Equality Standard
The Equality Standard is a long-term process and framework that
will help the council to remove barriers which create disadvantage
and discrimination.
It encourages the development of proactive and
anti-discriminatory practice appropriate to local circumstances and
provides a basis for takling forms of instituionalised
discrimination.
It will help Suffolk County Council to identify and remove
discriminatory barriers that prevent equal access to services and
employment.
All six key strands of equality have to be addressed across all
parts of the council. They are:
There are five levels within the Standard:
Level 1: Commitment to a
comprehensive policy
Level 2:
Assessment and consultation
Level 3: Setting equality
objectives and targets
Level 4: Information
systems and monitoring against targets
Level 5: Achieving and
reviewing outcomes
Within each level there are four themes :
- Leadership and Corporate Commitment
- Community Enagagement & Accountability
- Service Delivery and Customer Care
- Employment and Training
The council's progress in delivering quality of opportunity is
assessed against this generic Equality Standard. In May 2007,
Suffolk County Council reached Level Two of the standard.
In September 2007 Suffolk County Council took part in an IDEA peer
review. The finding from the review was that Level 3 of the
Standard is the hardest level to get right but at the same time the
most rewarding.
The auditors decided that Suffolk County Council has done very
well to get to where it has and is not far off from attaining
Level 3 of the Standard.
To achieve Level Three, an authority needs to demonstrate that
it has:
- implemented a strategy for participation of designated
community, staff and stakeholder groups in setting objectives of
employment and service delivery.
- set equality objectives across the authority for race, gender,
and disability for employment, pay and service delivery based on
impact assessments and participation strategy.
- by March 2008 set equality objectives across the authority for
sexual orientation, age, religion or belief for employment, pay and
service delivery based on impact assessments and participation
strategy.
- that equality objectives have been translated into action plans
with specific targets.
- it is developing information and monitoring systems that allow
it to assess progress in achieving targets.
- action on achieving targets has started.
- progress has been verified through self assessment and scrutiny
and has been validated externally through an accredited
assessor.
Monday 11th August 2008, the IDEA Peer Reviewers
revisited Suffolk County Council and confirmed that we have reached
level 3 of the standard. This is to be backdated to 1st May
2008
Related links
Equality Impact Assessments
Equality Standard for Local Government - Executive Summary
(PDF, 6 pages, 47Kb)
Improvement & Development Agency (I&DeA): Diversity
Equality Standard Group
The role of the Equality Standard Officer is about ensuring the
council (and Customer Service Direct) can provide new evidence for
Level 1 of the Equality Standard for Local Government (we
originally attained Level 1 in 2002/3), attains Level 2 before the
end of this current financial year, and attempts to attain Level 3
by the end of 2008.
The Standard measures an authority according to its weakest point.
In order to achieve these targets all areas of the council and
Customer Service Direct need to be actively involved, and therefore
a steering group has been set up. This Equality Standard Steering
Group is made up of the Diversity Team, the HR Equalities Officer
and a representative from each directorate. The group then
links in with the Diversity Champions and directorate equality
action groups.