Equality Impact Assessment - Guidelines for on managing young people who self harm

• Home
• Your Council
• Equalities
• Equality Impact Assessments
• Equality Impact Assessments - Learning and Children's Services
• Equality Impact Assessment - Guidelines for on managing young people who self harm

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

Review of existing guidelines.

What are the aims/purpose of the function?

• Help staff respond to young people who self harm in an appropriate and consistent way.
• Help staff be aware of services they can access.
  
  

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

• RBK and school staff and other relevant officers who come into contact with young people who self harm.
• Young people of school age.
  
  

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.

• National information is captured in the strategy.
• A working group contributed towards the strategy.
• At present we collect data within the Family Advice and Support Services when there is either a request for involvement or direct involvement with the child.
  
  

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?

Yes   

• More common in girls than boys ( 13 female and 5 male).
• Asian women are also more vulnerable based on national data. Policy highlights this to staff, so they can be aware and monitor our data.
  
  

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

Differences are reported in the research. The service is there to provide support to all children who are brought to its knowledge.  

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 ensure that better collection of data and multi agency working provides a more clear understanding of the number of children affected.
• We need to make sure that the data is collected on every child who self harms in a coordinated way.  
• The data collection fields needs to be reviewed and agreed to enable a consistent approach with all partners.
• To monitor any disability and religion or beliefs the child may have.
• To work towards increasing the data capture on every child to better understand and improve service delivery.
• To analyse the data quarterly to understand who are self harming and whether there are any differential impact within the equality target groups taking into account the school population.
• The number of children from the whole BME group is also high but this needs further analysis to see if there are any differential impacts.
• The work to reduce the number of children who self harm and provide early intervention to minimise serious harm.

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

3 – 6 months

Assessment completed by:

Jo Steer

Family Advice and Support Service   (L & CS)

June 2008