Equality Analysis

Equality analysis and equality impact assessments (EqIA) is a process to identify and measure the potential impact of an organisation’s policies, services and functions on its residents and staff.

It can help staff provide and deliver better services to residents by making sure that they reflect the needs of the community and that the delivery of services is accessible, inclusive and fair.

Equality Analysis and Equality Impact Assessments 2011-2012 

• Equality Impact Assessment - Leasehold Services
• Summary
• Appendix 1 - Leasehold Services Satisfaction Equality Analysis
• Appendix 2 - Service Charge Arrears Equality Analysis
• Appendix 3 - Equality Impact Assessment Action Plan  - Leasehold Services

• Equality Impact Assessment - Decent Homes Programme
• Appendix 1 - Equality Impact Assessment Action Plan - Decent Homes
  
  
• Equalities Analysis - Communication Behaviours - March 2012

Equality Analysis and Equality Impact Assessments 2010-11 

We carried out EqIAs on a range of its key service areas and strategies.  Overall all strategies were found to comply with equalities legislation, including the duties to promote equality in relation to race, disability and gender.

Each assessment did however identify a number of areas where our approach could be improved and strengthened with regarding to equality and diversity. These are summarised below.

• Equalities Analysis - Rents Satisfaction - March 2011
• Equalities Analysis - Workforce Profile - November 2010
• Equalities Analysis - Board Composition - November 2010
• Equalities Analysis - Repairs Satisfaction - October 2010
• Equalities Analysis - Rent Arrears - September 2010

• Equality Impact Assessment - Organisational Restructure March 2011
• Appendix 1 - Workforce profile analysis November 2010
• Appendix 2 - Diversity Analysis Voluntary Severance Process
• Appendix 3- Recruitment Process Analysis by Ethnicity November 2010
• Appendix 4 - Action Plan and Risk Log March 2011

Customer Access 2010-11

• Equip staff to offer tailored services to meet residents’ needs.
• Ensure specific coverage of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender, cultural and faith requirements in future customer care training.
• Raise awareness of technical staff and contractors in identifying potential domestic abuse.
• Maximise opportunities for customer feedback and learn from what this tells us.
• Ensure that all transactions through the Tower Hamlets Homes website meet accessibility requirements for those with visual impairments.
• Automated large print correspondence for the most common coreespondence to those residents who have requested it.
• Make sure we write in clear language so that it can be more easily understood by everyone
• Raise staff awareness of how to access interpretation and translation services for those residents who don’t speak English confidently.
• Raise staff awareness of using the text phone service.
• Reaffirm offer of private and same gender interviews.
• All front counters, where possible, to have toilets, child play area, accessible entrances, help for hard of hearing and visually impaired.
• Implement a doorstep password scheme for partially sighted or vulnerable residents.

Resident Engagement 2010-11

• Evaluate and understand the current levels of engagement by those residents who are seldom heard.
• Target engagement with seldom heard communities.
• Support more residents to fully engage in the range of engagement activities that Tower Hamlets Homes offers.

Supporting Vulnerable Residents 2010-11

• Develop processes to ensure that vulnerable residents are identified.
• Understand the take up and efficacy of targeted intervention across diversity strands.
• Use local intelligence to better understand the needs of hard to reach groups.

Financial Inclusion 2010-11

• Analyse diversity information based on age, ethnicity and gender in relation to  rent arrears. Identify activities that will allow us to improve diversity data in relation to arrears
• Analyse diversity information based on age, ethnicity and sex in relation to  service charge arrears. Identify activities that will allow us to improve diversity data in relation to arrears
• Establish internal recording mechanism for all referrals to partner agencies.
• Establish protocol with partner agencies on reporting of outcomes of referrals made.
• Consult with identified groups about how the service can meet their needs
• Identify potential barriers to service access.
• Raise awareness of services available in the local area.
• Monitor satisfaction to ensure service is meeting need.
• Identify when elderly/disabled residents are in hospital.
• Raise awareness of the options for continuous Housing Benefit payments in the event of hospitalisation.
• Explore with energy partner possibility of offering residents dual fuel deal for all residents who take electricity from them as well.
  

Anti-Social Behaviour 2010-11

• ASB Prevention and Enforcement Team to capture vulnerability and diversity information at first point of contact.
• Investigate introduction of Faith Intervention project with local Imams based on the Street Pastor Scheme.
• Work with local youth clubs identified as being located in areas of high ASB and recruit/ identify youths to take part in the “Stand up for yourself” comedy intervention project at area identified.
• Secure attendance of ASB Officers to deliver ASB Focus groups at youth clubs on or bordering Tower Hamlets Homes Neighbourhoods to explore opportunities to increase reporting.
• Develop an additional local offer to support victims of hate crime.
• Increase membership of the ASB Resident Service Improvement Group from Black and Minority Ethnic groups.

Asset Management 2010-11

• Undertake analysis of stock condition and programmed work against neighbourhood/block diversity profiles.
• Introduce routine analysis of scheme satisfaction results by diversity strands to check service delivery is accessible, inclusive and fair.
• Capture and share learning from the Decent Homes pilot schemes in responding to the needs of individual residents.

Human Resources 2010-11

• Gain a full appreciation of overall profile of the organisation in terms of stratification of staff across all strands of diversity.
• Analyse the employee relations data across the various strands to ensure issues are highlighted and action taken.
• Complete workforce plan in terms of delivering a strategy and a programme of work around future staffing needs and to achieve business objectives for Tower Hamlets Homes, ensuring that this includes the approach to diversity.
• Document and monitor outcomes in schemes which are targeted at specific groups e.g probation service partnership with young people and engaging them in employment. - Understanding and recognising what success looks like to enable more scheme development.
• Develop OD programmes and processes that will enable issues arising from assessment of ethnicity/gender/disability gap analysis to be addressed.
• Develop and implement a range of internal programmes and processes that will offer development opportunities for current and potential staff across the range the diversity strands.

Communications 2010-11

• Ensure that leaflets, letters and newsletters are produced including the correct language straplines, and that considerations are given to disabled customers
• Involve residents and staff in further development of website and the intranet.
• Undertake mystery shopping exercise on the website to ensure that it is accessible for all.
• Work with the Resident Engagement Team to strengthen the Readers Panel to provide greater input and feedback from residents in communications activity.  Monitor the involvement activities of residents to demonstrate how communication is shaped by involvement.
• Further investigate the ways in which diverse groups prefer to be communicated with. 
• Review existing and new technology and identify potential tools for communication methods.

Procurement 2010-11

• Encourage opportunities for small local businesses through East London Business Place.
• Encourage opportunities for small and medium enterprises, Black and Minority Ethnic and small local businesses
• Ensure procurement carried out through framework contracts achieve diversity objectives.
• Ensure corporate contracts achieve diversity objectives.