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Equality Scheme for the
Eastern Health and Social Services Council
7 Carrying out our duties
| a |
When carrying out our duties we must do the following.
- Constantly review the work of the services in
our area and recommend any improvements that are
needed.
- Work with the board to draw up an annual programme
of work.
- Give the DHSSPS an annual report on the performance
of our work and publicise the report.
- Inspect any premises controlled by the board or
trust except where paragraph 19 (a) and (b) of the
regulations apply.
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| b |
For us to carry out our duties the board must do
the following
- Comment publicly on our annual report and explain
the steps they have taken to deal with issues we
raised.
- Make sure they have proper arrangements in place
for consulting us on any major development in or
changes to services. Any restrictions to this duty
are set out in regulation 17, paragraphs (2) (3)
(4).
- Give us any information we may reasonably need
to carry out our duties.
- Have a meeting with us at least once a year to
discuss areas of interest and concern.
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| c |
For us to carry out our duties the DHSSPS must do
the following.
- Consult us in the way set out in regulation 17,
paragraph (4).
- Ask the board to consult us further if appropriate.
- Act as an arbitrator between the board and us
to settle any dispute over the release of information.
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| d |
We follow policies set
by external organisations including the DHSSPS, the
board and, sometimes, health and personal social service
organisations. We will screen existing and all new policies
that affect our work, to see if they have an impact
on the (statutory duties) affected groups. |
| e |
We will assess all policies
arising from the way we carry out our duties. The criteria
we will assess the policies against are set out in 9b
on page 7. The policies that we will assess in this
way are listed in appendix 7. No existing policies have
been excluded from this list and will be added to as
policies are identified or are developed. In any decision
with respect to an adopted or proposed policy, account
will be taken of the impact assessment and consultation.
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| f |
We will develop a policy
for good relations which will be linked to the functions
of the Council. This policy will apply equally throughout
the organisation and will be part of training and monitoring
of the policy. |
| g |
In carrying out our work
we will manage diversity constructively and productively
and will respect and value differences. |
| h |
The promotion of relationships,
trust and respect will be fostered so that there is
the freedom to discuss issues in a non-threatening manner.
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8 Arrangements for assessing
our performance
| a |
Over a three-year period
we will assess how each of our policies contributes
to the promotion of equal opportunities and good relations.
We will do this by following a process known as "impact
assessment". Details of the methods we will use are
set out in 11 and 12a on pages 8 and 9. We will keep
to the timetable in appendix 8 as far as is possible
and we will consult at least all of the organisations
set out in appendix 10. |
| b |
We will conduct an internal
audit to determine the state of relations within the
organisation and an external audit of the community
to see how the Council is perceived. We will act on
the outcome of these audits to introduce policies and
procedures to support positive areas and redress deficiencies.
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| c |
We will conduct an annual
review of progress made during the year to promote equal
opportunities and good relations. This review will be
a central part of our annual report. This will include
a detailed report of the screening exercise. We will
send our annual statement to the Equality Commission
to help them to produce their own annual report. This
annual review will assist in the compilation of the
five-year review, which will be made available to the
public. |
| d |
We will consult the Equality
Commission and the Community Relations Council on issues
relevant to meeting our obligation under section 75.
If those organisations propose improvements we will
respond to those proposals in a positive way. |
| e |
We will also ensure that
our staff appraisal system for all senior staff includes
a section on compliance with Section 75 of the act.
All job descriptions for senior staff will be amended
to reflect the importance of and the need for a commitment
to equality of opportunity and good relations. |
| f |
We will make our complaint
procedure accessible and will investigate all complaints
that we have not met our legal obligation and will try
to settle the complaint at a local level. Any support
required by the complainant to make a complaint will
be arranged. Complaints should be directed to Mrs Jane
Graham, Chief Officer, Eastern Health and Social Services
Council, 1st Floor, Lesley House, 25-27 Wellington Place, Belfast, BT1 6GQ. Telephone
(028) 9032 1230. We will acknowledge all complaints
within two working days and give a full response within
10 working days in the format preferred by the complainant.
Everyone who complains will receive a copy of our complaints
procedures and written details of how to bring a complaint
to the attention of the Equality Commission and the
timescales involved. Details of all complaints will
be included in the annual report. |
| g |
We will review our equality
scheme within five years of sending it to the Equality
Commission. The review will assess our performance in
meeting our legal obligation under section 75 and consult
all the organisations listed in appendix 10. This review
will be sent to the Equality Commission. |
9 Assessing
our policies
| a |
We will consider all current
and proposed policies to see whether any of them need
an impact assessment. Our policies may sometimes be
considered by the Northern Health and Social Services
Council, the Western Health and Social Services Council
and the Southern Health and Social Services Council.
This will make sure there is a fair and consistent approach
across Northern Ireland. This will be assisted by the
focus group/consumer panel specified in 6d and will
be completed within three months of the scheme being
approved. |
| b |
We will consider each policy against the following
criteria.
- Is there any evidence of higher or lower use
of services by different groups?
- Is there any evidence that different groups have
different needs, experiences, issues and priorities
in relation to the policy?
- Could equal opportunities or community relations
by promoted more effectively by altering the policy
or working with others in government or in the wider
community?
- Have consultations with relevant groups, organisations
or people indicated that certain policies create
problems for them?
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| c |
We will consider policies in the following order.
- Those which target health and social needs.
- Those which promote "social inclusion" (that is,
policies which aim to give everyone equal access
to services).
- Those which affect people's lives.
- Those which affect people's human rights, for
example, their dignity, privacy, rights and access
to services.
We will review and add to this list.
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| d |
We have not screened out
any policies but have decided that all existing policies
will require an impact assessment. All written and verbal
comments and concerns expressed during the initial consultation
period have been taken into account and we will work
collaboratively with all other organisations in health
and social services to take this process forward. |
| e |
The initial consultation
paper will identify the Council's policies and seek
views on issues such as whether all policies have been
identified, how they affect the relevant groups in terms
of equality of opportunity and the priority which should
be given to the impact assessments that are considered
necessary. The aim of the consultation would be to engage
fully with the relevant groups in explaining, discussing
and eliciting views. Council will consult those with
a legitimate interest in the matter, whether or not
they have a direct economic or personal interest. |
| f |
The second stage of the
process would involve consultation on the conclusions
reached by the Council, taking into account the comments,
views and wishes of the representative organisations
obtained at the first stage of the process. This paper
would set out the Council's conclusions on the equality
implications of each policy against the four screening
criteria, the rationale for conclusions on policies
that we do not propose for impact assessment and an
impact assessment timetable. |
| g |
Both consultation stages
would require eight weeks consultation periods and four
week periods to consider the result of the consultation
and prepare further documents. |
| h |
The report submitted to
the Equality Commission in June 2001 will include the
impact assessment timetable arrived at after consultation
and a detailed report of the outcome of the screening
exercise will be included in the annual report. |
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