Equality Issues

Equality Scheme

Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 requires public authorities to have regard to the need to promote  equality of opportunity between:

The Staff Commission is fully committed to the fulfillment of its Section 75 obligations and its Equality Scheme sets out how it proposes to fulfil those obligations.

Equality Scheme

Letter to Consultees - April 2011

Equality Scheme - Approved December 2011

Audit of Inequalities - Consultation document

Screening Toolkit

New Disability Duties

Interim Action Plan - June 2007

Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (as amended by the Disability Discrimination (NI) Order 2006) public authorities, when carrying out their functions must have regard to the need:

• To promote positive attitudes towards disabled people; and
• To encourage participation by disabled people in public life.

Public authorities must also prepare a Disability Action Plan showing how they propose to fulfil the disability duties in relation to their functions. The five Education and Library Boards and the Staff Commission have been exempted, by the Equality Commission, from this particular requirement because it was anticipated they would cease to exist on the 31 March 2008.

However, the Boards/Staff Commission have developed and consulted on an Interim Action Plan to allow us to implement a programme of work which hopefully will inform and pave the way for the development of a comprehensive Disability Action Plan for the new Education and Skills Authority. This interim plan complements work already underway in relation to Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and includes a programme of work agreed with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

Disability Action Plan

Report on the Review of Measures taken and/or Proposed to Promote Equality of Opportunities for People with Disabilities - February 2008

As part of this Interim Action Plan the Boards/Staff Commission agreed to review the measures taken and/or proposed to promote equality of opportunity for people with disabilities. This review has now been conducted and is available by clicking below.

Report on the Review of Measures taken and/or Proposed to Promote Equality

Note of the Consultation Meeting - 12 June 2007

Good Relations Strategy

During 2006/07 the Boards/Staff Commission finalised their policy and strategy aimed at the promotion of good relations.  The Policy and strategy were developed to underpin the Boards’/Staff Commission’s commitment to:-

• A Shared Future Policy and Strategic Framework for Good Relations in Northern Ireland, March 2005.
• A Racial Equality Strategy for Northern Ireland, 2005 – 2010. Our Equality Schemes being implemented under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

Inter-Board Good Relations Strategy

Annual Progress Report

The Staff Commission’s Annual Review to the Equality Commission details the Commission’s:

• Strategic Implementation of the Section 75 Equality Duties
• Screening and Equality Impact Assessment Timetable
• Training and Communication
• Data Collection and Analysis
• Information Provision and Access to Services
• Timetable
• Consultation
• Impacts and Outcomes

If you have any comments on the screening of policies exercise and/or proposed equality impact assessments, please e-mail the Commission at info@staffcom.org.uk or contact us at our office.

There is a supplementary report on the screening of policies, which is changed annually, usually in June.

Report on Screening of Policies 2007 - 2008

Recommended Approach to Conducting an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA)
This guidance was prepared by the Boards/Staff Commission and is an aide-memoire to staff involved in carrying out an EQIA. The guidance is available online or from the Commission’s office.

EQIA Approach to Conducting an EQIA

Equality Consultation Guidelines
The Equality Schemes provide that ‘specific consideration should be given to how best to communicate information to young people and people with learning difficulties’. This document sets out the broad guidelines which will be used to facilitate such discussion. The Guidelines are available online or from the Commission’s office.

Equality Impact Assessment
As a result of the screening exercise an equality impact assessment (EQIA) of the redrafted Code of Procedures for Recruitment, Selection and Promotion including an Internal Trawl Procedure was carried out in early 2003.

The EQIA was conducted jointly by the Staff Commission and the five Education and Library Boards and the report describes the Code, the Internal Trawl Procedure and the equality issues identified. The redrafted Code and Guidelines will be available online or from the Commission’s office in due course. The EQIA report and the results of the EQIA are now available, along with the key recommendations.

Code | Guidelines | Key Recommendations | EQIA Report | Results of EQIA