Your County - Putting Kent First

Kent 4 star Council

Equality impact assessments

Equality impact assessments are an essential part of making sure our services are focused on the needs of everyone using our services or employed by us.

We carry out equality impact assessments to predict and assess the impact of a policy, procedure or practice on diverse groups in Kent, in relation to gender, disability, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation and age.

The assessments help us highlight good practice and see where we can make improvements.

We use the results of the assessments to take actions to improve services and practice, including setting objectives and targets in our strategic documents (for example the Children and Young People's Plan, the Community Safety Strategy and Local Transport Plan), service unit plans and our Equality Strategy action plans.

How we assess the equality impact of our policies, procedures and practices

We use an initial screening and prioritisation form to see if the policy, procedure or practice is likely to have a high, medium or low impact on diverse groups. For those that we consider have high or medium impact, a second stage full impact assessment is carried out, which includes consulting with key groups affected. A policy, procedure or practice will have a high or medium impact if:

  • it is a major policy, procedure or practice because of its significance to the our activities
  • it is relevant to the promotion of equality
  • if it is a minor policy it is likely to have a major impact on diverse groups either due to the number of people affected, the seriousness of the impact or both
  • information from the initial screening indicates that diverse groups may be experiencing negative outcomes compared to the rest of Kent as a whole

Assessing the equality impact of our work is a continuous process and we will be updating the information below periodically.

Overview of equality impact assessments completed and planned

More than 1,690 policies, procedures or practices have been initially screened since 2002 and of these:

  • 1,591 are about service provision and
  • 99 are about employment

Following initial screening those identified as having high or medium impact are prioritised for a full impact assessment, which includes consultation with service users and staff.

Full equality impact assessments completed

Service provision

  • Equality and Diversity Policy Statement
  • Cycling Strategy
  • Telehealth, technology that enables people to monitor their vital signs at home and send the results through a telephone line to their nurse or GP
  • Telecare, a service that provides support to people in their own homes with the help of technology and community response services
  • Domiciliary Charging Policy
  • Core Supervision Policy for Social Care Staff
  • Modernisation proposals for day care services at Queen Elizabeth Foundation
  • Carer's Policy (Adult)
  • Guidance documents to schools purchasing therapeutic services
  • Children and Young People's Plan
  • Mentoring Agreement between KCC and Rainer to raise aspirations, achievements and long-term prospects of children and young people in care
  • 14-19 Strategy for working with partner organisations to provide young people with better opportunities
  • Schools' Anti-Bullying Strategy, which supports schools in keeping children and young people safe while at school
  • Music Strategy, which aims to increase access to a diverse range of musical experiences to all young people (within or outside school), whatever their background or abilities
  • Secondary Strategy, which sets actions from past school performance to ensure that Kent secondary schools become models of excellence and equity
  • Customer Care, which sets a standard for dealing with complaints, compliments and comments within Children, Families and Education
  • Primary strategy, which aims to raise primary school standards based on the government's Community and Extended Schools programmes
  • Child Protection, a policy about safeguarding children and protecting them from harm
  • Looked After Children, a policy that addresses the needs of children's who become 'looked after by the local authority'
  • Adoption
  • Unaccompanied Minors, a policy for the assessment and reception service for unaccompanied asylum seeking children
  • Fostering
  • Youth Service Race Equality Policy and Practice

Employment

Full equality impact assessments planned for 2008

Service provision policies, procedures and practices

  • Access to KCC buildings
  • Access to KCC receptions areas
  • Guidance to Cluster Actions Plans
  • Governor recruitment and Retention Strategy
  • Home to School Transport
  • School Organisation Plan (location and closure of schools)
  • Vocational Education Policy
  • Choice Advice (advice service parents/carers choosing primary 7 secondary schools)
  • Admissions from primary to secondary
  • Early Years Strategy
  • Drugs Education (new policy)
  • 1995 Gypsy/Traveller Policy Document
  • Cycling Strategy
  • Application for Disabled Persons Parking Bay
  • A walking strategy for Kent
  • A bus strategy for Kent
  • Health and Safety during safety inspections
  • Health and Safety during site visits
  • Health and Safety instructions for staff working in flood areas
  • Mayrise Streetworks - internal works ordering system
  • Licence to place a skip on the public highway
  • Traffic Regulations - Best Practice Manual
  • Traffic Signal Controller Cases
  • Unauthorised Signs (Sample Letter)
  • Vehicle Parking Standards 1999
  • Countryside Access Improvement Plan
  • Regeneration Strategy

Employment policies, procedures and practices

  • Booking Forms and Procedures - Internal and External
  • Child Care Vouchers scheme
  • Job Evaluation Procedure and Policy
  • Home Computer Initiative
  • Job Profile Evaluation
  • Market Forces Data
  • Senior Officers' Medical Insurance
  • Value Plus Scheme (inc gyms and health clubs)
  • KCC Fire Safety Policy and accompanying guidance
  • Recruiting Right Guide

Copyright Kent County Council 2008