Measuring equality improvement processes  Equality and Social Inclusion  2nd Feb 2006  Julian Clarke  Centre for Local Policy Studies 

Continuous equality improvement Equality objectives and targets (performance indicators) Levels of improvement that sum the achievement of specific objectives into a coherent assessment or measurement of the performance of a whole authority.

ESLG: the Levels Level 1 Commitment Level 2 Assessment and consultation Level 3 Equality objectives & targets Level 4 Information & monitoring Level 5 Achieving and reviewing outcomes

commitment engagement objectives monitoring review

ESLG Levels and Scrutiny At Level One an authority is asked commit to the development of an external stakeholder/user group scrutiny capacity. At Level Two an authority should engage with external stakeholders to help it reflect on its equality consultation To achieve Level Three an authority should have its stakeholder/user group working effectively so that their views on impact assessment and objective and target setting feed into those processes

ESLG Levels and Scrutiny Authorities working at Level 4 will be using stakeholder scrutiny as a means of testing the monitoring and measurement systems At Level Five a continuous process of user scrutiny of local authority action will have been developed. Scrutiny group activity will have become embedded and constitute a deliberative process that sits alongside representative processes

Questions: structure and organisation What resources are required to set up an effective scrutiny system? Do stakeholder/user groups have the capacity to critically engage with the processes that develop under ESLG. What voluntary groups should be represented in a stakeholder/user group? What should be the terms of reference of stakeholder/user scrutiny groups?

Questions: Internal debate Is there a common understanding of equality improvement throughout the authority? Does the scrutiny group share this understanding? Are there likely to be competing equality priorities? Will there be contradictory equality demands? It cannot be assumed that all equality interests are compatible

Other issues A perceived threat to local authority officer professional status? a perceived threat to the authority of elected members Scrutiny group be co-opted or ‘institutionalised’ by the local authority