APPENDIX 2
FLOWCHART: THE EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) PROCESS
Is the proposed policy/process relevant to equality for the protected
characteristics?
1. What are the intended outcomes and who is affected by it?
Screening
2. Check your existing evidence base
3. Is there an impact?
YES
NO
Exit Process
What are the likely implications and how can we improve it?
1. Identify the aims and objectives
2. Gather existing evidence and decide how you will consult
3. Consult formally with users and stakeholders
4. Consider possible alterations, amendments, changes
Full
Assessment
5. Consider the scale and expense of the changes and check they can be
implemented and/or the impact of not changing
6. Implement changes formally and publish
7. Monitor impact of new policy
8. Agree review date
9. Record impact assessment and send to PD&D Manager & Vice Principal
(Skills & Support)
TOOLKIT FOR IMPACT ASSESSMENT
This toolkit is designed to support you to assess the impact on users of your
service, your policies and your procedures.
The Equality Act 2010 requires the College to consider how decision making
processes may have unintended adverse impacts on particular protected
characteristics of learners.
It is designed to form the basis of a system that embeds quality considerations
throughout policy making and service delivery.
The aim is to embed diversity action planning into all our management processes
so that each Centre and Service Area creates its own Diversity Plan which sets
SMART targets for promoting equality and diversity, minimising unintended
barriers to access and stopping all unlawful discrimination.
1.
What is an Equality Impact Assessment?
It is a process of systematically analysing a proposed or existing policy,
process or procedure to identify what effect or likely effect will follow for its
implementation and operation.
2.
Why do we need to do it?
To help us promote a culture of equality and identify possible cases of
direct, indirect or institutional discrimination.
By fully integrating impact assessment into the review of our policies and
procedures and into the Self Assessment process, we should ensure
equality of access, treatment and opportunity are fully mainstreamed into
our Quality Improvement process.
3.
Which parts of the College operations should be assessed?
Essentially, all of them. Some services, processes, procedures and
policies will, however, have a more significant impact upon users of that
service. Some will have a very direct impact of eliminating unlawful
discrimination, advancing equality of opportunity and fostering good
communications/relations between differing groups of people. Some will
not.
4.
How do I identify relevance?
All policies, process and procedures should be screened in order to
consider how it might affect particular groups.
Some will have little impact and the impact assessed can be completed in
the first stage. Others will require far more detailed assessment.
5.
Who is responsible?
All managers and team leaders need to reconsider their policies,
practices, planning and procedures to ensure they have assessed impact.
Where there are recommendations for change, advice may need to be
sought from more Senior managers in order to achieve the changes.
6.
Who do I do?
6.1
Step one - Screening




List your policies, processes, procedures and services
Identify their general intended outcomes
Outline who is affected by them
Identify other key stakeholders (external agencies, other College
service areas or Curriculum Centre etc)
 Consider whether any of them are likely to have an impact on any
group of minority users
 If no impact is likely, the process stops there
6.2
Stage two – Impact Assessment
1.
2.
3.
Identify which policies, planning and processes, procedures are in
scope (screening) and then prioritise in terms of significance. Use
prior consultation, user feedback and quantitative data to help you.
(This should be found in your annual self assessment).
Select the most important process for your first impact assessment.
 Identify the specify aims and objectives of the policy or process
 Review your existing evidence which must include some user
feedback with minority groups and will usually include data
monitoring information by ethnicity, disability, gender or other
group
 Consider the need for further information. You should, at this
stage, demonstrate active involvement with your users and
consider how the consultation process can be fully
representative of diverse needs.
4.
5.
 Check throughout this process for:
 possible adverse effects on minority groups
 possible barriers to be overcome
 opportunities to promote disability equality
 Identify any changes or amendments needed
 Plan how you will implement these changes within finite
resources
 Change your policy and process within the formal channels of
the College
 Make your users aware of the changes
 Identify how you will monitor the impact of the changes
 Record your impact assessment and send to central records
Suggestions of evidence to use for impact assessment monitoring
 Data collection and analysis
 Surveys, focus groups, one to one or small group consultations
 Measuring complaints/user satisfaction surveys
 Observations of process in action
 Changes to numbers accessing services or processes
 Physical access and accessibility of information
 Location/geography
 Sensitivity to cultural and social differences (differing disabilities,
races, faiths)
 Any restrictive factors (e.g. LSC regulations, funding, other
legislation) or reasonable justification for adverse impacts
Consider the staff training implications of your impact assessment
and plan for this