EDC Paper 11/09-10
Annual Report 2009 / 10
For the meeting of the Equality and Diversity Committee
to be held on 24 May 2010
1.0
Introduction
1.1
During the Spring and Summer Terms of the 2007/8 academic year the University
developed a Single Equality Scheme and associated Action Plan, this was updated
in 2008/9 and again for the May 2010 EDC. The Scheme included plans for an
annual report to the Equality and Diversity Committee which would outline the
following:
review of the Single Equality Scheme
review of progress on the Action Plan and any proposed new actions
report on the equality activities of interest groups and students union
review of equality and diversity policies
update on Equality Impact Assessment activities
report of expenditure on DES
report of learning and development activities
staff and student monitoring
report on widening participation activities
report from Disability Services
report on Students Union activities
1.2
It is pertinent to the report and subsequent discussions that the responsibility for
Equality and Diversity within the University of Warwick was reviewed during
2009/10 within a wider HR restructure. The resulting structure is based on a faculty
structure for HR operations with each HR manager taking a University wide brief in
addition to their faculty HR strategic direction and management. Equality and
Diversity is now the responsibility of the Head or HR in Warwick Medical School.
2.0
Review of Single Equality Scheme
2.1
The Single Equality Scheme, available at
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/equalops/singleequalityscheme/ was
developed partly to consolidate the University’s Equality and Diversity work and
partly in anticipation of the government’s intention to publish a Single Equality Bill.
2.2
The Equality Bill was published by the Government on 27 April 2009. Its main
provisions are shown in 3.0 below. The Single Equality Act 2010 has now been
passed, and the Single Equality Scheme and Action plan will need to be
reconsidered when further guidance is received.
3.0
Equality Act
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3.1
The Single Equality Act will replace all existing equality legislation and
3.2
The following are classed as protected characteristics:
3.3
ensures that all Higher Education Institutions will have to consider how their
policies, programmes and service delivery will affect people with a protected
characteristic
extends the range of lawful positive action to overcome or minimise a
disadvantage arising from a protected characteristic
allows employment tribunals to make recommendations in discrimination cases
which apply to the whole workforce.
Provides for more evidence of a systematic approach to equality, including the
requirement for equal pay review.
Age
Disability
Gender reassignment
Marriage and civil partnership
Pregnancy and maternity
Race
Religion and belief (including lack of belief)
Sex
Sexual orientation
The general duty referred to in the first bullet point under 3.1 above will require
institutions to have due regard to the need to:
a) eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation
b) advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a protected
characteristic and persons who do not share it
c) foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and
persons who do not share it.
3.4
The Act also allows for
3.5
the scope of positive action to be extended (including during recruitment and
promotion of otherwise equally qualified applicants),
harmonises the definitions and applicability of direct and indirect discrimination,
outlaws pay secrecy clauses
allows the government to introduce regulations requiring private sector
employers
with at least 250 employees to publish information about the pay gap.
Required some public authorities to have due regard to how their decisions
might help to reduce inequalities associated with socio-economic status (this
will not apply to HEIs).
The Act is not completely clear on Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) (which
were originally introduced under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act) and
extended to apply to disability and gender. However we await further guidance
from the Equality Challenge Unit. Please see section on Equality Impact
Assessments in 6.0 below.
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3.6
The main provisions of the Act will come into force in the Autumn of 2010, with the
general public duty (and specific supporting duties) in 2011.
4.0
Pulse: Staff Survey 2009
4.1
The Pulse: Staff Survey 2009 achieved a response rate of 62%, which was an
improvement on previous staff surveys (40% in 2005 and 50% in 2008 and
61% in 2009). The results are shown in a separate paper to the EDC May 24
meeting, and will result in further action planning.
5.0
Progress on the Single Equality Action Plan
5.1
The Single Equality Action Plan has been updated with notes of progress on each
action and is available as a separate paper to the May 2010 EDC.
5.2
It is intended to revisit the plan in light of the results and discussions relating to the
Pulse survey, the action planning of the Athena Swan application, and the further
guidance on the Single Equality Act. This will be returned to the EDC in November
2010.
5.3
Once recommended by the Equality and Diversity Committee and approved as
appropriate by the Senate and the Council, the plan will be updated to remove
complete actions, incorporate the new actions at the appropriate point and to
renumber the entire plan. This will then be posted on the Equality and Diversity
website and distributed to Departments. (Previous versions of the plan(s) will be
kept in an archive within HR.)
6.0
Interest Groups and Students Union
6.1
Disability Interest Group. The Group has continued to meet termly. Invitations to
the group have been extended to include more academic members of staff and
representatives of Departments across the University.. Some of the activities the
Group has been involved with include:
a regular item on the accessibility of the campus – which has led to several
mini-audits with the Estates group and resulted in necessary work being carried
out
Accessibility of University transport
Review of the Severe Weather policy in relation to students with disabilities
Updates on new exam arrangements for students
Information session on Specific Learning Differences, Dyslexia and Neuro
diversity
Information session on Asperger’s including a student account
6.2
Harassment and Bullying contacts. This group now come under the remit of the
central University HR team, and will report through HR Management Team.
6.3
LGBT group. A Windows on Warwick session on October 21 2009 provided
information and gave staff the opportunity to explore key issues surrounding sexual
orientation in the workplace. The website is updated with information relating to
sexual orientation. The Student Union and Warwick Pride organise events and
information.
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6.4
E&D Network. The Network met once in each term during 2009 / 10. The Network
is open to all staff and puts forward suggestions for items to the Equality and
Diversity Committee. Items discussed include:
Car Parking policy
Bullying and Harassment
Athena Swan
Single Equality Bill / Act
6.5
Students Union. The Students Union organises a wide range of events throughout
the academic year, many of which have an equality and diversity dimension or
focus. One World Week is the largest international student run festival in the world
and showcases many different world cultures. This is done through a host of
different activities including workshops, forums, performances, fashion shows, food
festivals, carnivals and many more. The Students’ Union also stages awareness
activities:
7.0
Equality and Diversity Policies
7.1
The Single Equality Scheme superseded a number of equality and diversity
policies. Relevant policies were reviewed in light of the new precedents relating to
disability by association. New guidance has been issued in relation to
redeployment for staff with disabilities. Compassionate leave policy was reviewed
to take account of religious beliefs.
8.0
Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs)
8.1
An equality impact assessment (EIA) is a process of examining policies, practices
or procedures that may have a differential or adverse impact on a specific group
within the University's populations of staff and students. It is designed to find out
the extent of differential impact, and if there are ways to remove that impact.
8.2
The legal requirement to carry out EIAs was first introduced in the Race Relations
(Amendment) Act 2000. It has also since been incorporated into the Disability
Discrimination Act 1995 and the Gender Equality Duty, giving rise to a requirement
that EIAs are carried out in respect of race, disability and gender. The University
has carried out initial screening assessments for race, religion, disability and
gender, and incorporated age and sexual orientation in its assessment
documentation and guidance from September 2008.
8.3
As noted in 8.2 above, most Departments have carried out an initial screening
exercise on their policies, practices and procedures and the results of these were
recorded on a database held by Human Resources. However, the legal
requirement is that EIAs are carried out at least once every three years (and that
they be published). Many of these initial assessments will now be out of date, and
none of them have been published (although previous progress reports have been
published on the E&D website).
8.4
In the summer of 2008 the Equality and Diversity Committee made a number of
recommendations to Senate and Council about how EIAs may be embedded into
mainstream University processes.
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8.5
These included measures such as:
Measure
Incorporating the monitoring of EIAs into
Strategic Departmental Reviews, and into
Administrative and Service Departments
Annual Reviews
All new policies which are formally
approved by University committees to be
accompanied by a completed EIA
Student Staff Liaison Committees to be
requested to include EIA/E&D issues on at
least one committee meeting per academic
year.
Academic Quality and Standards
Committee to consider including EIAs in
course approvals or reviews.
Completed EIAs to be copied to HR for
publication on the E&D webpages.
Progress
Flagged up to Secretaries but
not progressed or embedded
into the process.
EIA for a number of HR and
University wide policies.
Still under discussion but not
yet implemented.
On hold pending discussion
on how course approvals and
reviews will be handled in
future.
As above – EIA for Dignity at
Work and Study Policy. No
others received.
8.6
Progress has received a blow in that the external company commissioned by the
University of Warwick to manage the EIAs has not been able to locate them. UoW
are currently in discussion regarding liability for the loss.
8.7
The Single Equality Act 2010 is not wholly clear on whether the requirements will
continue for EIAs, and we will inform the action planning process should this still be
required.
9.0
Expenditure on Disability Equality Scheme 2009/10
9.1
A budget of £25k was available during 2009/10 to support the delivery of actions in
the Single Equality Action Plan related to disability. Spend to date is recorded as
Dept
WMS
Uni
Library
Library
Actions
Adaptation of doors
Training and conferences
Adaptation of doors (estimate – not yet complete)
Softward
Value
£7k
£1k
£5.5k
£2k
10.0
Learning and Development and Awareness Raising Activities
10.1
Windows on Warwick sessions have been run on a number of E and D related
themes including: disability services, career guidance for those with dyslexia,
appreciating the difference (sexual orientation)
10.2
The elearning tool continues to be the main method of reaching staff in preparation
for managerial responsibilities such as recruitment and selection.
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11.0
Widening Participation Activities
11.1
A paper and presentation will be given to May 2010 EDC meeting.
12.0
Disability Services
Student figures
Disability
Specific
Learning
Difficulty
Visual
Impairment
472
29
Hearing
Impairment
57
Mobility
Impairment
34
Unseen
(medical)
249
Multiple
Other
Asperger’s
Syndrome
Total
12.1
09/10
95
39
38
1013
Asperger’s support review
The review of the support offered to Asperger’s students has been completed.
Disability Services (DS) and the Mental Health team piloted a joint hourly paid
professional mentor post in January 2010. In addition to the academic mentoring
already in place the new mentor has been offering mental health mentoring to
students with Asperger’s that addresses social aspects of their difficulties, an area
identified as a concern in the past. The post and its benefits to students will be
reviewed in July 2010.
A permanent post covering the support for students with Asperger’s has also been
proposed in the context of the team’s and Department’s 5 year plan.
12.2
Awareness raising and promotion of services
DS led LDC centrally organised ‘Windows on Warwick’ awareness sessions on
specific disabilities and the support services available. A rolling programme of
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disability LDC sessions will continue in 2010/11. DS also offered tailored
awareness sessions to Departments, the Residential Life team and the Library.
The staff information section on the DS website has been developed to include
additional information, guidelines and resources for staff.
12.3
Student feedback and involvement
The feedback questionnaire designed in 2009 will continue to be used to collect
feedback from students who have disclosed a disability on SITS.
A new action has been included in the University’s single Equality action plan to
encourage proactive involvement of students with disabilities in the planning and
delivery of the services offered.
12.4
Disability Interest Group
The DIG group has continued to meet termly. Invitations to the group have been
extended to include departmental disability named contacts. For that reason, brief
information sessions on individual disabilities featured on the DIG meeting
agendas. Information sheets on several disabilities have also been designed and
distributed to the disability named contacts as part of their information packs.
13.0
Recording information
13.1
Data cleansing exercises for staff are carried out annually. This gives an increased
accuracy to the data, and enables statistical analysis. The accuracy is reflected
below:
Percentage of people whose Ethnic Origin was unknown:
2008 - 12.2%
2009 - 6.6%
2010 - 4.1%
Percentage of people whose Disability status was unknown:
2008 - 16.2%
2009 - 10.3%
2010 - 6.2%
Current Equal Opps figures as at 1st April 2010:
Percentage of current staff who are 'BME' - 11.4%
Percentage of current staff who are disabled - 3.2%
14.0
Conclusions
14.1
The requirements relating to the Single Equality Act will impact on our action
planning and SEAP.
14.2
There are a number of legal duties which the University is expected to proactively
pursue. These are to:
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promote equality of opportunity
promote good relations between persons of different racial groups
promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons
encourage participation by disabled persons in public life
14.3
The University has, however, made good progress over the last academic year in
respect of individual actions on the Single Equality Action Plan. The development
of a successful Juno application from the Physics department and an application to
the Athena Swan awards have been key priorities.
15.0
Recommendations
15.1
That the Committee note the progress on the Single Equality Action Plan.
15.2
That HR ensures that the Committee is kept well briefed as to the requirements of
the Equality Act and revisits the action plan in light of this.
15.3
That actions from the Single Equality Act, the Athena Swan application and Pulse
survey are combined to contribute to the updated SEAP.
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