Contents

A Single Equality Strategy for Hertfordshire County Council

Foreword- pending

Why do we have a Single Equality Strategy

Why a Single Equality Strategy

How is the strategy linked to the delivery of our core services?

The Vision 2010 – 2013

What are we going to do and why?

Vision area 1.Consultation, Information and Knowledge

Vision Area 2. Embedding equalities within service delivery and planning

Vision Area 3.Staff, Culture and Member Development

Vision Area 4.Community Cohesion

How will we report and monitor our progress?

Contact Us

Appendices

  1. HertfordshireCounty Council Services
  2. Equalities Legislation and our Public Duties
  3. What do we mean? Definitions of the key words and phrases
  4. What progress has been made so far?
  5. A demographic profile of Hertfordshire
  6. You told us what was important for the people of Hertfordshire
  7. Diversity of our workforce

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The Vision 2010 - 2013

Publication of this strategy demonstrates Hertfordshire County Council’s commitment to delivering high quality services to all its clients and communities (a full list of these services can be found in Appendix 1). This will be achieved by having employees and partners that reflect the communities they serve and who are supported by an organisation that values them as individuals and provides appropriate development.

This strategy aims to aims to:

•Communicate HCC’s vision and key priorities for equality & diversity across Hertfordshire and within our workforce.

•Ensure that HCC meets the statutory requirements outlined in the Public Equality Duties.

•Provide Hertfordshire County Council with a framework against which it can measure its progress and success with regard to the diversity and equality agenda.

Why a Single Equality Strategy?

Previously Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) has published separate schemes for three of the equality strands; race, disability and gender, as required by legislation. The Single Equality Strategy brings these strands together into one scheme of action, alongside other equality strands that are now covered by legislation, including age, sexual orientation and religion and belief. This reflects changes that have come into force since 2006 such as the creation of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission and the passing of the Equality Act. Further information about the Equality Act and other legislation can be found in Appendix 2.

This important developmentrecognises that people have many different characteristics and identities that may have an impact on the outcomes they experience. The Strategy will build on theactions identified and delivered through the race, disability and gender schemes and strengthen HCC’s commitment to achieve equality for all residents in Hertfordshire. A review of recent progress and improved outcomes can be found in Appendix 4.

The strategy identifies cross-cutting themes for all the equality strands, as well as those issues that are particular tocertain groups.It will also provide one point ofreference,making information on equalities and actions that need to be taken easier to access and understand.

How is the Strategy linked to the delivery of our core services?

As a Council our core purpose is to deliver improved outcomes for all of Hertfordshire’sdiverse communities. A snapshot of the demographics of Hertfordshire is attached as appendix 5. Nearly all of our day-to-day work is about meeting diverse groups’ needs and treating them with respect. Equality and diversity is not an ‘add-on’ to our day-to-day work, rather it is a fundamental element of the Council’s purpose and functioning. For example, the Corporate Plan, the Council’s overarching strategic plan, has numerous objectives and priorities that are directly related to equality and diversity.

Throughout this strategy there are commitments that are taken directly from all of our major plans and strategies that we believe are priorities. The diagram below illustrates how this strategy relates to some of our key strategic plans:

This strategy outlines the key actions with regard to equality and diversity, but it represents only a small portion of the work services will do day to day on this agenda.

Building on our learning to date and our extensive consultation activity (see Appendix 6) we have identified four areas where we want to see significant change over the next three years. These four areas form the basis of Hertfordshire’s vision for Equality and Diversity for the next 3 years.

Area 1
Consultation, Information and Knowledge
By 2013 we and our communities will be able to say that
  • There is a sophisticated, up-to-date, and accurate understanding of diverse communities, groups and people and their individual needs in Hertfordshire
  • There is strong engagement between Hertfordshire County Council and a diverse range of groups and people across the county, with the Council shaping services and making decisions based on what communities tell us
  • There is clear information and advice on our services and how to access them, shaped around our clients and users, with a particular focus on the needs of communities that can be marginalised and are vulnerable

Area 2
Embedding equalities within service delivery and planning
By 2013 we will be able to say that
  • There is strong evidence of equality considerations and actions within service delivery, policies, procedures and plans, as well as evidence of improved outcomes as a result, in particular with regard to:
  • Maximising independence and choice for all individuals and diverse groups in Hertfordshire.
  • Intervening early to support the development of vulnerable groups
  • Gaps in educational attainment narrowing.
  • There is effective working with partners across Hertfordshire, so that communities are dealt with consistently and fairly by public services.
  • There is good compliance with equality duties among those who deliver services on the council’s behalf.

Area 3
Culture, Staff and Member Development
By 2013 we will be able to say that
  • The Council workforce profile has improved, with better representation of the community it serves at all levels
  • There is strong and consistent leadership commitment toward equality and diversity from managers and CountyCouncillors.
  • There is a culture amongst all employees that embraces diversity in the workplace, and all staff are involved in promoting and protecting this.

Area 4
Community Cohesion
By 2013 we will be able to say that
  • There is improved equality of opportunity for all people in Hertfordshire, no matter what their background or life experiences.
  • More people participate regularly in their community.
  • There is greater respect and tolerance for differences among communities in Hertfordshire, enabling people to feel safe and free from harassment.

The diagram below has been created by the council’ Diversity and Community Cohesion Board to show how our four strategic areas form the basis of the Single Equality Strategy. The outer circles show how the priority areas we have identified as important for Hertfordshire County Council’s progresslink to the five performance measures in the Equality Framework for Local Government,the measure by which HCC is benchmarked nationally.

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What we are going to do and why?
Vision Area 1. Consultation, Information and Knowledge

In order to deliver excellent services to individuals in Hertfordshire it is important that we have an understanding of who lives in the area, and how needs can differ according to different characteristics. Only then can we shape our services and decisions to meet those needs and make sure that people can get information in the format that they need it, when they need it,

Often the best way to find out about people is to speak to them and so we need robust consultation mechanisms in place to seek people’s views in a way that is meaningful. That means giving people opportunities to speak, listening to them, and acting on what they have said. The Council’s Hertfordshire Local programme, which aims to place Members at the centre of engagement with communities is key to our work in this area.

It is also essential that we work with the voluntary and community sector in Hertfordshire to do this.They offer a specialist perspective and an understanding of discrimination and the support needed by specific communities in localities. The County Council led project to establish a Hertfordshire Equality Council is central to many of the aspirations in this strategy.It will provide independent challenge to organisations in Hertfordshire on equality and diversity-related issues, and will provide a network of community groups and contacts to help to strengthen the relationships between public bodies and minority communities from all equality strands.

This section sets out how we hope to improve our dialogue with people in Hertfordshire from across the equality strands in order to inform local-decisions and drive improvement to services.

What you said….

During consultation you told us that you wanted to see:

  • Information made simpler, more focussed and more accessible so that it is clear what services are on offer and how to access them.
  • Better use of public places, such as schools and supermarkets, to publicise information.
  • More support when dealing with complex processes
  • Processes made more transparent and reasons behind decisions made clearer so that it is apparent when discrimination has taken place or someone has been treated unfairly.
  • Better feedback and dialogue with communities after consultation events have taken place.
  • Opportunities to be included on a more ongoing basis on the development of services and to work with the council e.g. 83% of respondents to the religion and belief survey felt it was important that Hertfordshire County Council work closely with their faith community
  • Wider access to interpretation and translation services and better use of multi-lingual tools.

What we know…

Some residents are less likely to know about some services, indicating that information could be more targeted and relevant:

  • Residents aged 18-24 are less likely to be aware of services, the county council website or remember seeing a copy of the County Council’s magazine, Herts Horizons.
  • Those aged 35-44 are less likely to use their local councillors.
  • Only 12% of people who responded to our LGBT survey felt that information provided by the council is inclusive of LGBT people and specific to their needs, while 26% said it was not. 62% said they didn’t know.

Furthermore, residents need information in different formats:

  • Residents aged 65+ are least likely to use the website and those 60+ are least likely to have internet access at home.
  • According to respondents to our LGBT survey, the most popular place to get information was the internet with 79% selecting this option.
  • Respondents from our Youth Connexions survey, felt that information should be given to them where they are – that there should be outreach workers coming to schools, churches, sports clubs and other frequently used areas, telling them about services available to young people as some don’t have access to computers or come into contact with noticeboards displaying information.

Some residents are more likely to feel that they can influence local decision making than others:

  • 37% of people responding to the LGBT questionnaire felt that they could influence local decision-making, while 54% disagreed
  • In contrast 64% of respondents to the religion and belief survey agreed that they could influence decisions affecting their local area.
  • Respondents from our Race consultations said they needed more feedback as to how their input influenced local decision making.

What we will do…

Objective 1: Establish greater knowledge of and engagement with communities in Hertfordshire

Actions

  • Establish the Hertfordshire Equality Council to act as a central point of‘live’ knowledge of communities in Hertfordshire and to offer a means for public sector organisations to engage and consult with diverse communities quickly, effectively and efficiently
  • Develop the Hertfordshire Local programme to empower people with information about their locality through the use of locality web-portals and their community groups/organisations.

Objective 2: Enable all communities in Hertfordshire to play a more active role in driving service improvement.

Actions

  • Develop the Hertfordshire Local programme to empower people to take part in community activity and decision making, with CountyCouncillors playing a central role
  • Working with the Hertfordshire Equalities Council create a network of community advisers from all equality strands to offer advice and guidance to Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service on issues relating to equality and diversity
  • Establish a rolling programme of consultation and research with people from across the equality strands to enable greater input into the development of services, focusing on specific groups or communities

Objective 3: Ensure that information produced by HertfordshireCounty Council is clear, relevant and available to everyone.

Actions

  • Work with partners across Hertfordshire to develop an Information, Advice and Advocacy Strategy for Hertfordshire which will enable citizens to find locally relevant information about services and support available, ensuring that is available in a range of formats and accessible to all groups.
  • Put in place arrangements to promote the efficient and effective delivery of translation and interpreting services across HCC, including appropriate policies, access arrangements, feedback mechanisms and staff training.
  • Work with partners and the Hertfordshire Equality Council to ensure there are effective means of providing information on support services to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people in Hertfordshire, this will include both written materials and a dedicated web portal.
  • Continue to provide easy access to information and advice about welfare benefits, so that vulnerable people get the benefits they are entitled to(Corporate Plan).
  • CountyCouncillors produce regular newsletters for all residents in their division, making use of email through the email sign-up initiative within the Hertfordshire Local programme.

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What we are going to do and why?
Vision Area 2. Embedding Equalities within Service Delivery and Planning

We want to see diversity and equality best practice to be shared and embedded across all the County Council’s services so that it is not an optional add-on but part of the way we carry out our day to day business. This includes ensuring that all our plans and strategies are equality impact assessed and our staff have the skills to deliver and provide services to a range of communities. In order to do this we need to use the information we have gathered through consultation, feedback and complaints to inform the way we plan out our services. It is also important that our strategies and policies reflect reality and that we are regularly challenging ourselves on whether we have achieved what we set out to do.

We also aspire to be leaders in promoting best practice in equalities across Hertfordshire, wherever possible working together with partners such as District councils, Police and Health services, and our contractors delivering services on our behalf, in order to ensure consistent standards of service, and better outcomes for all.

This section sets out how we plan to ensure that equalities becomes a driving force for improved outcomes for everyone.

What you said….

Consultation has told us that you want to see:

  • Greater consistency of standards, ethos and values across public sector partners in Hertfordshire
  • A more personal approach to the delivery of services that leads to evidence that the needs of the individual are met.
  • There is a need for the complaints system to be more easily accessible, putting less emphasis on the responsibility of the vulnerable person to have to pursue issues in order for something to be done.
  • To be treated with respect, for example spoken to politely and have phone messages returned promptly.
  • Not to be treated in a way that indicates favouritism and therefore causes further tensions with others.
  • For services to be carried out within timescales and with appropriate business continuity.

What we know…

We know that some people are more likely to use certain services than others and that might be because the service needs to be delivered in a way so as to meet personal needs better. For example,

  • Men are less likely to use library services, local community organisations or the council website.
  • Those aged over 75 are less likely to use rescue emergency services.
  • Young people under 25 are more likely to attend events advertised in their school/colleges/universities than on council websites.

What we will do...

Objective 1: Ensure that equality and diversity issues are taken into consideration when planning and delivering services.

Actions

  • Ensure that our key services and plans are scrutinised and changed to ensure they meet the needs of diverse communities and individuals in Hertfordshire, through a programme of strategic Equality Impact Assessments (EqIAs) carefully chosen, prioritised and delivered to a consistently high standard to produce real benefits to communities.
  • Ensure that each department produces its own timetable for equality impact assessments and equality action plan which is reported to the council’s Diversity and Community Cohesion Board annually, and which focuses on important strategic issues and is deliverable.
  • Ensure that equality, diversity and Community Cohesion issues are also taken into account in service planning and delivery by developing service planning processes
  • Reduce the bureaucracy involved in delivering EQIAs
  • Implement a system to share and display details of consultations across agencies and with members of the public so that the Council and our partners can respond comprehensively to what our communities tell us
  • Review the current corporate complaints system to identify areas and solutions for improvement.
  • Ensure that our providers and contractors adhere to agreed standards in terms of equality and diversity, through the procurement, commissioning, and contract management processes

Objective 2: Encourage greater partnership working across Hertfordshire to ensure consistent approaches to equality and diversity from providers.