What is an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA)?
An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) looks at a policy or procedure and sees if it discriminates or is likely to discriminate against somebody because of their:
- Race
- Gender
- Disability
- Age
- Sexual Orientation
- Religion
- Belief
- Any other likely characteristic
If it is found that a policy or procedure does discriminate against someone we will do what we can to eliminate, minimise or counterbalance the discrimination.
What are the benefits of an Equality Impact Assessment?
There are several reasons why we conduct EIAs. The benefits of impact assessment include:
- They help to analyse our services to see if there is reflective representation from our communities
- They assist us in considering alternative policies or measures that might address any adverse impact
- They help us to improve the way in which we develop our policies and functions by ensuring that they reflect the current equality and diversity legislative framework
- They help to identify direct or indirect discrimination
- They help us to better understand the needs and aspirations of the diverse communities we serve
Equalities legalisation has now been extended so there is a statutory duty for gender and disability to conduct equality impact assessments. Our impact assessment process covers gender, disability, sexual orientation, age and religion and belief, as well as race.