www.wiltshire.gov.uk
Equality Impact Assessment - Youth Work Delivery in Locality A
1. What is the name of the function, policy or service that is being assessed?
Youth Work Delivery in Locality A
2. What are the aims of the function, policy or service? How do they relate to the departmental objectives in the Service Plan? Whose needs it is designed to meet? What are the current priorities?
The Youth Development Service designs and delivers with young people, programmes of informal educational activity that provide opportunities for them to:
- develop their physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual, social and emotional capabilities;
- identify and accept their responsibilities as individuals, group members and citizens;
- understand and act upon the personal and social issues which affect their lives - those of others and the communities of which they are a part.
The Service activities provide informal learning through high quality youth work designed to achieve the standards and targets identified within Transforming Youth Work: Resourcing Excellent Youth Services.
3. In what ways might this function, 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? Consider all six equality strands: race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age.
Race/Ethnicity
Are we offering an appropriate and needs led service, to these Young People?
The need to link with targeted services, e.g EMAS.
Keeping cultural issues, as a regular feature of Youth Work Programme’s and as a key area of the Youth Work Curriculum.
Disability
Are we providing an appropriate and needs led service to these Young People?
Maintain Bridging Project for Locality and look to develop further opportunities, for Young People to engage in mainstream youth work opportunities.
Link with targeted services, e.g ASK and Music Alive.
Gender
Overall as a Locality we are working very effectively to maintain a positive gender balance. Contacts as of January 1st 07, within this contact year is 43% Females and 57% Males.
Sexuality
As a Locality we work with Young People, with a variety of sexual orientations. Young People in the Locality are very confident to discuss with workers a variety of gender issues.
To provide Young People, with appropriate advice and information and sign post to specialist agencies.
Age-
We are service led, with regards working with 13-19 years. As a developmental service, Young People at the top end of the age group, are encouraged to access alternative opportunities, such as young assessors, voluntary youth work, i.e. bridging projects and community projects.
Religion
As a Locality we are a secular organization, with no religious bias.
Other
We have an awareness of rural isolation, and are making conscious effort to provide increased services and appropriate facilities, for young people.
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 indicate that there could be a problem?
The local concern is clearly that the buildings are not open frequently enough. With regards the matter of age, the local community would like young people, who are attending last year of primary and first year of Secondary school, to be able to access services. There is a lack of exposure, with the general public, that creates racist and homophobic attitudes, which lie under the surface, due to the primarily white demographic in Wiltshire.
5. How and with whom have you consulted with as part of your assessment? What were the results? Have you published the results of that consultation? If so, where?
Wiltshire Level
Presumably this form is a as a result of extensive consultation, with people from within the highlighted minority population’s, that has informed this process.
Local level
We have consulted with ASK’s disability Access worker ‘Patty Harrison’ who has verified the absence of social provision for disabled young people in Wiltshire. (Response to need. She was brought in to train bridging project staff to make them more aware of the needs faced by young people with syndromic disorders).
We have had contact with the EMAS outreach worker and linked her in with the Sports development worker and a local school to provide activity based opportunities for BME young people and signposted young people to the Culture and Music Day in Bradford & Avon
6. If you have found that the function, policy or service might have an adverse or disproportionate impact on a particular group of people, can you justify this?
Our Service is based, primarily, around buildings which, naturally, excludes young people in rural isolated areas, due to inadequate transport links around the County.
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 function, policy or service work better for this group of people? Is further research or consultation required?
We are looking to provide an appropriate ‘streetwork’ programme that will identify more specifically how we can resolve rural isolation for those young people who have the need for our Service. Offer support and resources to any existing non-statutory services locally that provide opportunities for young people.
8. How will you monitor the take-up or impact of the function, policy or service in future?
Quarterly statistics, young people’s reports on Service, Inspection reports (which includes young assessors), session evaluations, project evaluations, multi-agency meetings, LYPIG meetings,
9. What actions do you plan to take as a result of this equality impact assessment? Please state any resource implications.
- Increase networking with relevant agencies
- Targeted work with young people
- Identify any training needs for staff
- Development of rural based youth work provision
- Linking with North Wilts Dist. Council /Sports development worker
Resource implications:
- Staffing
- Transport – adequate
- Willingness to engage with work
10. There is a legal requirement to publish the outcomes of Equality Impact Assessments. Please outline how / where this will happen.
Through the Equality and Diversity Officer the documentation will be put on the web site.
11. Name of person completing form
Head of Youth Development
Date assessment completed:
1st February 2007
12. Senior manager approval
Assistant Director Resources, Improvement and Young People
Date
03 January 2008
Contact Details
By Post
Equality & Diversity Team
Development Services
Wiltshire County Council
County Hall
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8JN
By Email
By Telephone
01225 713510
By Hand
County Hall, Trowbridge
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
