Equality Scheme for the Eastern Health and Social Services Council

Appendix 4

Seminar and group discussion participants

Armagh and Dungannon Health and Social Services
Armagh and Dungannon Health and Social Services Trust
Armagh and Dungannon Health and Social Services Trust, Community Nurse Manager
Arthritis/Rheumatism Campaign, Member
Carers National Association
Causeway Volunteer Bureau, Placement and Access Officer
CCETSW
Chest, Heart and Stroke Association, Stroke Family Support Co-ordinator
Community Development and Health Network
Craigavon Area Hospital Group Trust, Corporate Affairs Manager
Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
Derry Travellers Support Group
Disability Action, Community Development Training
Disability Discrimination Project, Disability Discrimination Officer
Dungannon Health and Social Services Community Forum, Chairwoman
EHSSB, Director of Planning and Contracts
Equality Commission Extra Care, Chairman
Extra Care, Chief Executive
Housing Executive, Senior Housing Officer (Accounts)
ME Association, Committee Member
Newry and Mourne Mental Health Forum Insight User Group, Chairperson
Newry and Mourne Women
NIACRO, Family Services Manager
NIPPA, Assistant Director Field Services
Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Association of Mental Health (NIAMH), Co-ordinator
Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust, Community Development Officer
PHAB, Assistant Chairperson
Portadown Carers National Association, Member
Rural Mental Health Project South Armagh, Project Development Officer
Senior Citizen's Consortium
SENSE, Regional Manager
Southern Education and Library Board, Human Resources Officer
Sperrin and Lakeland Trust, Equality Scheme Project Worker
The Orchard Centre, Manager
Training Organisation for Personal Social Services
Wave Trauma Centre, Co-ordinator
Western Health and Social Services Council, Member

Appendix 5

Feedback from seminar participants

• plain English should be used;
• graphics should be included to make the contents attractive and visual;
• different formats should be available for groups of people such as visual impairment and learning disability;
• a two-tier approach should be used, that is, the full scheme and a simple A5 size 4 side guide;
• where possible, simple examples should be included to explain technical points: Quotation - "when a mother collects child benefit in the Post Office she wants to know her entitlement not the Act, Chapter and Section!";
• action will speak louder than words, that is, evidence of mainstreaming in HSSC business will be looked for by people who will never read a scheme;
• a similar approach should be taken to the slogan "EHSSC is an equal opportunity employer", that is, a logo could be used on stationery, for example, "EHSSC supports the right of equality of every person";
• the equality details should be introduced on a layered basis; "
• there is a need to raise public awareness;
• the public through representative groups needs to take ownership of the legislation;
• the responsibilities of employers should be offset by the rights of the public;
• awareness can be enhanced if the legal jargon is removed: Quotation - "the scheme is far too much to swallow at one go";
• take the message into communities via a roadshow;
• groups/commuities should be empowered through being given an understanding of equality issues;
• a review process (post 30 June 2000) should look at the effects of the scheme;
• an opportunity should be reserved to amend sections of the scheme in the light of experience;
• templates should be available to groups with a health and social care interest to consider the contents of related schemes.
• Languages - Has the draft been plain English approved? Have HSSCs been proactive producing in other languages/formats rather than 'on request'.
• Good Relations - reference is made. What does it mean to HSSCs? How are they going to promote? Include a statement of intention.
• Top Level Commitment - There is a signed statement by Chair/Chief Officer.
• Training of staff and members vague. How and who will do this? Training must become part of the culture of HSSCs. Too much current emphasis on training as to what constitutes an Equality Scheme. Training on good relations needed.
• Screening Process - Reference vague. How will it be done? What consultation will take place etc? Need to be developed within the document.
• Membership - Is there equality among membership? How will HSSC promote and encourage this?
• Awareness - How aware are public of HSSCs and their role? How aware is HSSC of its public/its profile/representative groups/data on each of the principles of section 75. Is the name a problem? What action will HSSCs take?
• Accessibility - How accessible are HSSCs to the public? What are the barriers, for example, language, sign etc, to consultation? How can the Councils effectively communicate with ethnic minorities and young people? How do they propose to address the difficulties?
• Document should have headings in bold; font size bigger (16 font), information on background and printed on yellow paper
• Short on how to manage the impact - how Council is going to do it?
• Recording of information for monitoring - difficulties gathering sensitive information.
• Specify name of Council and membership.
• Encourage attendance at Council meetings.
• Issue of children needs higher profile in Council's work
• Powers debated a bit more.
• Needs to promote identity a little more.
• Welcomed Council's initiative. Model to think about and thought other public bodies should do something similar. Would "need 10 similar sessions".
• Too much information for community/voluntary groups to take in.
• Do not now how to respond but agreed that it was important to respond.
• In some instances have not been given the statutory two months' time to respond.
• Not aware of grants being provided by Equality Commission. Those who were aware say timescale too short for training, therefore not interested.
• Consultation process and timescales unsatisfactory from everyone's point of view, that is, community/voluntary/statutory organisation.
• Everyone agreed that mainstreaming equality into an organisation's culture was important. Everyone's responsibility not just one person's job.
• n relation to monitoring, want people on the ground to be involved.
• Should law and guidance be revised to including good relations between all groups listed in 5.1 and 5.2?
• Disability definition needs to be enlarged to include all disabilities and to include mental illness.
• Agreed to Council's suggested priorities for screening.
• Want to be informed if organisation is taking responses on board.

Appendix 6

How to make a complaint about the Eastern Health and Social Services Council