.

2.5 Tribal manages job applications and includes an equality monitoring form, this assists HRPS to manage the application process for vacant posts and ensure the process is fair and transparent. Tribal is the system that data will be pulled from to complete the employee monitoring section on applicants applying by protected characteristic groups. The employee monitoring data still does not carry over onto Digi-GOV if the applicant is successful.

2.6 SAP is the payroll system used by the Council, when the successful applicant has been offered employment they are sent a contract of employment and an equality monitoring form. The equality monitoring form once completed and returned by the successful applicant is entered onto SAP by HRPS. However, the SAP system does not have the facility to capture all of the equality monitoring fields. SAP transfers the data over to Digi-GOV (which does have all the required monitoring fields) automatically and therefore there will be data gaps until the information is verified by the employee. As some employees are not required to use Digi-GOV (schools and non IT users) the data gaps remain. However mechanisms are being put in place to address this going forward. Information received by HRPS from successful applicants will be input directly to Digi-GOV and then the data will transfer to the payroll system SAP. This will ensure all data fields are completed regardless of verification. At present there are still technical difficulties with the communication between the two systems when operating the

data transfer visa versa, but the cause to the issue has been identified and works are being carried out to solve it.

Employee Monitoring Survey

2.7 Consideration is still being given to the use of a paper or online survey to update the employee equality monitoring data; however, this approach would be resource intensive to input the completed forms in addition to the cost of postage to send out and return. At a time of increasing pressure on the allocated budget for HRPS this approach has not yet been decided and a decision will need to be made whether it is in the best interests of the Council to avoid this type of expenditure and instead focus on encouraging employees to verify and update their own data.

2.8 Due to the number of manual positions across the Council an email reminder would not reach all employees, therefore it would be more yielding to run a series of satellite data update sessions at core manual locations; by ensuring access to Digi-GOV and a HRPS employee to support the employees input information. This would also require a communication to all Service Area Managers informing them of the reasons for having accurate employee data and encouraging employees to participate. This approach was not run in this reporting period due to competing business needs and re-structures as well as implementation of the Workforce Package.

Comparison of Key Employee Data and Actions Required for 2015

2.9 The full data is provided at Appendix 3. Below is a summary and analysis of the data and proposed actions to address any issues identified.

Part 1 Data - Employee Information by Protected Characteristics

2.10 Age

The Council has 15,819 employees in total and the highest percentage of employees is in the age group 45-54 (28.4%) which is the same as the last year. This is the same for both council and school employees but not for casual employees where the highest percentage is in the 16- 24 age group.

47.8% employees are over the age of 45 which shows the nature of the ageing population of the Council, however, this is slightly lower than the percentage in this age group last year (48.4%).

Action – the Council is currently only advertising posts externally where they are unable to recruit internally. This is due to huge budget savings being required. As a result it is difficult to identify any actions that could be taken to change the age distribution of employees.

2.11 Disability

Last year the Council did not have disability recorded for 80.98% of its employees. This year, there appears to be an issue with the data that has not been able to be resolved before the publication of this report. This issue means that this year we have no recorded data for 98.9% of our employees.

There are 180 (1.1%) employees identifying themselves as disabled. This is higher than the figure last year which was 0.88% but this was a decrease on the year before when it was 1.33% employees.

There is a higher percentage of council employees at 2.1% (0.84% last year) than both school employees at 0.4% (0.01% last year) and for casual employees at 0.6% (0.04% last year). This may just be related to the fact that school and casual employees have a higher percentage of not recorded’.

2.12 Ethnicity

The Council does not have ethnicity recorded for 1,620 (10.2%) of its employees which is slightly lower than last year (10.47%).

There are 13,271 (83.89%) of employees identifying themselves as white. This is slightly higher than last years figure which was 83.87%.

It is difficult to gauge how the % of white employees has increased as looking at the leaver data the % of white employees leaving is 86.76% which appears to be more than representative.

2.13 Gender

Of it’s 15,819 employees, 10,846 (68.6%) of the total are female. The figures are very different for school employees where females account for 82.5% of school employees. The comparative figures for council employees (excluding schools and casuals) are that there are 58% of employees who are female and with casual employees females account for 58.4%.

These figures are similar to last year – with 68.13% of total employees being female, 82.24% of school employees being female, 58.32% of council (excluding schools and casuals) employees and 60.73% of casuals being female.

2.14 Gender Reassignment

The Council does not have data recorded for this area for 15,140 (95.7%). This is comparable to last years figure of 95.95%).

There are 2 employees who have identified themselves as having a different gender to their gender at birth. Whilst this is a very low number and we have no other years of information to compare this with, it is positive that employees have declared this.

2.15 Marriage and Civil Partnership

The Council does not have marital status recorded for 12,624 (79.8%) of its employees. This is marginally better than last year where we did not have it recorded for 80.52% of employees.

The highest category recorded is ‘married’ with 1910 (12.08%) employees. There are 28 employees who are either recorded as being in a civil partnership or a dissolved civil partnership. Whilst this is a low number, it is positive that employees have declared this.

2.16 Pregnancy and Maternity

On average approximately 11.8% of employees resign following maternity leave (this is up from last years figure of 10%). Again this year the use of additional paternity leave is very low. This year Shared Parental Leave is being introduced which gives greater flexibility about the timing of leave and allows for sharing of the old maternity leave. It will be interesting to see if there is greater take up of this than the parental leave.

2.17 Religion or Belief (including lack of belief)

The Council does not have religion recorded for 13,529 (85.52%) of its employees. It is disappointing as this is higher than last year when the figure was 84.59%).

The highest category recorded is ‘Christian’ with 1,206 employees (7.62%) which is less than the figure last year which was 8.23%. The second highest is ‘None’ with 786 (4.97%) employees which is also lower than the figure last year of 5.24%.

2.18 Sexual Orientation

The Council does not have sexual orientation recorded for 13,010 (82.24%) of its employees which is higher than the figure last year which was 81.77%.

There are 97 employees who have identified themselves as bisexual, gay, lesbian or other. This equates to 0.61% which is slightly higher than last year's figure of 0.59%.

Part 2 Data – Gender Breakdown

2.19 Salary

Looking at the percentage of employees in council and school (excluding casuals) that are female in each salary band it starts with 80.87% in 'Below £16k' it then decreases in each salary band until it reaches 60.09% in '£28k to £32,999'. It then increases again to 74.39% in '£33k to £39,999' and decreases again to 60.69% in '£40k +' This increase in the band '£33k to £39,999' can be attributed to the high number of female teachers as this is the salary band that a high number of teachers would be in.

Looking at council employees (excluding schools and casuals) the salary band with the highest percentage of female employees is 'Below £16k' at 69.05% and the salary band with the lowest percentage is '£23k-£27,99' at 48.38% and then the second lowest is '£40k+' at 50.34%. Looking at the figures for last year below it can be seen that the '£40k+' band had the lowest percentage last year.

Looking at school employees only there is even more of a difference in percentages. The salary band with the highest percentage of female employees is 'Below £16k' at 91.18% and the salary band with the lowest percentage is '£40k+' at 65.12%.

For comparison the figures last year were that for females the percentage starts with 78.46% in 'Below £16k' it then decreased in each salary band until it reached 60.23% in '£28k to £32,999'. It then increased again to 72.22% in '£33k to £39,999' and decreased again in '£40k +' This increase in the band '£33k to £39,999' was attributed to the high number of female teachers as this is the salary band that a high number of teachers would be in. Looking at council employees (excluding schools and casuals) the salary band with the highest percentage of female employees was 'Below £16k' at 66.71% and the salary band with the lowest percentage was '£40k+' at 51.70%. Looking at school employees only there was even more of a difference in percentages. The salary band with the highest percentage of female employees was 'Below £16k' at 91.17% and the salary band with the lowest percentage was '£40k+' at 65.51%.

2.20 Contract Type - Permanent/ Temporary

The percentage of females on permanent contracts in the Council and schools together is 86.8% which is lower than males at 90.1%. Last year’s figures were for 85.6% females and for 88.7% males which shows a slight increase in the percentage of males on permanent contracts compared with females.

The use of temporary contracts continues to be more prevalent in schools with 83.23% of employees on permanent contracts but this is an

improvement on the figure of 80.2% last year. When looking at just central Council employees there are of 91.95% females on permanent contracts and 93.05 % of males which is slightly more comparable. This shows a greater gap than last year where 92.5% of females and 92.3% of males were on permanent contracts.

2.21 Working Patterns (Full time/ Part Time)

In school posts there are only 37.29% of females on full time contracts (last year it was 36.6% so there is a slight increase) and this is in contrast to 73.76% of males on full time contracts (last year it was 74.3% so there is a small decrease). A large part of this would be attributable to the fact that the majority of administrative staff and teaching assistants in schools are female and as they work term time only they are classed as part time employees.

For centrally Council posts there is still a marked difference in the percentage of males and females on full time contracts, with 45.33% (44.7% last year) of females and 81.22% (81.7% last year) males.

2.22 Part 3 Data – Applicants by Protected Characteristics

This data has been collected from the Tribal system and this is used for internal and external applicants. It is currently not possible to provide a breakdown of the number of internal or external applicants.

2.23 Part 4 Data – Employees applying to Change Position by Protected Characteristics

This data is not currently available

2.24 Part 5 Data – Training Information by Protected Characteristics

The data again this year shows that there are a higher number of employees that are completing training than those being approved. This is due to the fact that some training is still applied for and approved outside of the DigiGov system but is then recorded on the system.

By Age Looking at the approval rate for training it does appear again this year that older employees are less likely to have their training approved. The Learning and Development team should look to see what the reasons are for turning down training to ensure they are not age related.

By Disability Looking at the approval rate for training it does appear that disabled employees are less likely to have their training approved than employees not declaring a disability. However, we do not have this data for 58.4% of employees applying for training and so this figure should be viewed with caution.

By Ethnicity Looking at the approval rate for training it is more comparable than last year across the different ethnic groups. The lowest approval rate is for employees of 'other ethnicity' at 18.18% and highest is for Asian employees at 33.33%. We do not have this data for 6.6% of employees applying for training.

By Gender Looking at the employees applying for training the highest percentage is from women at 60.71% (last year was 61.1%) but this is to be expected as they account for 68.6% of total employees. Looking at approval rates it does appear that female employees are less likely to have their training approved at 25.86% whilst male employees are at 28.04%. The Learning and Development team should look to see what the reasons are for turning down training to ensure they are not gender related.

By Marriage and Civil Partnership There does not seem to be any significant pattern for approval rates in this area and figures for some categories are so low that a fair comparison is not possible.

By Religion or belief (including lack of belief) There does not seem to be any significant pattern for approval rates in this area and figures for some categories are so low that a fair comparison is not possible.

By Sexual Orientation There does not seem to be any significant pattern for approval rates in this area and figures for some categories are so low that a fair comparison is not possible.

2.25 Part 6 Data – Grievance Information by Protected Characteristics

By Age There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area with the age distribution of grievances being similar to the age range of all employees.

By Disability There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area. However, we do not have this data for 53.33% of employees initiating grievances and 31.58% of employees who the grievance is against.

By Ethnicity There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area with the distribution being similar to the distribution of total employee numbers.

By Gender

100

The percentage of male employees submitting grievances at 66.67% (last year was 46.9%) is significantly higher than the percentage of males employed in Council posts (31.4%). The percentage of males is again significantly higher when you look at who the grievance is against with it being 68.42% male.

By Marriage and Civil Partnership There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area with the distribution being similar to the distribution of total employee numbers.

By Religion or belief (including lack of belief) There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area with the distribution being similar to the distribution of total employee numbers.

By Sexual Orientation There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area with the distribution being similar to the distribution of total employee numbers.

2.26 Part 7 Data – Disciplinary Information by Protected Characteristics

By Age There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area with the age distribution of disciplinary cases being similar to the age range of all employees.

By Disability There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area. However, we do not have this data for 72.31% of employees subject to disciplinary proceedings.

By Ethnicity There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area with the distribution being similar to the distribution of total employee numbers.

By Gender The percentage of male employees subject to disciplinary proceedings at 64.62 % (last year was 71%) is significantly higher than the percentage of males employed in Council posts (31.4%). An analysis of the reasons for the disciplinary should be undertaken to identify if there are any training needs for male employees in any specific area.

By Marriage and Civil Partnership There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area with the highest percentage being 'not recorded'.

By Religion or belief (including lack of belief) There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area with the highest percentage being 'not recorded'.

101

By Sexual Orientation There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area with the highest percentage being 'not recorded'.

2.27 Part 8 Data – Leaver Information by Protected Characteristics

By Age There is not any significant pattern in this area.

By Disability There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area. However, we do not have this data for 70.1% of employees leaving.

By Ethnicity There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area with the distribution being similar to the distribution of total employee numbers.

By Gender The percentage of female employees leaving at 56.05% (last year was 69.9%) is higher than the percentage of males as expected due to the gender distribution overall but the figures are closer than last year. When looking at the reasons for leaving for females the highest areas are 'Resignation' at 29.88% (last year was 38.8%) and 'Termination/ Dismissal' and 'Voluntary Redundancy' both at 20.84%.

By Marriage and Civil Partnership There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area with the highest percentage being 'not recorded'.

By Religion or belief (including lack of belief) There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area with the highest percentage being 'not recorded'.

By Sexual Orientation There does not seem to be any significant pattern in this area with the highest percentage being 'not recorded'.

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SECTION 3 – OBJECTIVES FOR 2015

Eliminate Discrimination

3.1 Continue to provide support to employees with regards to protected characteristics – through Employee Networks

Promote Equality of Opportunity

3.2 Improve the work-life balance choices for employees – complete review of flexible working policy and promote the policy to employees

Foster Good Relations 2014

3.3 Continue to promote awareness of support available to employees with protected characteristics

Employee Monitoring

3.4 Refresh data and decrease instances of ‘not recorded’.

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Appendix 1 – HR People Services Equality Action Plan 2014

Responsible Equality Duty Objective Action Required Timescales Comments Status Officer/s Continue to Support and fund the provide support Councils 5 employee Ongoing, each network gets Eliminate to employees networks; which promotes ER Team £2k which is from training Discrimination with regards to awareness of equality and budget. protected address matters arising characteristics Make live the Due to work load pressures system for this system has not gone live. reporting Seek to create an intranet Work will need to be Eliminate instances of function for anonymous ER Team undertaken on the backend Discrimination workplace reporting arrangements e.g. email bullying or comes in, what happens next harassment etc. Undertake a survey about Improve the work flexible working and issue a Equality of / life balance Due to work load pressures questionnaire to employees ER Team Opportunity choices for this has not happened. resigning following maternity employees leave Improve the work Review maternity scheme to Equality of / life balance reflect the new shared ER Team Completed Opportunity choices for parental leave employees

Equality of Remove barriers Complete the review of the ER Team Completed Opportunity to employment Recruitment and Selection

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Distribute relevant Continue to information to new Ongoing, recruit are sending Foster Good promote employees within the starter Recruit Team/ them with new contracts.

relations awareness of packs and put articles on the ER Team Networks also promoted on support available intranet/ core brief about the the Intranet. Employee Network Due to work load pressures this has not happened. Refresh data and Send a survey to employees However, other LAs have been Employee decrease and/ or run sessions out at ER Team contacted to see how they Monitoring instances of ‘not satellite offices for non PC gather information and a recorded’ users. questionnaire has been put together ready for distribution

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APPENDIX 2

EMPLOYEE MONITORING AND INFORMATION

The employee data is split by those on casual contracts, those employed (not in schools) and those employed at schools. There are some areas where this is not done and where this happens an explanation will be provided.

Part 1 – Employee Information By Protected Characteristics

Age

Casual/ Relief Council (less School Totals AGE Workers School) Employees Employees GROUP Nos. % Nos. % Nos. % Nos. % 16 - 24 612 25.7 166 2.5 385 5.7 1163 7.3 25 - 34 486 20.4 1237 18.6 1593 23.5 3316 21 35 - 44 343 14.4 1568 23.5 1871 27.6 3782 23.9 45 - 54 375 15.8 2188 32.8 1933 28.5 4496 28.4 55 - 64 355 15 1310 19.7 878 12.9 2543 16.1 65 + 208 8.7 191 2.9 120 1.8 519 3.3 Totals 2379 6660 6780 15819

Disability

Casual/ Relief Council (less School DISABILITY Totals Workers School) Employees Employees Nos. % Nos. % Nos. % Nos. % Not Recorded 2365 99.4 6523 97.9 6751 99.6 15639 98.9 No 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Yes 14 0.6 137 2.1 29 0.4 180 1.1 Totals 2379 6660 6780 15819

Ethnicity

Casual/ Relief Council (less School Totals ETHNICITY Workers School) Employees Employees Nos. % Nos. % Nos. % Nos. % Asian 55 2.3 152 2.3 136 2 343 2.1 Black 44 1.9 157 2.4 48 0.7 249 1.6 Far East 9 0.4 23 0.3 11 0.2 43 0.3 Mixed 51 2 138 2.1 60 0.9 249 1.6 Not Recorded 215 9 470 7.1 935 13.8 1620 10.2 Other 8 0.3 17 0.2 19 0.3 44 0.3 White 1997 83.9 5703 85.6 5571 82.1 13271 83.9 Totals 2379 6660 6780 15819

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Gender

Casual/ Council (less School Relief School) Totals Employees GENDER Workers Employees Nos. % Nos. % Nos. % Nos. % Female 1389 58.4 3865 58 5592 82.5 10846 68.6 Male 990 41.6 2795 42 1188 17.5 4973 31.4 Totals 2379 6660 6780 15819

Gender Reassignment

Due to the small number involved the data is only provided for the Council as a whole.

GENDER IDENTITY Nos. SAME AS BIRTH No 2 Not Recorded 15140 Prefer Not to Say 6 Yes 671 Totals 15819

Marriage and Civil Partnership

Casual/ Council (less School Relief School) Totals MARITAL Employees Workers Employees STATUS Nos. % Nos. % Nos. % Nos. %

Civil Partnership 1 0.04 23 0.35 2 0.03 26 0.16 Dissolved CP 0 0 2 0.03 0 0 2 0.01 Divorced 6 0.25 199 2.99 12 0.18 217 1.37 Married 25 1.05 1638 24.59 247 3.64 1910 12.08 Not recorded 2308 97.03 3817 57.32 6499 95.86 12624 79.8 Separated 1 0.04 48 0.72 3 0.04 52 0.33 Single 32 1.34 654 9.82 13 0.19 699 4.42 Unmarried Partner 5 0.21 262 3.93 4 0.06 271 1.71 Widowed 1 0.04 17 0.25 0 0 18 0.11 Totals 2379 6660 6780 15819

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Pregnancy and Maternity

TYPE Number of Employees Started maternity leave 324 Returned from maternity leave 335 Resigned following maternity leave 45 Started adoption leave 4 Started additional paternity leave 3 Took maternity/ paternity support leave 127

Religion or belief (including lack of belief)

RELIGION OR Council (less Casual/ Relief School BELIEF/ NON School) Totals Workers Employees BELIEF Employees Nos. % Nos. % Nos. % Nos. % Buddhist 0 0 11 0.17 0 0 11 0.07 Christian 16 0.67 1151 17.28 39 0.58 1206 7.62 Hindu 1 0.04 13 0.2 0 0 14 0.09 Jewish 0 0 3 0.04 0 0 3 0.02 Muslim 3 0.13 38 0.57 3 0.04 44 0.28 None 22 0.92 752 11.29 12 0.18 786 4.97 Not Recorded 2331 97.99 4475 67.2 6723 99.16 13529 85.52 Other 2 0.08 100 1.5 3 0.04 105 0.66 Prefer Not To Say 3 0.13 106 1.59 0 0 109 0.69 Rastafarian 1 0.04 3 0.04 0 0 4 0.03 Sikh 0 0 5 0.08 0 0 5 0.03 Zoroastrian 0 0 3 0.04 0 0 3 0.02 Totals 2379 6660 6780 15819

Sexual Orientation

Casual/ Council (less School Relief School) Totals SEXUAL Employees ORIENTATION Workers Employees Nos. % Nos. % Nos. % Nos. % Bisexual 0 0 8 0.12 0 0 8 0.05 Gay 2 0.08 43 0.65 0 0 45 0.28 Heterosexual 89 3.74 2386 35.83 122 1.8 2597 16.42 Lesbian 0 0 19 0.29 0 0 19 0.12 Not recorded 2282 95.93 4077 61.21 6651 98.1 13010 82.24 Other 1 0.04 24 0.36 0 0 25 0.16 Prefer not to say 5 0.21 103 1.55 7 0.1 115 0.73 Totals 2379 6660 6780 15819

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Part 2 – Gender breakdown

Salary

SALARY Council employees School BAND (less school & casuals) employees Total Female 1216 1841 3057 Below £16k Male 545 178 723 £16k to Female 1242 1368 2610 £22,999 Male 1049 269 1318 £23k to Female 374 423 797 £27,999 Male 399 122 521 £28k to Female 686 252 938 £32,999 Male 551 72 623 £33k to Female 273 1484 1757 39,999 Male 178 427 605 Female 74 224 298 £40k + Male 73 120 193 Totals 6660 6780 13440

Contract Type (Permanent/ Temporary)

Council employees School Contract (less school & casuals) employees Total Female 3554 4657 8211 Permanent Male 2601 986 3587 Female 311 935 1246 Temporary Male 194 202 396 Totals 6660 6780 13440

Working Patterns (Full time/ Part Time)

Counc il employees School Pattern (less school & casuals) employees Total Female 1752 2085 3837 Full Time Male 2270 877 3147 Female 2113 3506 5619 Part Time Male 525 312 837 Totals 6660 6780 13440

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Part 3 – Applicants to the Council by Protected Characteristics

Age Nos % Disability Nos % Not Not Recorded 55 0.95 recorded 14 0.24 16-21 452 7.81 No 5501 95.09 22-26 1380 23.86 Yes 270 4.67 27-33 1527 26.4 Total 5785 34-40 831 14.36 40-50 1010 17.46 51+ 530 9.16 Total 5785

Ethnicity Nos % Gender Nos % Not Not recorded 14 0.24 recorded 57 0.99 Asian, Asian British 295 5.1 Female 3254 56.25 Black, Black British 298 5.15 Male 2474 42.76 Chinese, Chinese British 34 0.59 Total 5785 Mixed Race 214 3.7 White 4930 85.22 Total 5785

Religion or belief/ non Sexual belief Nos % orientation Nos % Not Recorded 35 0.6 Not recorded 54 0.93 Baha'i 1 0.02 Bisexual 52 0.9 Buddhist 31 0.53 Gay 110 1.9 Christian 2317 40.05 Heterosexual 5240 90.58 Hindu 42 0.73 Lesbian 47 0.81 Jain 0 0 Other 25 0.43 Jewish 6 0.1 Prefer not to say 257 4.44 Muslim 402 6.95 Total 5785 None 2433 42.06 Other 219 3.79 Prefer not to say 276 4.77 Sikh 23 0.4 Total 5785

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Part 4 – Employees Applying to Change Position by Protected Characteristics

Data not available

111 Part 5 – Training Information

The information is for Council based staff only (not school based staff) as schools are not currently using DigiGov to record training.

By Age

Age Missing Training 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Data TOTALS All Training Requests 58 745 1010 1447 962 132 456 4810 Approved 21 214 254 382 244 33 137 1285 Completed 32 414 593 842 559 76 257 2773

16 - 24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Overall Approval Rate 36.21 28.72 25.15 26.4 25.36 25 26.71

By Disability

Disability Not Training Yes No Recorded TOTALS All Training Requests 86 1915 2809 4810 Approved 24 553 708 1285 Completed 46 1030 1697 2773

Not Yes No Recorded Overall Approval Rate 27.91 28.88 25.2 26.71

By Ethnicity

Ethnicity Not Other Training Asian Black Far East Mixed Recorded Ethnicity White TOTALS All Training Requests 81 123 11 108 317 11 4159 4810 Approved 27 31 3 34 81 2 1107 1285 Completed 42 67 7 58 201 6 2392 2773

Asian Black Far East Mixed Not Recorded Other Ethnicity White Overall Approval Rate 33.33 25.2 27.27 31.48 25.55 18.18 26.62 26.71

By Gender

Gender Male Female Nos. %of Total Nos. % of Total TOTALS All Training Requests 1890 39.29 2920 60.71 4810 Approved 530 41.25 755 58.75 1285 Completed

Male Female Overall Approval Rate 28.04 25.86 26.71

By Marriage and Civil Partnership

Marital Status Dissolved TOTAL S Civil Not Partner Unmarried Training Partner Divorced Married Recorded Separated Single ship Widowed Partner All 4810 Training Requests 17 177 1135 2745 28 498 1 4 205 Approved 6 52 325 678 8 150 1 1 64 1285 Completed 9 94 613 1658 15 273 0 3 108 2773

Civil Not Dissolved Unmarried Partner Divorced Married Recorded Separated Single Partnership Widowed Partner Overall Approval Rate 35.29 29.38 28.63 24.7 28.57 30.12 100 25 31.22 26.71

By Religion or belief (including lack of belief)

Religion Not Prefer Not TOTALS Training Buddhist Christian Hindu Jewish Muslim Rastafarian None Sikh Other Zoroastrian Recorded To Say All 4810 Training Requests 16 822 9 2 39 3 563 4 79 1 3200 72 Approved 6 243 5 1 10 1 153 1 16 0 830 21 1285 Completed 7 455 4 2 23 2 299 1 49 1 1889 41 2773

Not Prefer Not Buddhist Christian Hindu Jewish Muslim Rastafarian None Sikh Other Zoroastrian Recorded To Say Overall Approval Rate 37.5 29.56 55.55 50 25.64 33.33 27.18 25 50.25 0 25.94 29.17 26.71

By Sexual Orientation

Sexuality Training Gay Heterosexual Not Recorded Other Lesbian Bisexual Prefer not to say TOTALS All Training Requests 27 1725 2940 20 14 7 77 4810 Approved 13 472 770 5 4 3 18 1285 Completed 9 965 1727 13 7 3 49 2773

Not Prefer not to Gay Heterosexual Recorded Other Lesbian Bisexual say Overall Approval Rate 48.15 27.36 26.19 25 28.57 42.86 23.38 26.71

Part 6 – Grievance Information by Protected Characteristics

The information is for Council based staff only (not school based staff) as schools are not using DigiGov to record grievances.

By Age

Age 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 Total Grievance (Initiated By) 0 0 4 10 1 0 15 Grievance (Against) 0 1 3 10 5 0 19

By Disability

Disability Yes No Not Recorded Total Grievance (Initiated By) 0 7 8 15 Grievance (Against) 0 13 6 19

By Ethnicity

Ethnicity Far Not Asian Black East Mixed Recorded Other White Total Grievance (Initiated By) 1 0 0 0 0 0 14 15 Grievance (Against) 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 19

By Gender

Gender Male Female Total Grievance (Initiated By) 10 5 15 Grievance (Against) 13 6 19

By Marriage and Civil Partnership

Marital Status Not Dissolved Unmarried Civil Partner Divorced Married Recorded Separated Single Partnership Widowed Partner Total Grievance (Initiated By) 0 2 7 4 0 1 0 0 1 15 Grievance (Against) 0 1 12 3 1 2 0 0 0 19

By Religion or belief (including lack of Belief)

Religion Prefer Not Not To Buddhist Christian Hindu Jewish Muslim Rastafarian None Sikh Recorded Other Zoroastrian Say Total Grievance (Initiated By) 0 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 9 15 Grievance (Against) 0 9 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 0 0 5 19

By Sexual Orientation

Sexuality Not Prefer not to Gay Heterosexual recorded Other Lesbian Bisexual say Total Grievance (Initiated By) 0 6 8 0 0 0 1 15 Grievance (Against) 0 14 5 0 0 0 0 19

Part 7 – Disciplinary Information by Protected Characteristics

The disciplinary information is for Council based staff only and not school based staff as the schools are not currently using DigiGov to record disciplinary cases.

By Age

Age Disciplinary 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Missing Data TOTAL 2 17 21 43 27 4 16 130

By Disability

Disability Disciplinary Yes No Not Recorded TOTAL 3 33 94 130

By Ethnicity

Ethnicity Disciplinary Asian Black Far East Mixed Not Recorded Other Ethnicity White TOTAL 0 1 0 0 15 0 114 130

By Gender

Gender Disciplinary Male Female TOTAL 84 46 130

By Marriage and Civil Partnership

Marital Status Not Dissolved Unmarried Disciplinary Civil Partner Divorced Married Recorded Separated Single Partnership Widowed Partner TOTAL 0 3 19 93 1 10 0 1 3 130

By Religion or belief (including lack of Belief)

Religion Prefer Not Not To Disciplinary Buddhist Christian Hindu Jewish Muslim Rastafarian None Sikh Other Zoroastrian Recorded Say TOTAL 0 17 0 0 1 0 7 0 1 0 103 1 130

By Sexual Orientation

Sexuality Disciplinary Gay Heterosexual Not Recorded Other Lesbian Bisexual Prefer not to say TOTAL 0 38 88 0 1 0 3 130

Part 8 – Leaver Information by Protected Characteristics

By Age

Age Leaver Reason 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ TOTALS Death in Service 0 0 0 1 2 2 5 End of Contract 49 114 40 35 28 2 268 Redundancy 1 2 8 11 7 2 31 Resignation 15 127 81 54 29 5 311 Retirement 0 0 0 0 30 23 53 Termination/Dismissal 51 72 40 42 42 16 263 TUPE Transfer 1 1 0 4 0 0 6 Voluntary Severance 0 17 37 49 147 37 287 TOTALS 117 333 206 196 285 87 1224 % 9.56 27.21 16.83 16.01 23.28 7.11

By Disability

Disability Leaver Reason Yes No Not Recorded TOTALS Death in Service 0 0 5 5 End of Contract 1 32 235 268 Redundancy 0 11 20 31 Resignation 2 131 178 311 Retirement 1 13 39 53 Termination/Dismissal 6 14 243 263 TUPE Transfer 1 2 3 6 Voluntary Severance 11 14 135 287 TOTALS 22 344 858 1224 % 1.8 28.1 70.1

By Ethnicity

Ethnicity Leaver Reason Asian Black Far East Mixed Not Recorded Other Ethnicity White TOTALS Death in Service 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 5 End of Contract 7 12 4 6 10 1 228 268 Redundancy 0 0 1 0 2 1 27 31 Resignation 10 14 2 7 15 2 261 311 Retirement 1 0 0 0 4 0 48 53 Termination/Dismissal 3 6 0 4 18 1 231 263 TUPE Transfer 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 Voluntary Severance 4 1 1 4 20 0 257 287 TOTALS 25 33 8 21 70 5 1062 1224 % 2.04 2.7 0.65 1.72 5.72 0.41 86.76

By Gender

Gender Leaver Reason Male Female TOTALS Death in Service 2 3 5 End of Contract 129 139 268 Redundancy 12 19 31 Resignation 106 205 311 Retirement 22 31 53 Termination/Dismissal 120 143 263 TUPE Transfer 3 3 6 Voluntary Severance 144 143 287 TOTALS 538 686 1224 % 43.95 56.05

By Marriage and Civil Partnership

Marital Status Civil Not Dissolved Unmarried Leaver Reason Partner Divorced Married Recorded Separated Single Partnership Widowed Partner TOTALS Death in Service 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 End of Contract 1 0 13 233 0 17 0 0 4 268 Redundancy 0 0 5 17 0 4 0 3 2 31 Resignation 0 4 59 180 1 47 0 1 19 311 Retirement 0 5 6 42 0 0 0 0 0 53 Termination/Dismissal 0 1 13 242 1 3 0 0 3 263 TUPE Transfer 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 1 6 Voluntary Severance 3 13 101 128 2 27 0 4 9 287 TOTALS 4 23 199 850 4 98 0 8 38 1224 % 0.33 1.88 16.26 69.44 0.33 8.01 0 0.65 3.1

By Religion or belief (including lack of Belief)

Religion Buddhist/ Rastafarian/ Not Prefer Not Leaver Reason Sikh/ Zoroastrian Christian Hindu Jewish Muslim None Recorded Other To Say TOTALS Death in Service 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 5 End of Contract 0 8 0 0 4 13 242 1 0 268 Redundancy 0 11 0 0 0 1 18 1 0 31 Resignation 0 50 1 0 3 42 208 2 5 311 Retirement 0 9 1 0 0 1 41 1 0 53 Termination/ Dismissal 0 6 0 0 0 4 253 0 0 263 TUPE Transfer 0 2 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 6 Voluntary Severance 2 78 0 0 2 46 154 4 1 287 TOTALS 2 164 2 0 9 108 924 9 6 1224 % 0.16 13.4 0.16 0 0.74 8.82 75.49 0.74 0.49

By Sexual Orientation

Sexuality Leaver Reason Gay Heterosexual Not recorded Other Lesbian Bisexual Prefer not to say TOTALS Death in Service 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 5 End of Contract 0 36 232 0 0 0 0 268 Redundancy 0 11 20 0 0 0 0 31 Resignation 2 120 182 0 0 2 5 311 Retirement 0 10 42 0 0 0 1 53 Termination/Dismissal 0 19 243 0 0 0 1 263 TUPE Transfer 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 6 Voluntary Severance 3 126 152 1 0 0 5 287 TOTALS 5 323 881 1 0 2 12 1224 % 0.41 26.39 71.98 0.08 0 0.16 0.98