Introduction
We make sure that an equality analysis is carried out before any changes are made to a policy or the way our services are delivered. This helps us to understand the impact these changes may have and to avoid negative impacts, where possible.
What an equality analysis is
An equality analysis is an assessment of the potential impact that a proposed change may have on people with a protected characteristic. Potential impacts must be considered for our:
- residents
- service users
- staff
- care leavers.
If the analysis shows that any of the protected groups might be disadvantaged by the changes, further investigation must be carried out. This is called a stage 2 process and they are normally published on the equalities and diversity corporate website page.
Change
A change can refer to:
- changes to something already in place
- the introduction of a new service, policy or activity.
It covers:
- policies and strategies
- new projects
- service changes and reviews
- changes to terms and conditions
- eligibility for a service
- budget changes
- practices and activities.
Impact
Impact is the outcome of a proposed change to a council decision, policy, strategy or service. It may be:
- positive - removes barriers to accessing services or creates opportunities for protected groups to participate more effectively in policy making and service delivery
- neutral - no anticipated impact
- negative - creates or increases inequalities for one or more protected groups.
Positive impact examples
Some examples of a positive equality impact are that the proposed change:
- reduces or eliminates an existing disadvantage to a particular group
- makes it easier and encourages a particular protected group to use a service or take part in an activity
- is directly intended as a service or activity for a protected group.
Negative impact examples
Some examples of a negative equality impact are that the proposed change:
- disadvantages a particular protected group
- discourages a particular protected group from using a service or participating in an activity
- discriminates, directly or indirectly, against a particular protected group.
When to carry out an equality analysis
You should carry out an equality analysis whenever a decision, project or change could have an impact on a particular protected characteristic as set out by the Equality Act 2010. The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) GOV.UK website includes a ‘duty of inquiry’, which requires us as a local authority to have an adequate evidence base for our decision-making.
An equality analysis is a key part of the decision-making process and should begin as soon as enough information about the proposed change is known and before a decision is made to bring in the change.
Equality analysis stages
Our equality analysis is split into the following three stages:
- screening tool (stage 1) - considers the potential impacts of proposed changes on each protected group
- equality analysis (stage 2) - completed if potential risks or negative impacts have been identified in stage 1
- impact monitoring (stage 3) - records the actual impact during and after implementation.
Follow the steps and document below to complete each stage of the equality analysis.
Stage 1: Screening tool
The screening tool helps you to consider the potential (negative, neutral, or positive) impacts of a proposed change. It should be completed by the senior officer or manager responsible for the change.
1Fill in the paper form
If you are a senior officer or manager responsible for the change you should fill in the stage 1 form.
What you'll need to include
You should evaluate both the positive and negative equality impacts considering the protected characteristic groups.
You’ll need to include:
- start date of the analysis
- officer, team and director details
- title of the proposed change
- type of change
- reasons for the change
- who the proposed change could impact
- impact on each of the protected characteristic groups and reasons and evidence to support this
- impact on care leavers as part of our corporate parenting responsibility.
Supporting evidence
Supporting evidence that could be used to help you complete the screening tool includes:
- council service equality monitoring data
- performance reports
- previous engagement or assessment results
- feedback or discussions with partner organisations
- discussions with stakeholder groups
- feedback from and consultations with staff
- previous reports
- evidence from similar changes in other local authorities
- whether the proposed change relates to an area of established inequality
- comments and complaints received by the service.
2Submit the form
Send your completed form to the policy team. You can:
3What happens next
You will receive a confirmation email response within 5 to 10 working days. This will include:
- a copy of your completed form, which will show an allocated reference number in the top right-hand corner
- whether you will be required to complete a stage 2 analysis. If potential positive or negative impacts are identified you will be asked to complete the next stage.
Stage 2: Equality analysis
If positive or negative impacts were identified in stage 1, you will need to follow the steps below to complete the next stage of the equality analysis process.
1Fill in the paper form
To start stage 2 of the equality analysis process, download the form below:
What you'll need to include
You should evaluate both the positive and negative equality impacts considering the protected characteristic groups.
You’ll need to include:
- reference number of your stage 1 analysis
- start date of the stage 2 analysis
- officer, team and director details
- title of the proposed change
- type of change
- reasons for the change
- any data that will help you understand the impact of the change.
You’ll also need to:
- consult with protected characteristic groups - suggested groups are provided in the equality analysis guidance document
- provide any negative or positive impacts based on feedback from the protected groups
- feedback to the protected characteristic groups involved in the consultation to explain the outcomes
- consider how the process informed or developed the proposed change
- provide dates of proposed implementation and monitoring.
2Submit the form
Send your completed form to the policy team. You can:
3What happens next
The policy team will review your form. If the team:
- don’t approve your stage two analysis they will send it back to you with feedback and any changes that you need to make. The team will work with you to address the issues. You’ll then need to resubmit your request.
- approve your stage two analysis it will be sent on to the director or executive director you identified in the form for final approval.
Once approvals have been given, a copy of this form will be forwarded to you and will also be published on our equalities and diversity page of the corporate website to demonstrate transparency in our decision-making process and to legally comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty.
Stage 3: Impact monitoring
This stage records the actual impact of the change during and after implementation to:
- assess what has worked and what further improvement is needed
- consider the best ways to measure and record findings
- detail any further actions required.
This should be carried out six months after full implementation of the change.
You will receive a reminder to complete this stage by the equalities team on or before the proposed implementation date.
1Fill in the paper form
To start the impact monitoring stage of the equality analysis process, download the form below:
What you'll need to include
You’ll need to include:
- the title of the approved change
- if the change has been altered in anyway since going to CLT or Cabinet and how
- how the actual impacts on the protected characteristic groups will be measured
- the actual impacts on the protected characteristic groups during the implementation
- any unforeseen impacts during implementation
- how the negative impacts can be mitigated and justification for continuing with the change
- how positive impacts can be maximised
- any further actions that need to be taken.
Measuring the impact
You should consider the following when deciding how to measure the impact:
- customer feedback on the service at point of access
- service level user data or equality monitoring data
- attend a further equality reference group meeting to gain feedback
- feedback gathered by other authorities who have implemented similar changes
- feedback gathered by other teams within the council working on similar projects
- case law or judicial review findings that may provide data
- focus groups.
2Submit the form
Send your completed form to the policy team. You can:
3What happens next
Once you have submitted the form, this closes the equality analysis cycle for your policy or service change.
Questions or concerns
If you have any questions or concerns or you’d like further advice on the equality analysis process, you can: