Achievement Journey Evidence To Outcomes Scripted Version

The Equality Framework

The achievement journey – from evidence to outcomes

Jo Hooper, Corporate Equality Officer

• This is a model of the Equality Framework for Local Government which shows the five performance areas as a cycle of continuous improvement from evidence to outcomes.

• Even if your organisation reaches the Excellent Level of the Framework, it still needs to go through this cycle to maintain excellence.

• Equality impact assessment is a key process for improvement and this diagram also shows the assessment process at both the macro and micro levels.

The evidence

Community engagement

and satisfaction

A modern and diverse workforce

Responsive servicesand customer care

Place shaping, leadership, partnership

and organisational commitment

Knowing your community

and equality mapping

Use evidenceto inform decisions

and set priorities

Deliver on priorities

Measure outcomes

and get regular, ongoing feedback

Create an effective organisation to deliver services

EIA at macro level

EIA at micro level

EIA = Equality Impact

Assessment

The evidence


and satisfaction



• A starting point for doing anything is to understand why you need to take action.

• It’s important for the organisation to understand the make up of communities and level of inequalities, making use of local and national data.

• This forms the evidence base on which to make effective decisions and ensure that priorities are relevant and proportionate to local needs and aspirations.

• So, who makes up your communities in terms of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, faith or belief, and other social economic factors? Think about communities of interest, as well as communities of place.

• What changes from year to year? • What are people telling you? Are different groups

accessing your services? • Are people equally satisfied with your services? • Is there a difference in outcomes or quality of life

between different groups, men and women for example?

• Do people feel you listen to them? • Can people influence and challenge through forums

or other processes? • Do you share data between partners? • What resources and systems have you got in place to

gather all this information? • The two Performance Areas - Community Engagement

and Satisfaction, and Knowing your Community and Equality Mapping are all about the evidence base.

• What value do people place on a service of facility? • Your organisation needs to know these things, in the

same way the private sector need to understand their customers to be successful.

The evidence


and satisfaction



The evidence


and satisfaction




and set priorities



• With its evidence base, the organisation can then start planning and prioritising.

• This performance area is known as Place Shaping, Leadership, Partnership and Organisational Commitment.

• At this stage, leaders amongst Officers and Members need to engage and commit to taking action, based upon the evidence provided.

• Partners (including those in the voluntary sector) are committed around Community Strategy and Local Area Agreement priorities where equality is an underpinning theme. Priorities are communicated to all stakeholders.

• The organisation will communicate its approach to addressing inequalities through high-level strategies and plans, and its equality scheme (which acts as an equality impact assessment at a macro level).

• Resources need to be allocated, and structures put in place for delivery and performance management.

• Policies and procedures, including procurement standards, drive good practice.

The evidence


and satisfaction




and set priorities



The evidence


and satisfaction




and set priorities





• But who is going to deliver these priorities? This is where the Modern and Diverse Workforce comes in.

• There is a strong link between customer or public value and employee value.

• Key to successful transformation and high quality customer service is a skilled and motivated workforce, operating in an organisational culture that is fair and free from discrimination, bullying and harassment.

• The workforce will be largely drawn from the community it serves so it should reflect that community profile. If it doesn’t, there are probably barriers to recruitment and promotion within the organisation and you could be missing out on talent – the workforce strategy and compliant employment policies should seek to address this.

• A Modern and Diverse Workforce will be paid fairly and experience good work-life balance, dignity and respect.

• Development and delivery targets relating to equality will be part of the appraisal process.

The evidence


and satisfaction




and set priorities





The evidence


and satisfaction




and set priorities







• Under the leadership of the Head of Service, the workforce will meet the everyday demands by delivering responsive services and customer care.

• Organisational objectives set earlier need to be built in to service plans so they are mainstreamed. That means they are integrated and visible.

• It’s therefore important that Heads of Services are involved in setting organisational objectives (under the Place Shaping area).

The evidence


and satisfaction




and set priorities







The evidence


and satisfaction




and set priorities







Measure outcomes


• The service will check how well it is doing through ongoing community engagement and performance management arrangements.

• It will use this information for its equality impact assessment and may develop its own sets of objectives based upon those results.

• Contracted out services will also be monitored.

The evidence


and satisfaction




and set priorities







Measure outcomes


The evidence


and satisfaction




and set priorities







Measure outcomes


• The Head of Service may need to go back and review staff skills and training, or recruitment methods.

• There may need to be a review of policy or procedure (corporate or service level).

• In times of significant change, the organisation may need to go back to the start to re-assess or re-communicate its evidence base and engage new leaders.

The evidence


and satisfaction




and set priorities







Measure outcomes


EIA at macro level

EIA at micro level

• Through this cycle the organisation will be engaged at all levels and will have a clearer understanding of whether it is achieving better outcomes.

• Every 3 years or so it will begin the full cycle again as it refreshes its equality scheme, community or organisational strategy, or local area agreement.

The evidence


and satisfaction




and set priorities







Measure outcomes


EIA at macro level

EIA at micro level

Technology

Achievement Journey Evidence To Outcomes Scripted Version