Equality action plan
Priority one: Create an inclusive environment celebrating equality and diversity
Build a corporate programme of racial literacy to tackle racism
Action
Build and implement a programme of racial literacy.
Lead service area
Equalities team
How will we measure success?
Programme in place and communicated to all staff.
Staff have a better understanding of racial literacy.
Feedback received from staff.
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Guidance in place to support staff on use of inclusive language in their colleague and resident communications
Action
Further promote the guidance on use of pronouns.
Use Scope training recommendations to develop guidance on acceptable language for disabled people.
Lead service area
Equalities team
How will we measure success?
Guidance in place and staff reporting better awareness and support.
Feedback received from staff
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Ensure we have inclusive buildings
Action
Ensure that buildings have accessibility for physical disabilities.
Ensure that hearing loops are installed.
Photos and imagery is inclusive and reflective of the populations of the city.
Consider use of rainbows to support LGBTQ+ communities.
Lead service area
Estates and building services team
How will we measure success?
Customers and staff report our buildings feel more inclusive
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Managers feel empowered to support inclusive behaviour in the workplace
Action
Deliver the Active Bystander programme to managers and provide post-learning support
Lead service area
Organisational development
How will we measure success?
Programme in place and evaluation data showing good engagement and increase in confidence levels. Uplift in MAGIC indicators reported in the healthy workplace survey.
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Support people with care experience to be more included in decision making
Action
Develop a plan to ensure that care experience can be treated almost as a protected characteristic to increase inclusion.
Lead service area
Corporate parenting
How will we measure success?
A plan is in place with actions to ensure care experienced children and adults are feeling better supported. The plan must be well communicated across the council so that everyone understands their responsibility.
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Produce a corporate zero tolerance policy against bullying, discrimination and harassment.
Action
Policy is built and implemented.
Communication is evident where staff have to interact with people using services that bullying, discrimination and harassment of our staff won't be tolerated.
Where staff have been victims, they are well supported by managers.
Lead service area
Equalities team
How will we measure success?
Policy is implemented and communicated to all staff.
Reduction of hate incidents directed towards staff.
Staff feel supported.
Message of zero tolerance is clear to members of the public.
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Priority two: Lived experience and data driving improvements/decision making and raising awareness
More informed decision making which takes account of a diverse range of views and perspectives from people within our communities that might be impacted.
Action
A robust method of data collection and dissemination is in place by staff knowing where available data sources are.
Increased engagement with the community that informs decision making by engaging relevant voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) groups into the decision-making process to capture lived experience.
Lead service area
Equalities team
Corporate management team
How will we measure success?
Intersectional data is used in reporting to have a better understanding of who is impacted.
Lived experience is used to inform decision making through engagement panels.
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Staff feel supported to express diverse views and perspectives which are taken account of in decision making.
Action
Develop an equality, diversity and inclusion forum which allows employee groups and other employees the chance to engage directly with corporate management team.
Create more mechanisms, such as the healthy workplace survey for staff to give anonymised and honest feedback.
Lead service area
Organisational development
How will we measure success?
Greater numbers of staff reporting that they are positively engaged in change in the annual healthy workplace survey.
A robust and clear method of engagement for staff has been implemented.
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A consistent approach is implemented across the council for people with additional access needs so that people accessing services will have the same positive experience.
Action
Bring together a group of key officers from across the council in frontline and support roles to ensure that key technology and advice is consistent and allows staff to understand the process for people with differing needs.
Create a key information sheet for staff to understand what to do when they encounter someone with additional accessible needs.
Lead service area
Equalities team
How will we measure success?
Communities with additional accessible needs reporting that they feel supported with their needs being understood.
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The organisation demonstrates its commitment to equality issues and events and progresses its work to support this.
Action
Develop a communications plan to respond to awareness days/events which focuses both internally and externally. A programme of work is developed to ensure support and awareness is raised across all protected characteristics. Ensure City Mayor's briefing is informed and work is supported by the lead member.
Lead service areas
Equalities team
Organisational development
Communications
Employee groups
How will we measure success?
Greater understanding of equality issues, with a focus on intersectional characteristics, across the council and better presence of council support to awareness days/events.
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Priority three: A diverse and representative workforce
A workforce that is reflective of the community it serves, including greater diversity in senior leadership positions.
Action
- Develop a guide to succession planning for all staff which puts the emphasis on managers to train all staff up to have the necessary experience to apply for their roles.
- Promote reverse mentoring to managers for them to better understand the impacts on people with certain protected characteristics.
- Consider how we recruit new staff and if there are ways to reach a more diverse audience to where there is underrepresentation.
- Managers to be given staff data in their areas to understand who works for them and how they might be impacted if there is an underrepresentation.
- Understand why some staff feel they can't progress (potential need for anonymity) and put measures in place to mitigate any reasons for this.
- Consider inclusive leadership training rollouts for senior managers.
Lead service areas
Organisational development
Human resources
Equalities team
How will we measure success?
Greater number of staff from diverse backgrounds moving into roles where there is an underrepresentation.
Greater numbers of staff reporting that there are opportunities to grow in the annual healthy workplace survey.
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Develop a coaching offer for staff, based on their characteristics, using external coaches to support internal ambitions.
Action
A system for coaching is developed and communicated to staff, with external, or internal coaches where relevant, identified and contactable to support staff based on their characteristics.
Lead service area
Human resources
Organisational development
How will we measure success?
A coaching offer for staff in place.
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Priority 4: Complying with our legal duties, including the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)
Staff working in roles leading service change and developing new services have a good understanding of equalities and the equality impact assessment (EIA) process.
Action
Targeted delivery of equality impact assessment workshops to service areas.
Lead service area
Equalities team
How will we measure success?
Equality impact assessment (EIA) workshops delivered to all staff in a variety of service areas. Follow up with service area to see how knowledge has been applied as part of EIA and mitigating actions report. Intersectional data being used to understand the equality impacts.
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Frontline staff and new staff have a better understanding of equality and how it is relevant in their job roles.
Action
Targeted delivery of equality briefings to staff in service areas to complement a revised e-learning offer. Consider intersectional characteristics briefings for specific areas that require increased knowledge.
Lead service area
Equalities team
How will we measure success?
Equality briefings delivered to all staff in a variety of service areas. Follow up with service area to see how knowledge has been applied. New e-learning package. Have a clear understanding of all training/briefings available around equality, diversity and inclusion.
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The organisation has a clear programme of equality training based on specific needs.
Action
Map all the training available and what can be offered, and communicate as the training offer.
Lead service area
Equalities team
How will we measure success?
Staff are clear about what training is available and how to access it.
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The organisation and senior leaders have a robust and consistent understanding of the Public Sector Equality Duty and what this means/looks like in practice and in the context of decision making.
Action
- Continue to deliver a programme of equality impact assessment workshops
- Equality impact assessment workshops for directors, decision makers to be delivered to the corporate management team and senior management teams ad hoc as required.
- Equality impact assessment workshops for executive decision makers and Members to be delivered to CMB as required and as part of the member development programme.
Lead service area
Equalities team
Decision makers, including senior officers and political leadership
How will we measure success?
At least 50 members of staff on the training each year.
Equality impact assessment (EIA) template amended in line with feedback from EIA workshop sessions. EIA workshops delivered to the executive, elected members as part of the development programme, and the corporate management team.
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Equalities implications are considered as part of corporate programmes/priorities and activities across the council.
Action
Ensure a presences of equalities when large corporate activity is being considered.
Work with senior directors to input and review equalities implications as proposals are considered.
Future savings opportunities consider equality implications at an early stage and in the subsequent scoping and implementation of any agreed opportunities
Lead service area
Equalities team
Corporate management team
Finance
How will we measure success?
Equality impact assessments completed throughout the identified programmes.
Good communication maintained with corporate management team and finance about the impact of equalities as proposals progress.
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Inclusive decision making is clear, evidenced and considered
Action
Develop an inclusive decision-making framework
Lead service area
Equalities team
Corporate management team
How will we measure success?
The framework is complete and being used as part of the decision-making process and complements equality impact assessments.
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We have a joined-up approach with other organisations on initiatives that might be similar and share and learn from good practice.
Action
Attend Leicestershire equality forum and the NHS equality, diversity and inclusion taskforce as appropriate, and share information and learning.
Regularly keep track of initiatives and complete horizon scanning of equalities events and policies from other areas.
Lead service area
Equalities team
Organisational development
How will we measure success?
Equalities team attend meetings and events and are aware of different initiatives across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and the East Midlands.
Robust networking mechanisms in place.
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