Equality Analysis and Social Value
Equality Analysis (EAs) provide a useful tool to assess the implications and potential impacts of decisions upon communities. EAs are carried out whenever Commissioner’s plan to establish, change, or remove a service, policy, or function, and should be an integral part of service planning and policy development.
EAs support commissioning best practice by ensuring that the services the Council commission and procure can be evidenced as meeting the needs of Rotherham’s residents.
Through the analysis of policies, services, or functions EA’s support the Council to:
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010
- Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
- Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
The Equality Act 2010 explains that having due regard for advancing equality involves:
- Removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics
- Taking steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people
- Encouraging people from protected groups to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low
Essentially EA’s support our statutory obligations by providing a means to both assess equality and evidence its consideration in decision making, however, they are also a useful commissioning and procurement mechanism to ensure that services meet the needs of our communities as they assist us to:
- develop a better understanding of the community we serve
- target resources efficiently to get better outcomes
- adhere to the transparency and accountability element of the Public Sector Equality Duty
Effective commissioning and procurement requires that the decisions the Council makes are rooted in a firm evidence base on which to build, design, and shape services delivered within Rotherham. As ‘live’ documents, EAs should continually be updated to respond to change. It is therefore vital that EAs are fully integrated into the Councils commissioning and procurement process, forming a key part of provider and citizen engagement, evidence evaluation, and option appraisal.
The evidence needed for an EA will differ depending on the nature of service change and the groups potentially impacted. However, evidence that may need to be consulted falls broadly into two groups, evidence that already exists and evidence that the Council needs to gather through consultation.
Evidence that already exists can include:
- Statistical data (e.g., Census, ONS etc),
- Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
- Rotherham Data Hub
- Commissioning Strategies
- National Policy, Reports, Surveys and Research
- Internal data i.e.
Local Authority System data and other information systems Evidence gathered through consultation can include:
- Focus groups with stakeholder
- Questionnaires
- Formal consultation
When considering the equalities implications, it is necessary to involve others who may offer challenge to views or some evidence of impact. As well as the public, charities or community groups whose purpose has specific aims directed towards the relief by reason of disability and concern for people/groups/situations are an essential element. Modes of evidence gathering may need tailoring to meet the needs of specific groups such as learning disabled adults (independent advocacy), sensory impaired (British Sign Language), etc.
Link with Social Value
The detail of Equality Analysis (EAs) can provide insight and evidence of equality issues and Equality Analysis Action Plans (EAAPs) detail any action which needs to be taken to remove or minimise disadvantage for an individual or group with a protected characteristic. These EAs and EAAPs actions will be a valuable resource of information which can guide commissioners and providers if used to align their social value commitment to increase positive impact where disadvantage may exist.