APPENDIX D
RESULTS OF CONSULTATION
1.0
Introduction
1.1
The University has consulted on, and involved, staff, students and community
groups on the contents of this Scheme and the Single Equality Action Plan. A
number of methods were used and the results are laid out below.
2.0
Questionnaire
2.1
A questionnaire on the Scheme and proposed action plan was drawn up and
circulated.
2.2
A number of hard copies were distributed across the University (100 to
manual staff areas, 100 to the students union and a hard copy to each
member of staff who had identified themselves as having a disability).
3.0
Other communications
3.1
A number of communications containing the draft scheme and action plan
were circulated, including to:









students with a disability
E&D representatives
Disability contacts
Harassment and Bullying contacts
Equality and Diversity Committee members
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Group members
Disability Interest Group members
Senior Women’s Network members
Union representatives
3.2
Copies of the consultation documents were also sent to a range of external
contacts in the Coventry area (23 in total)
3.3
Notices highlighting the consultation were distributed to student residences.
4.0
Communication about the consultation
4.1
The consultation was highlighted on Insite and in Insite Inbox, together with
reminders.
4.2
The E&D website contained pages on the consultation.
4.3
An article appeared in CommUnicate in Summer 2008 edition.
4.4
The Students Union carried the consultation on its website.
1
APPENDIX D
RESULTS OF CONSULTATION
5.0
Meetings/focus groups
5.1
A meeting was held with two of the Students’ Union sabbatical officers.to
discuss the Single Equality Scheme and Action Plan.
5.2
A meeting was held with the Trade Unions on campus to discuss the
Scheme.
5.3
The E&D Network meeting held in October 2008 had the Scheme as its main
agenda item.
5.4
Two focus groups took place in September 2008 to consider further
actions/feedback.
6.0
Results of consultation
6.1
Forty seven consultation documents were returned; two further narrative
responses were received. Of the 47 consultation documents received, two
were from sources external to the University, and 4 were from students. The
remainder were from staff members.
6.2
The breakdown of results is shown below, together with some of the free-text
comments received.
Q.1 Is the Single Equality Scheme clear in terms of
its objectives?
50
Number
40
30
20
10
0
Yes
No
Partly
Not sure
Answer
“The University is very proactive at producing good (and informative
policies/procedures, however where it does fall down is ensuring that
departments follow through on these policies. The monitoring mechanisms
are poor and sometimes departments feel unsupported.”
2
APPENDIX D
RESULTS OF CONSULTATION
Q.2 Are the proposals for consultation and
involvement appropriate?
50
Number
40
30
20
10
0
Yes
No
Partly
Not sure
Answer
“The consultation through this form seems hit and miss as most students are
not on campus and may not be accessing their mail. Not a good time to seek
feedback.”
“Yes, as long as a diverse selection of the community responds – through
experience I generally find it is the same people who volunteer to
assist/contribute to forum groups and networks. The University needs to find
ways to get a cross section of people involved.”
Number
Q.3 Are the proposals for equality impact
assessments appropriate?
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Yes
No
Partly
Not sure
Answer
“It relies on departments to incorporate them into their reviews, and if the
initial EIA process is to go by – they may not be very good at doing this. They
might need help or reminders from HR and HR may need to check and
monitor that it is being done.”
3
APPENDIX D
RESULTS OF CONSULTATION
Number
Q.4 Are the arrangements for ongoing monitoring,
reviewing and annual publishing appropriate?
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Yes
No
Partly
Not sure
Answer
“Who will monitor, how will it be done, who will receive the reports and who is
responsible for taking action as a result of the monitoring exercise?”
Q.5 Is there anything that is not currently included
that you think should be included in the scheme?
30
Number
25
20
15
10
5
0
Yes
No
Partly
Not sure
Answer
“Needs more on age discrimination and religious discrimination.”
“Dignity – many organisations consider Equality, Diversity and Dignity.”
4
APPENDIX D
RESULTS OF CONSULTATION
Q.6 Do you have any suggestions for how the
University can involve staff, students and the
community in continued development of the Single
Equality Scheme?
Number
40
30
20
10
0
Yes
No
Partly
Not sure
Answer
“focus groups for the development of the Scheme after it has been
introduced….”
“get some of the students from lifelong learning to participate in a forum.”
“Hold an E&D day similar to national ban bullying at work day to raise
awareness..”
“more publicity”
“links to Coventry and the surrounding areas…”
Q.7 Do you think the actions in the Single Equality
Action Plan will assist the University to achieve its
obligations on equality and diversity?
Number
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Yes
No
Partly
Not sure
Answer
“one plan will simplify things.”
“in principle, the plan is excellent, the hard work is in getting people to actually
follow it.”
5
APPENDIX D
RESULTS OF CONSULTATION
Q8
What suggestions do you have for including other actions in the
Single Equality Action Plan?
“Special audio equipment should be available in lecture rooms…”
“Utilise student societies to get involved.”
“Support for younger members of staff.”
Q9
What training do you think the University should offer/be
developing in relation to equality and diversity?
“the online modules provide a good overview of these areas but it might be
helpful to have optional face to face events for particular issues”
“case studies/scenarios”
“specific activities for induction”
“more awareness days”
Q.10 There has been a proposal that the monitoring
should be expanded to include religion or belief and
sexual orientation. Do you support this proposal?
Number
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Yes
No
Partly
Not sure
Answer
“Yes, but people must be very clear about how the data is to be used.”
“Sexual orientation/religious beliefs are sometimes things that people would
want to keep to themselves ….the question would have to worded in a
sensitive way”
“People should have a choice about the level of self-disclosure on these
issues.”
6
APPENDIX D
RESULTS OF CONSULTATION
6.3
Focus groups
6.3.1
The focus groups were asked questions about the following areas:





the visibility of E&D at Warwick
how we could improve E&D at Warwick
how we could get more people involved in E&D
how people would like to be consulted with about E&D issues
and what actions we could take to address E&D
6.3.2
The strongest response was that visibility on E&D issues needed to be raised
considerably, that more efforts should be made on providing manual staff with
hard copies of information, including possibly in other languages, and that
there should be more training on E&D during induction and more generally.
There was a desire that a strong message on E&D should be consistently
“pushed” from top management down.
6.3.2
The focus groups were small, each of four people, all of whom were members
of staff. The split between male and female was 50:50 and two staff were
non-white (25%).
7.0
Breakdown of responses to questionnaire
7.1
The breakdown of responses is show below:



a higher proportion of females compared to males responded
in comparison to numbers within the University, a slightly smaller
proportion of non-white people responded (8.5% compared to just
over 10% of staff)
in comparison to numbers within the University, a large proportion of
disabled people responded
Gender
38%
Male
Female
62%
7
APPENDIX D
RESULTS OF CONSULTATION
Percentage
Ethnicity
100.0
90.0
80.0
70.0
60.0
50.0
40.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
British
Other white
background
Indian
Other
background
Disability
18%
Yes
No
82%
8.0
Conclusions
8.1
The responses received have been positive in relation to the Scheme and the
idea of an integrated action plan.
8.2
Areas which clearly need additional work include improvements to
consultation and involvement, more work on awareness raising, and the
embedding of equality impact assessments and these areas have been
picked up in the Single Equality Action Plan.
8.3
Other suggestions made by respondents have also been picked up and
added to the plan as new actions for 2008.
8