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Equality Impact Assessments (EIA)

What is an Equality Impact Assessment?

Equality Impact Assessments have been developed as a tool for ensuring that equality, social inclusion and community cohesion issues can be considered when drawing up policies or proposals which affect the delivery of services, the carrying out of the Council’s functions and the employment practice of the authority.

They should help you:

Determine how the City Council’s policies and practice, or new proposals, will impact or affect different communities, especially those groups or communities who experience inequality, discrimination, social exclusion or disadvantage.
Measure whether policies or proposals will have a negative, neutral, or positive effect on different communities.
Make decisions about current and future services and practice in fuller knowledge and understanding of the possible outcomes for different communities or customer groups.
Develop ways of monitoring and reviewing the effects of new or changing policies or proposals if they are introduced.

Why do Equality Impact Assessments?

You are required to carry out equality impact assessments because:

There is a legal requirement to do so in relation to race, disability and Gender
You must carry them out for the Equality Standard for Local Government.
They are a tool to eliminate institutional discrimination.
They are helpful in identifying improvements to services.
They help avoid continuing or adopting harmful policies or procedures.
They help you to make better decisions.
They will help you to identify how you can make your services more accessible and appropriate.
They will help the City Council to become a better employer and meet its ambitions in relation to Local Jobs for Local People.
They can help you to check whether there is anything you can do to support work on community cohesion and social inclusion.
In support of PCC Race/Disability/Gender schemes, Equality strategy and corporate equality plan.