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Race Equality Scheme
- Introduction
- Part 1: English Partnerships´ purpose and aims
- Part 2: Race Relations legislation and its implications
- Part 3: English Partnerships´ approach
- Part 4: Assessment and consultation
- Part 5: Monitoring
- Part 6: Employment duties
- Part 7: Complaints
- Part 8: Publishing results
- Part 9: Action plan
Introduction
This Race Equality Scheme has been produced in accordance with the General and Specific Duties arising out of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.
Work to implement the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 involved meetings with the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) and establishing, under the Chairmanship of the Director of Corporate Services, a group of senior managers from each Directorate of the organisation to analyse the functions and policies undertaken by each department.
The Race Equality Scheme will be made available to all staff in the organisation, and our partners in the private, public and voluntary sectors. In particular we will make it available to the RDAs through the Best Practice Club. We wish to ensure that our partners are aware of our obligations under the Race Equality Scheme and to ensure that their views can be reflected in any revised Scheme. This engagement will be continuous and will enable our Scheme to be dynamic, meaningful and outcome focussed wherever possible.
Our relationship with the Commission for Racial Equality will continue in the future in order that they can assist us in promoting Best Practice in this area.
Comments on our Race Equality Scheme will be welcomed as will any feedback which will further assist the organisation to meet its new legal Duties.
The Scheme highlights how the organisation does, and further intends to, positively promote and deliver Race Equality in all of its functions.
The Scheme has not been designed as a document to be read in one go or in isolation, but to be used for reference purposes so that it adds value to other areas of work.
As a guide, it is anticipated that the Scheme will be used for the following purposes:
- Information – to enable all staff, partners in the private/public/voluntary sectors, job applicants and other interested parties, to have a better informed understanding of the organisation’s approach and commitment to race equality.
- Service Improvement – to enable each department where appropriate to initiate service improvements and highlight the importance of race equality and therefore, ensure organisational consistency in relation to race relations.
- Accountability – to enable minority ethnic staff and community groups to use the Scheme to assess and scrutinise the effectiveness of the organisation to deliver race equality.
- Inspection – to enable a wide range of inspection bodies, including the CRE, to use the Scheme to assess whether the organisation is meeting the new General and Specific Duties.
Part 1: English Partnerships´ purpose and aims
English Partnerships is the national catalyst for property-led regeneration and development. We are a key Government agency for delivering the urban renaissance and helping the Government meet its targets for accommodating household growth on brownfield land. Several of our programmes feature in the Urban White Paper, including Millennium Communities and Urban Regeneration Companies. With other initiatives such as the £385m National Coalfields Programme and a portfolio of strategic sites and projects, one of our main roles is to help deliver regeneration projects and programmes across the English regions.
English Partnerships aims to deliver the following achievements, through a national strategy, in partnership with the RDAs, Government Offices, local authorities and the private sector, and in support of Regional Economic Strategies:
- the sustainable regeneration of former Coalfield areas, the recovery of their economies and the renewal of their communities;
- a major contribution to the achievement of the Government´s White Paper programme and national regeneration goals, to the creative development of the regeneration agenda, and to the level of resources available for delivery;
- an active contribution to the urban renaissance through the implementation of the proposals in the Urban White Paper, particularly by providing a national framework, new funding vehicles and expert support;
- provision of structures and the expertise necessary to assist local regeneration partnerships;
- regeneration of further large national portfolios on the Coalfields model;
- a significant contribution to meeting the Government´s targets for accommodating growth in accordance with Regional Planning Guidance and Development Plans;
- leverage of substantial private-sector investment into regeneration, though innovative partnerships and funding mechanisms;
- a widely recognised source of research and advice, particularly in areas such as mixed development, design quality and the environment;
- a major contribution to the successful delivery of the 54 key measures in the Urban White Paper, particularly those relating to Millennium Communities, Urban Regeneration Companies, improved town centre management, putting the urban renaissance at the heart of the planning system, and improved site assembly through compulsory purchase.
Part 2: Race Relations legislation and its implications
The general duty to promote racial equality
The Race Relations Act 1976 provides the specific legislative base for action taken to address the issues of racial discrimination within Britain. The 1976 Act was significantly strengthened as a result of the recommendations that came out of the report of the Stephen Lawrence enquiry. The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 strengthens and extends the scope of the 1976 Act, it does not replace it.
The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, which came into effect on 2 April 2001, has 2 main provisions. The first is that it places a Positive Duty on public authorities named in the Schedule to the Act, including English Partnerships, to promote racial equality, eliminate unlawful discrimination and promote good race relations. Secondly, it makes it unlawful for a public authority to discriminate on race grounds in carrying out any of its functions.
All public authorities, including English Partnerships, are expected to take account of the requirements of the Act as appropriate in future policy development.
English Partnerships needs to consider the following 4 steps to meet the General Duty:
- It must identify which of its functions are relevant to the Duty
- Set priorities for these functions, based on their relevance to race equality
- Assess how all these relevant functions and any related policies affect race equality
- Consider how the policies might be changed, where necessary, to meet the General Duty and make changes.
Specific Duties
In addition to the General Duty to promote race equality, the Home Secretary has imposed Specific Duties on those bodies subject to the General Duty. The Specific Duty requires English Partnerships to publish a Race Equality Scheme by 31 May 2002. This must demonstrate how English Partnerships intends to meet the General Duty to tackle racial discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and good race relations. It should have an Action Plan with clear targets.
In particular, the Race Equality Scheme should state:
- Which of our functions and policies, or proposed policies are relevant to the General Duty to promote racial equality.
- What our arrangements are for:
- Assessing and Consulting on the likely impact of our policies on the promotion of race equality
- Monitoring our policies for any adverse impact on the promotion of race equality
- Publishing the results of such assessments, consultation and monitoring
- Ensuring public access to the information and services we provide
- Training staff in connection with the Duties imposed by the Act and the Specific and General Duties
- Our arrangements for reviewing our functions and policies, or proposed policies which are relevant to the General Duty to promote racial equality within 3 years from 31 May 2002 and within each further period of 3 years.
Employment Duties
The Specific Duty also requires us to carry out the following activities in relation to employment issues:
- Monitor the ethnicity of:
- Staff in post
- Applicants for jobs
- Promotion
- Training
- Monitor the ethnicity of and analyse the subsequent results from:
- Grievances
- Disciplinary Action
- Performance Appraisal (when this results in benefits and sanctions)
- Training
- Dismissals and other reasons for leaving
- Publish annually the results of the above ethnicity monitoring
Part 3: English Partnerships´ approach
English Partnerships is keen to actively promote racial equality in all of its work. As English Partnerships works in partnership with the RDAs, Government offices, and the private, public and voluntary sectors, we will ensure that the views and priorities of all our partners are reflected in English Partnerships policies where appropriate. As part of the organisation’s commitment to openness, the organisation will also consult widely when developing and evaluating appropriate policies, to ensure that the views of all partners are taken into account.
What we have done so far
Under the Chairmanship of the Director of Corporate Services, a steering group comprising senior managers from each Directorate met with a representative from the Commission for Racial Equality who gave a presentation on the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 and assisted the group in analysing all policies and functions that were undertaken across the organisation.
This presentation and the analysis of all policies and functions were a preliminary step in ensuring that English Partnerships meet the General Duty. The steering group will further assist in facilitating a co-ordinated approach to the promotion of race equality across English Partnerships. It will identify the actions that are needed to ensure that English Partnerships complies with both the General Duties and the Specific Duties that are required by the new Act and it will make recommendations to the Executive Management Board of English Partnerships.
Race Equality Scheme
In order to meet the Specific Duties under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, English Partnerships Race Equality Scheme and Action Plan has been developed as an overarching scheme which sets out the principles and practices applicable throughout English Partnerships, in line with the CRE guidance. It covers all the work undertaken at our locations throughout England.
The Race Equality Scheme and Action Plan applies to all those who work within English Partnerships, irrespective of their role. The Specific Duties are a means to an end (for example, steps, methods or arrangements), not an end in themselves. Meeting the General Duty must be the ultimate objective.
English Partnerships intends to use the annual business planning process to help ensure that the action needed to continue to meet the General Duty is reviewed and carried out each year.
This Race Equality Scheme for English Partnerships, is available for all staff and partners and anyone else. Hard copies of the Scheme will be made available to all Directors, Heads of Function and to others on request.
Part 4: Assessment and consultation
Assessment of Functions and Policies
The Steering Group, chaired by the Director of Corporate Services analysed the policies and functions undertaken by each department. The list of functions and priority for implementing change are given in the Racial Equality Scheme Assessment Grid at Annex 1. These functions and the priorities for implementing change will be reviewed on an annual basis as part of the directorate business planning process. Promoting racial equality will become an objective of English Partnerships under the existing strategic aim of our role as a Non-Departmental Public Body. Each directorate, through one of the objectives of their business plans will be required to identify what further activities, if any, are necessary to ensure that the General Duty to promote race equality is being met through their work and, where appropriate, develop their own directorate Action Plans under the auspices of the Steering Group.
Assessment and Consultation
The development of new policies is ongoing within English Partnerships and some of these may have a direct impact on the public. English Partnerships makes every effort to consult with partners in the private/public and voluntary sectors where appropriate and via these organisations, consultation will be with community groups including representatives of ethnic minorities. English Partnerships will therefore assess the likely impact of policies it is proposing to introduce in relation to promoting race equality before they are adopted.
Race equality will be built into the policy-making process and English Partnerships will assess how the proposed policy is likely to affect people from different racial groups.
English Partnerships will consult people who are likely to be affected by the proposed policies and review and revise the proposed policy in the light of the assessment and consultation, if they show adverse impact on some racial groups.
Through the mechanisms for assessment and consultation, staff will be able to assess the impact of policies on the promotion of race equality. Staff will be asked to highlight the specific impact of new policies on ethnic minority groups where relevant in papers that are brought to the Board and in submission to Ministers.
Part 5: Monitoring
Arrangements for monitoring
English Partnerships will monitor any policies which it has decided are relevant to the General Duty. These will include the full range of policies on delivering services and the policies on employment. Monitoring will tell English Partnerships how our policies affect different racial groups and whether they have an adverse impact on some groups. For relevant new policies which have been introduced, English Partnerships will monitor the effects on different racial groups, check whether there are any differences in impact on these groups and assess whether these differences have an adverse impact on some racial groups. If any adverse impact is found, English Partnerships will investigate the reasons and consider revising the policies and procedures.
Where appropriate, English Partnerships will consider monitoring what people from different racial groups think of our policies and services.
The Business Planning process will provide the internal mechanism through which staff can monitor the impact of their policies on the promotion of race equality, particularly any adverse impact.
All employees are responsible for monitoring the impact of English Partnerships policies on race relations and the Business Planning process will provide a useful mechanism for monitoring this progress.
In addition, the Head of Compliance will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of the English Partnerships Race Equality Scheme and Action Plan throughout English Partnerships as a whole.
The Director of Corporate Services, who has responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the Act throughout English Partnerships, will be assisted by the Steering Group of Senior Managers who will help to do this, in particular by:
- Ensuring that the action plan outlined in Part 9 of this Document is effectively implemented
- Reviewing departmental and directorate business plans in relation to promoting race equality
- Producing an Annual Monitoring Report
Review of the English Partnerships Race Equality Scheme
In addition to the annual review of progress, English Partnerships Race Equality Scheme will be reviewed no later than April 2005 and every subsequent 3 years. Consultation will be undertaken with staff and our partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors in order to inform these reviews.
Part 6: Employment duties
Monitoring
English Partnerships already has some basic ethnic data on employees and will undertake a new survey of employees to collect data based on the 2001 census categories in line with Cabinet Office guidelines.
All stages of recruitment are monitored and monitoring will be extended to cover the guidelines in the CRE Code of Practice. Therefore, in addition to the above, English Partnerships will also monitor by ethnic group:
- Promotions
- Training
- Disciplinary Hearings/Grievances
- Dismissals
Data gained from ethnic monitoring records must be analysed to see whether there are any disparities between ethnic groups and whether discrimination might be occurring.
Before English Partnerships HR policies are revised or new policies implemented in the future, they will be checked to ensure that they support the Equal Opportunities Policy. A review of current recruitment arrangements has been undertaken, including job advertisements and all external advertisements will be placed in the ethnic press, such as The Voice.
Training
As part of our training plan, we intend to provide training for all staff in the implications of the Race Equality Scheme and our Duties under the General and Specific Duty headings. In addition, senior managers will attend diversity training and diversity seminars will also be run for all staff.
New starters to the organisation will receive information on the Race Equality Scheme and English Partnerships approach to promoting Race Equality through the induction course.
New and existing staff will also be made aware of the Race Equality Scheme, the Action Plan and any guidelines that are available as part of the normal Management briefing processes.
Part 7: Complaints
External complaints
A complaint about how the organisation is meeting its duties, or any other complaint about racial equality can be made in writing, by fax, e-mail or by telephone. A daytime telephone number should be provided if an individual would find a telephoned response convenient. If the complaint is to be made by e-mail, please inform us if a reply by e-mail is acceptable and, if not, please provide a full postal address.
Complaints should normally be directed to the member of staff with whom the individual has been dealing. This will give them the opportunity to explain what actions have been taken and to try to rectify the situation. If an individual would prefer, he/she can ask the member of staff for the name of their line manager and direct the complaint to him/her.
English Partnerships Complaints Officer is Cheryl Montgomery
Central Business Exchange
414 – 428 Midsummer Boulevard
Milton Keynes
MK9 2EA
E-mail: cherylmontgomery@englishpartnerships.co.uk
Telephone: 01908 353616
Fax: 01908 353771
Grievance Procedure
Employees who are dissatisfied about a personal matter have the right to invoke the Grievance Procedure. This procedure is designed to ensure that complaints and grievances are dealt with fairly, consistently and as quickly as is reasonable.
There are separate procedures to deal with issues where staff feel they are being subjected to harassment or bullying and where staff wish to raise a concern about any malpractice or illegal act by English Partnerships employees. These issues are dealt with under English Partnerships Harassment Policy and Code of Conduct respectively.
Equal Opportunities Procedure
English Partnerships has recently reviewed and revised its Equal Opportunities procedure and line managers have a responsibility to create a healthy working environment which reduces the possibility of discrimination or harassment taking place and for dealing with any unacceptable behaviour or any complaints, promptly, fairly and thoroughly.
English Partnerships seeks to promote an open atmosphere where any member of staff who feels that they are being discriminated against, victimised, harassed, or bullied, should feel able to either discuss the matter with their immediate manager or make an informal or formal complaint as they see fit. All employees have the right to make a complaint and to know that it will be dealt with fairly and that confidentiality will be observed as far as is possible.
As stated above, English Partnerships has an Harassment Policy which has been made available to all staff. The policy explains that every member of English Partnerships has an obligation to observe the policy and to ensure that we do not bully, harass or discriminate against our colleagues of condone such behaviour by others. Employees are asked to report any behaviour of this kind, whether it is directed against themselves or others, to his/her line manager or the HR department and to act as a witness in support of a complainant on the receiving end of such behaviour.
Part 8: Publishing results
In addition to this overarching Scheme the Corporate Plan and Annual Report will both refer to the progress of English Partnerships Race Equality Scheme. The results of the assessments, consultations and monitoring will be published on an annual basis.
Where appropriate, English Partnerships will consider publishing the following:
- A description and explanation of the proposed policy and a brief account of how the possible effects were assessed
- A summary of the results of the assessments, including the likely impact of the proposed policy on promoting race equality
- Any available technical reports
- A review of the proposed policy (or policy options) in the light of the assessment
- A statement of what we plan to do next
In connection with consultation, we will consider publishing the following:
- Why we carried out the consultation
- Details of how we went about consultation
- A summary of the replies we received from those we consulted
- A review of the proposed policy (or policy options) in the light of the responses we received, particularly concerning any adverse impact on promoting race equality
- A statement of what we plan to do next
In relation to monitoring we will consider publishing the following:
- An explanation of monitoring
- The monitoring systems and methods used
- A summary and assessment of the results of our monitoring, which will make clear whether we found any evidence of adverse impact on race equality
- How we will use these results to develop future policy and practice
Part 9: Action plan
|
Date |
Action |
|
April 2006 |
Business Plans should incorporate the promotion of diversity including racial equality |
|
May 2006 |
English Partnerships Monitoring Reports should be produced for inclusion in the Annual Report |
|
September 2006 |
|
|
December 2006 |
Review Race Equality Scheme in line with the Equality and Diversity Strategy |
|
April 2007 |
Business Plans should incorporate the promotion of diversity including racial equality |
|
May 2007 |
English Partnerships Monitoring Reports should be produced for inclusion in the Annual Report |
|
September 2007 |
|
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