Equality impact assessment - community development team

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1. What is the name of the policy or service that is being assessed?

DACS Community Development Team (CDT) Work Programme

2. What are the aims of the policy or service? Whose needs is it designed to meet? What are the current priorities?

To develop community services within DACS

To meet the needs of DACS service users and all members of Wiltshire’s communities

To meet the need of existing service users in ways which are in line with the DACS recovery programme

3. In what ways might this policy or service affect some groups of people differently? Might some groups find it harder to access the service? Do some groups have particular needs that are not well met by the current policy or service?

A principal objective of the CDT programme is to establish universal services to meet the needs of all members of our communities

People, who have reduced mobility, or difficulties with communication, may be less able and therefore less likely to access services. This is acknowledged and active steps are being taken to reduce this lack of access to services.

Some groups’ needs are not currently well meet eg. homeless and problem alcohol and drug users. However, the CDT has work planned to consider these groups too.

4. What evidence do you have for your judgement? Is there evidence of public concern (e.g. complaints)? Have staff raised concerns? Is there local or national research to suggest that there could be a problem?

Unmet needs analysis forms submitted from practioners raise awareness of gaps in service. These forms are collated and actioned where appropriate by the CD Team.

CDT has direct communication with Community and Advice & Assessment teams which ensure information is passed about gaps in service.

Comparison to other local authorities’ schemes also shows where better services could be provided. The CD Team uses attendance at conferences, internet research and personal liaison to examine other LA services. For example, the Portsmouth City Council Achieving Well-Being for Older People conference 2006.

5. Who have you consulted with as part of your assessment? What were the results? Have you published the results of that consultation? If so, where?

The CD team is part of the Strategic Commissioning Information Group Meeting which allows for sharing of consultation information.

The CD Team will lay an active role in the DACS commissioning process, ensuring the needs of all sectors of our community our met.

The CD team accesses the Wiltshire & Swindon Intelligence Network to utilise results of other consultations

6. If you have found that the policy or service might have an adverse impact on a particular group of people, can you justify this?

The CDT Work Programme seeks to include all groups of our community, and specifically addresses the issues around inequalities of service.

The CDT seeks to influence all DACS practitioners to further consider minority groups in their own practice.

7. If the impact cannot be justified, what do you intend to do about this? Are there changes that you could introduce which would make the policy or service work better for this group of people? Is further research or consultation required?

N/A

8. How will you monitor the take-up or impact of the policy or service in future?

By continuing to review unmet need

By reviewing any service users consultation completed by DACS and other departments of the council.

9. What actions do you plan to take as a result of this equality impact assessment? Please state any resource implications

The Equality Impact Assessment serves to reinforce need for inclusive services and ensures that we review of work against its criterion.

Action Plan for CD Team –

Review any service users consultation completed by DACS and other departments of the council.

CD team to continue to examine by a variety of methods other LA plans and services to seek best practice

CD team to contribute actively to DACS commissioning process promoting equality of service for all citizens

10. There is a legal requirement to publish the outcomes of Equality Impact Assessments. Please outline how / where this will happen

The pertinent information from this EIA will be published in the CDT Newsletter which is published on the intranet

11. Name of person completing form

Performance Manager

Date Assessment Completed

13 October 2006

12. Senior manager approval

Interim Assistant Director (Strategy & Commissioning)

Date

13/10/06

Last updated: 13 May 2009