Equality Impact Assessment
What is an Equality Impact Assessment?
Equality Impact Assessments (EIA) helps you place fairness and equality at the centre of decision making, policy and practice.
EIA is a process which helps you assess the likely or actual impact a decision or recommendation, practice, policy, procedure, project, strategy, product, service or function has on different sections of the community (including employees).
The main purpose of an EIA is to pre-empt the possibility of a function that could affect some people unfavourably. In this respect, the 'people' refers to groups or individuals who belong to specific equality strands i.e. race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation and religion or belief.
The benefits of Equality Impact Assessment
Equality Impact Assessments help us to:-
- Comply with legislation
- Promote good relations
- Manage risk
- Promote the Group as a good employer, service provider and service enabler
- Improve Service Delivery
- Mainstream Equality and Diversity
- Enable us to engage with our service users
- Combat unlawful discrimination against all six strands of equalities
The results of the Equality Impact Assessment are used to set equality objectives that become part of Service Plans, leading to improvements to services and employment practices. They may also highlight that we need more information about our customers and service users, for example through monitoring or consultation.
Cestria is currently undertaking Equality Impact Assessments (EIA) on all our service areas. EIA forms and reports will be available on completion. If you have any queries please contact Corporate Services on 0191 385 1442 or e-mail arshiabhatti@cestria.org.