Diversity & Equality

Impact Assessment

One of the current challenges that organisations, primarily public authorities, are addressing is the legal requirement to carry out equality impact assessments. MDA has developed a considerable amount of expertise in this area, and can provide a range of advice and help to assist organisations in undertaking such assessments in an effective and efficient way.

What is an Impact Assessment?

Equality Impact Assessments are an integral part of equality legislation  that required public authorities to assess how what they do, or plan to do, may impact on particular equality groups. Currently the legislation relating to impact assessment covers race, gender and disability. However in the future it is likely that this will be extended to other areas such as age, religion and faith, and sexual orientation.

Impact assessments are undertaken at the initial planning or review stage of a strategy, policy or project/proposal. They are a way of anticipating the consequences on different communities of particular polices etc., making sure, as far as possible, that negative consequences are eliminated or minimised, and that opportunities for promoting equality and diversity are maximised.

Our approach

MDA can provide a range of advice and guidance on undertaking equality impact assessments:

• We aim to demystify the process of carrying out impact assessments, and place them in the context of the work and day-to-day business of organisations and their staff.
• We work with staff to give them confidence in carrying out impact assessments, helping them to see the 'positives' in carrying out such assessments
• We have developed a template that we can customise for clients to reflect their particular circumstances, which provides an effective tool for carrying out assessments. We aim to cut out meaningless bureaucracy: we emphasise common sense and a practical approach.
• We advise on the most effective ways of carrying out assessments where other authorities/partners are involved, in order to avoid duplication.

What we deliver

• We provide a range of services around impact assessment, including provision of advice/guidance on what you need to do to comply with the legal requirements of equality legislation. We can assist in the development of strategy and action plans in this area.
• Provision of a tool kit for carrying out impact assessments, customised to organisations and including assessment templates.
• Briefing/training for staff at all levels on carrying out impact assessments.
• Advising on and providing guidance on carrying out individual impact assessments, ranging from large strategic research-based assessments to smaller targeted ones.

Impact assessments are often seen as daunting, over-bureaucratic and one extra thing that needs to be carried out in an already over-loaded work schedule. Our approach helps organisations to put impact assessments in perspective, and see that they can add value as an important part of the delivery of a successful approach to diversity and equality. Our practical advice shows that such assessments need not be time consuming and can be carried out as part of the mainstream work of an organisation.