Equality Impact Assessment - Consultation Strategy

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• Equality Impact Assessment - Consultation Strategy

Function being assessed:

Consultation Strategy

Is this a new function or a review of an existing function?

Existing function

What are the aims/purpose of the function?

The Council’s Consultation Strategy was agreed in 2006 and sets up a protocol for registering consultation activities on a corporate website.  The Strategy:

• offers advice on when and how to consult and includes comprehensive guidance on good practice and approaches to engaging with a wide range of minority groups;
• provides a database of key organisations and groups that represent minority interests in the borough and
• is available on the Council’s intranet for all staff to use and the minority organisations database is updated as necessary about twice a year.

Is the function designed to meet specific needs such as the needs of minority ethnic groups, older people, disabled people etc?

The Consultation Strategy has specific elements to improve consultation with minority groups.  It was reviewed by the Council’s BME Forum.

The Council has set up an internal ‘consultation website’ for staff to record details of all its various consultation activities.  The data on the site allows us to identify any consultation that might contain particularly interesting or useful information about the opinions of minority groups.

There is a Consultation Steering Group (with representatives from all directorates) that is tasked to meet periodically to review the procedure and make changes as necessary.

Residents who participate in consultation can be paid for their time.    For example, local people were paid for their attendance at workshops on recycling and refuse collection, the Council’s budget and for consultation on the Community Plan.  Additionally, meetings of the Disabled and Older People’s Forum are paid expenses to attend this event.

Samples of the population are designed to reflect the BME proportion of the whole local population.  This is applied to workshops and larger survey projects, like the Community Plan, where consultation has taken place with representative groups like the BME Forum and Kingston Racial Equality Council.

The Council’s Residents’ Panel was recruited with additional sample quotas to maximise the BME element of the Panel.  This succeeded in achieving an 8% representation of BME members of the Panel.  The residents panel get feedback through periodic newsletters to members of the Panel.

Consultation on equalities is linked with the continuing development of community strategies.

What information has been gathered on this function? (Indicate the type of information gathered e.g. statistics, consultation, other monitoring information)? Attach a summary or refer to where the evidence can be found.

A database of local minority groups is available on the Council’s intranet (Consultation Website) for all staff to use and the minority organisations database is updated as necessary about twice a year.

The Borough Profile, and the Strategic Joint Needs Assessment together with data from BVPI Surveys and the new Place Survey provide information about minority groups and opinions that is updated periodically and made available to staff through the intranet.

Does your analysis of the information show different outcomes for different groups (higher or lower uptake/failure to access/receive a poorer or inferior service)? If yes, indicate which groups and which aspects of the policy or function contribute to inequality?

No

Are these differences justified (e.g. are there legislative or other constraints)? If they are, explain in what way.

What action needs to be taken as a result of this Equality Impact Assessment to address any detrimental impacts or meet previously unidentified need? Include here any reasonable adjustments for access by disabled people. Include dates by which action will be taken. Attach an action plan if necessary.

To further promote the consultation website to share interesting or useful information about the opinions of minority groups and to avoid consultation overload.

When will you evaluate the impact of action taken? Give review dates.

To be reviewed in a year.

Assessment completed by:

Marie Gadsden and Symon Clarke

HR and Strategic Services