Equality Impact Assessments
The University will carry out EIAs to ensure that the institution is not discriminating unlawfully, and that it is positively promoting equality and diversity.
An EIA is a process which enables the University to assess the impact of proposed and existing policies and services in relation to their impact on different groups of people.
The aim of an EIA is to eliminate discrimination and produce positive outcomes for equality. Public sector organisations are required by law to carry out race and disability EIAs (and soon also gender EIAs).
The University Executive Board (UEB) has made a commitment that all policy proposals, project plans and strategy documents presented to the Board are accompanied by evidence that consideration has been given to an Equalities Impact Assessment.
The EIA Checklist (download on right) will enable you to carry out an EIA on your policies and services.
Guidance notes and further information are available through these web pages.
Scope
All proposals to introduce a new policy or service or to change an existing policy or service should be accompanied by an EIA. The responsibility for undertaking an EIA lies with the person proposing/developing/reviewing a policy or service and it should be done during its inception/initiation.
The equality impact will be considered by the relevant committee during the decision making process.
The term `policy and service´ includes:
When carrying out an EIA the impact of the policy or service on the following equality strands and target groups should be considered:
• Age
• Disability
• Sexual Orientation
• Gender
• Transgender
• Religious, spiritual or no belief
• Race or ethnicity
How the University supports EIA
The following tools are available to support you to focus on achieving equitable outcomes for a policy or service:
EIA Training
Online training takes you on a journey to understand the legislation behind equality impact assessments, and the process itself. This is suitable for all staff.
Further training sessions are also run by Staff Development. This is suitable for anyone responsible for introducing or reviewing policies or services, and for staff with responsibility for equality and diversity issues in their department or Faculty.
The EIA Checklist
Very simply it supports you to:
• Look closely at how something will be done or is being done
• Find out whether any equality target group(s) will be or is/are being disadvantaged
• Think about whether opportunities to promote equality are being maximised
• Consider how you may do things differently, or do different things to deliver equality
• Record findings, tell stakeholders about them, and keep the situation under review
Guidance on completing the checklist is also available.
Further information, including frequently asked questions are available through the links on the right.
What to do next
Once you have carried out your EIA, you should retain a copy for future reference and review.
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