Local Economy Overview Group Report on reviewed Corporate Equality and Diversity Action Plan[1]

CORPORATE PRIORITIES/ SERVICE UNIT ACTIONS

Action / Equality
Issue / Task/Improvement / Progress to date/
Outstanding issues / Future Action / BVPIs/ New
Target / Led by / Complete/
Review
Leadership / All / Champion leadership on equalities to ensure BoP’s priorities, our partnerships and community role addresses the needs of Poole residents / Lead identified. Action plan is regularly reviewed at UMT. / Discuss role of Team Leaders in championing equality issues in the Unit. / BV2a[2]/ BV2b / Building Consult-ancy / Ongoing
The Friends of the Dolphin Charitable Trust received the Sibbott Gregory Special Award at Poole’s 2006 Tourism Awards for their speciallyequipped boat which gives Poole Harbour to people of all ages with a disability. / Work to develop equalities statement for Poole Tourism Partnership / Tourism
2 reps on Managing Diversity Working Group. Feedback given to SMT following MDWG meetings. / Transportation Services
Action plan to be regularly reviewed at UMT Represented on MDWG / Look at roles of team leaders to look at issues in their sections. / Customer Svs and Comms
Access to Services / All / Integrate equalities into service design & business planning to ensure that BoP meets the needs of local communities / BV2a and action plan incorporated into SU business plan. / BV2a/ BV2b / Building Consult-ancy / Ongoing
Poole Tourism Strategy 2006-2015 published March 2006.
Encourage inclusive approach to a wide range of free special events and overcome any barriers to participation from people with a disability. / Equalities and diversity incorporated into annual business plan and project plans. / BV2a/ BV2b / Tourism / Ongoing
Equalities are integrated in the Unit Business Plan and service design. / Unit Business Plan is updated annually with equalities integrated throughout. / Transportation Services
Incorporated into the Service/Business Plan. Poole news, Comms Strategy, Web Site. / Ensure that Equality and Diversity is part on the new business plan and strategies. / Customer Svs and Comms
Ensure that equality and diversity issues are built into forthcoming business plan / Planning , Design and Control
All / Improve accessibility of service information & organise meetings/ events that consider the needs of all / Aware and can use of Language Line and Bournemouth Interpreters Group. / Will use the Corporate Accessible Communications Guidance and Translating and Interpreters Protocol as needed / BV2a/ BV2b / Building Consult-ancy
Review design on a replace and renew basis on printed material to include accessibility statement.
Develop podcast style audio visitor guides
Frontline staff to undertake training on Language Line / Tourism / Ongoing
Sept 07
March 07
Language Line training undertaken by Karen Fry and the frontline staff at St Johns House during August 2006. / Transportation Services
Design Standards in draft.
Ensure 175 Managers conference in Dec 06 is accessible to all.
All officers made aware of language line.
Accessible Communications Guidance & Translating complete / Approve draft design standards & Publish on Loop, Brief Design team of the standards.
Revised Comms Strategy to be inclusive of DDA/race relations. / Customer Svs and Comms
Provided tactile drawings and BSL interpreter for clients with hearing and sight impairments / As needed – Will include in budget requirements
Check all correspondence includes accessibility statement / Planning , Design and Control
All / Better co-ordinate & share information on local support to equalities issues / Work with BoP and Dorset New Forest Partnership to access Equality and Diversity training and information for Poole Tourism Partnership / BV2a/ BV2b / Tourism / Ongoing
Design standards in Draft Form.
Website -in May 06 a usability test was undertake involving disabled users results were positive. In March 06 the Website was awarded by SOCITM top 20 status.
LOOP. / Website upgrade to AA compliance by Apr 07
Design Standards with SUH for approval.
CRM data analysis of services by post code / Customer Svs and Comms
Dis. / Undertake access audits & review resource implications for key Council sites / Accessibility audit of Welcome centre for visitors completed and provides excellent access and facilities
The current building is not accessible for staff with restricted mobility / Welcoming Disabled People training for all frontline staff to be undertaken
Installation of a Loop system in the Welcome Centre
Leases for the building are being reviewed / Tourism / Mar 07
Dec 06
Dec 06
People & skills / All / Workforce planning and Joint Agency Children’s workforce planning to identify recruitment needs and gaps and to reflect equalities agenda / Look at positive action on BME and disability for team. / BV11a-c
BV16
BV17 / Building Consult-ancy
Gender / Undertake Job Evaluation & Equal Pay Audits / To be undertaken in October 06. / BV2a / Building Consult-ancy / Mar 07/08
Currently Underway / Tourism
Start of Job Evaluation process End October 06 / Customer Svs and Comms
Reviewed existing job descriptions over the last 6 months / Currently underway / Planning , Design and Control
All / Extend personnel & training monitoring / All recruitment complies with Council Policy / Council approved trainers used. Capacity to recruit partially sighted / blind people will be assessed. / BV11a-c
BV16
BV17 / Customer Svs and Comms / Mar 06
All / All employees & Members to undertake appropriate equality training within a year of permanent appointment to a role & receive appropriate updates / Team has been on Embracing Diversity and RI training. TC done Dignity at Work. / Encourage all front facing team members to undertake disability booklet. / Building Consult-ancy / Ongoing
Ongoing / Tourism
All new members of staff receive equality training within a year of joining the Unit. All updates are circulated within the Unit via updates to the UMT. / Transportation Services
Reception staff are trained to address needs of disabled clients. Part-time staff member is BSL trained / Continue to update training. Remaining reception staff to undertake Welcoming Disabled People Workbook training
Remaining and new staff to undertake Embracing Diversity training / Planning , Design and Control
Incorporated in to all induction training. / Ensure all individual training plans are reviewed to include equality training and actioned.
Create a dept training matrix to determine training needs and priorities. / Customer Svs and Comms
Prejudice
Reporting/
Complaints / All / Report incidents of harassment/ discrimination[3] against employees, service delivery & in the community / TC prejudice reporting nominee. / BV174
BV175
BV174
BV175 / Building Consult-ancy
Staff training on new prejudicial incidents reporting form to be undertaken / Tourism / Ongoing
All incidents reported annually. Richard Hein and Elaine Buckley investigate all incidents on behalf of the Unit. / Transportation Services / Ongoing
Procedure to ensure that all incidents known are reported. Staff trained to recognise incidents. / On going training as part of standard training to a Customer Services Advisors. / Customer Svs and Comms / Ongoing
Unit rep identified / Will undertake update on training as necessary / Planning, Design and Control
All / Support individuals through such incidents / Richard Hein and Elaine Buckley nominated officers responsible for investigating all such incidents and supporting individuals.
Monitoring / All / Improve the scrutiny & monitoring of services, contracts, equalities action plans to be able to monitor & review progress, & identify priority actions / Research best practice of high performing Council’s to see what they do re monitoring. / Building Consult-ancy / Mar 2006/
6 monthly
Equalities regular item on Team agenda / Where possible seek to appoint contractors and service providers with equality statements and commitments. NB this will not always be possible as a number of contractors are small operators. / Tourism / Mar 2006/
6 monthly
Ensure correct use of Procurement procedures / Customer Svs and Comms
Communication / All / Improve corporate equalities information on internet & intranet / Undertake accessibility audit of pooletourism.com
Ensure pooletourism.com achieves best practice in accessibility / Tourism / Dec 2007
Comms team working with CPT to ensure internet & intranet has this information. / Website upgrade to ‘AA’ compliance by Apr 07 / Customer Svs and Comms
All / Promote equalities stories in all forms of communications / Through Poole News, LOOP, Website, Business Brief. SPLASH / On going / Customer Svs and Comms / Ongoing
VIBRANT ECONOMY
Access to services / All / Accessibility Audit of town centre / Ongoing. Report and map produced following the Audit. / Conflicting priorities of the various groups involved to be resolved. We will continue to work to improve accessibility as part of new projects. / Transportation Services / Mar 2006/8
A, D / Introduce free travel for over 60s / Introduced on 1 April 2006. The function was transferred to St Johns House on 2 May 2006. / A joint scrutiny with BBC will take place in Nov 06 to review the 09:30am time restriction. / Apr 2006
D / Implement changes to Poole’s disability parking provision / Twice annual surveys of disabled parking provision. Implementation of an additional 20 disabled parking spaces this year. / Surveys to continue to establish if the provision is sufficient. Car Parks continue to be maintained in line with DDA requirements. / Aug 2008
All / Develop Community Transport Policy / About to commission Consultants to undertake the work. / Ongoing. / Jan 2007
All / Develop LPT2 & accessibility action plan / LTP2 submitted to Government & awaiting appraisal. / Reply from Government due Dec 06. Implementation 2006-2011. / Mar 2006
Monitoring / A, R / Monitor child & other road safety data / This is a new initiative. The first child safety audit will be conducted in Oct 2006. / These audits will be carried out annually. / Mar 2006/7
Access to Services / All / Review of Tourism strategy & action plan to consider equalities issues / Poole Tourism Strategy 2006-2015 published in March 06. Key strategic aims include:
  • Involving the host community
  • Make Poole an attractive proposition for disadvantaged and disabled people
/ Strategy due to be reviewed in 2010. / Tourism / Feb 2006
Support to Local Cosmopolitan Business / Economic Development Team, with Bournemouth Borough Council, organised the first Cosmopolitan Business Event attended by 80 Black and minority ethnic business people and service providers to look at how they can be better supported / EDT are currently business planning next steps, which will be consulted on with the BME businesses
EDT will liaise with other relevant units to assess possibilities for joint working / Strategic Planning
Dis, Gender, / Joint funding bid to tackle long-term unemployment with targeted groups / EDT are developing and securing funding for a joint project with Job Centre Plus, LSC and the Supported Employment team to address issues around long-term economic in activity (lone parents, people on incapacity benefit from particular localities)
Race / Capacity assessment of English Language Skills training / Assess the capacity and need, with partners, for further English Language skills training
Prejudice Reporting / All / Liaise with Language Schools following review of Pan-Dorset prejudice reporting process / Regular equalities agenda item on Liaison Panel meetings / Tourism / Ongoing
Commun-
ications / D / Update Disability Guide with Transportation & Leisure / Work with Bournemouth Tourism to produce a joint Tourism Disabled access guide / Tourism / Sep 07
CLEAN, GREEN AND SAFE
Access to Services / Dis / Assessment of need for local Design and Access guidance to consider Positive About disability findings / New action by April 2008 / Planning, Control & Design
Monitoring / All / Best Value Customer Satisfaction Survey to include monitoring information / Survey includes monitoring questions / Analysis of results will test satisfaction based on this information by Dec 2007 / Planning, Control & Design / Dec 2007
Access to services / All / Assess the Dorset-wide Customer Panel for equalities representation / Contacts to be sourced from disabled and ethnic minority groups to sit on Dorset Customer Panel. The proposed Dorset wide race specific Consultation may also be considered. / Building Consult-
ancy Services / Sept 08/09
STRONG SENSE OF COMMUNITY
Access to Services / All / Embed equality issues into the development planning process / - Draft RSS undergone sustainability appraisal
- Emerging LDF documents using sustainability appraisal to inform choices
- Statement of Community Involvement adopted / - To continue to engage with disability groups about future planning of Poole / Strategic
Planning / Ongoing
R / Review Gypsy & Traveller work across organisation[4] to devise co-ordinated approach / -Cross Authority Working Group & TOR established
- Review of existing areas of responsibility undertaken
- Dorset G&T Housing Needs Assessment undertaken
- Consultation Project Specification being developed to support review. / - Developing for grant aid bid to refurbish Mannings Heath site
- Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset County to work together on a Local Development Document aimed at implementing the findings of the Needs Assessment. / April 2007
Access to services / All / Equalities to be integrated into customer service standards, training & monitoring / Included as Mandatory element of Customer Services induction / Customer Service standard to reviewed, rewritten & reissued - SUH / Customer’s First
All / Local access points feasibility to reflect equalities considerations / Re vamp of main Civic Centre reception area with the introduction of low level telephone point, language line poster displayed. Direct access to disabled toilet. / To be reviewed as part of C First phase 2 and access strategy – AF / Customer Svs and Comms
Commun-ications / All / Encourage Service Units to supply equalities stories for all forms of internal & external communications / Poole News published 6 times a year - with a regular articles about equality issues, service units are encouraged to put forward articles for editions of Poole News. The following have been in the last 3 editions of Poole News:
Features on Seaview Centre, Montacute School, Travelling around Poole without a car - Every Child Matters - Residents have their say about the proposed bridge -
Regular piece every other edition Carers Corner. / Sep 06
All / Finalise, distribute & integrate accessible communications guidance into relevant training / Accessible Comms Guidance completed awaiting guidance from Corp Mgt team as to how it will be shared / Guidance to be approved by SUH Oct 06, then shared with Managing Diversity group and rest of the Authority / Nov 06
All / Ensure equalities inclusion in Corporate Communications Strategy & Branding / Chris Owens/Ruth Lawson currently reviews Comms Strategy starting with planning day with project officers.
Publication of A-Z delivered to all households in Poole available in other formats. Published July 06 / Draft revised strategy & gain approval from corporate management team.
To be published every year / Dec 06
June 2007

1

[1]Actions were taken from SUs Equality Impact Assessment registers so please refer to these if needs be. Available on Loop Equalities page

[2]Most actions on this page contribute to the achievement of Level 2 of the Equality Standard BV2a

[3]The current review of the Pan-Dorset racist and homophobic incidents will extend reporting to all the equalities strands. SUs should follow the current Racist Incident Protocol & Dignity at Work procedure until BoP’s policy is reviewed.

[4]Leisure, Strategic Planning, Housing & Community Services, ECPS, PD, Poole PCT, SASS/METAS, C&F