1. Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) make a difference
Materials for this course –
PowerPoint presentation facilities
Flip charts, blue tack
Pens
Post-its – assorted colours
Vanessa Boon
Chief Difference-Maker & MD, Energise
© Energise,

2. Overview What is EIA (Equality Impact Assessment)?
Why do you need EIA?
What are the benefits?
Success stories - SU experience
When to carry out an EIA
How to implement an EIA

3. What is an EIA? Race & ethnicity
A tool to help you work with respect and REGARDS so that no-one gets left behind
Race & ethnicity
Economic disadvantage
Gender & gender identity
Age
Religion or belief
Disability
Sexual orientation
Does your SU work with REGARDS or disREGARDS?
We are either enabling or disabling people

4. What is an EIA?
An EIA is a tool to investigate the impact of your activities across diverse groups, so that you can make changes if things are not working or are hazardous for some groups of people – a bit like a Health & Safety Risk Assessment it’s about being proactive instead of reactive
Three-step approach:
1. Engage – find out what your diverse stakeholders think
2. Investigate – REGARDS data, good practice and research
3. Action – identify what needs to be done and do it

5. Why do you need EIA?
“Equality Impact Assessments contribute to creating inclusive students’ unions. They are widely used in all sectors to evaluate the impact that strategies, policies and activities have on marginalised groups who may have differing needs to the majority.
This enables us to provide the best services and activities for students, volunteers and staff”
Toni Pearce, NUS President
Raechel Mattey, Vice-President (Union Development)

6. “Talk does not cook rice”
Why do you need EIA?
“Talk does not cook rice”
Chinese Proverb

7. What are the benefits of EIA?
Credibility
e.g. liberation
campaigns,
democracy
Inclusion –
dismantle
systemic
barriers
Improved
Satisfaction
for students
& staff
Good
reputation
Informed
position on
REGARDS
experiences
Business
= attract
diverse
custom
Fulfil legal
and moral
duties
Win grants,
funding,
sponsors

8. EIA Success Stories
Police: revealed need for 999 text service for Deaf people and people without speech
Probation: gap in provision for women offenders addressed
Councils: ‘paternity leave’ became ‘co-parent leave’ including lesbian parents
NHS: campaign to reach black Caribbean, West African and white British middle-aged men most at risk of high blood pressure and least likely to get it checked
Schools: projects to encourage more men into primary school teaching
NHS: targeted cervical cancer screening campaign to narrow the uptake gap between lesbians and heterosexual women
Youth Centre with sexual health service: relocated away from a busy area that made privacy a barrier, especially for Asian girls with relatives working in the area
SUs: improved family-friendly facilities in café, research and lobbying on attainment gaps, gender-neutral toilets and changing spaces, buddy scheme ‘friendly faces’ for students on the autistic spectrum, improved disabled access, increased SU participation among Chinese students, mentors for first generation students…

9. What are the potential REGARDS barriers?
Avoiding complacency
Consider your allocated policy / approach / activity –
What are the potential REGARDS barriers?
Race & ethnicity
Economic disadvantage
Gender & gender identity
Age
Religion or belief
Disability
Sexual orientation
Working with respect and REGARDS so that no-one gets left behind

10. What are the potential REGARDS solutions?
Avoiding complacency
Consider your allocated policy / approach / activity –
What are the potential REGARDS solutions?
Race & ethnicity
Economic disadvantage
Gender & gender identity
Age
Religion or belief
Disability
Sexual orientation
Working with respect and REGARDS so that no-one gets left behind

11. When to carry out EIA
The ideal time to do an EIA is at the very start when designing a new activity such as a new project, event, campaign, policy, venue or service.
However, you should also review your existing activities…

12. How to implement EIA Rolling out EIAs -
Activity ‘stock take’ – list what you do & group into clusters
Prioritise what needs an EIA first – a three-year plan
Provide training for people involved in implementing EIAs
Task each department / area of work with their EIAs
Monitor and review progress – share learning points
Embed EIA at the start of new activities, proposals, etc
Publicise and celebrate success stories!

13. How to implement EIA
Three-step approach:
1. Engage – find out what your diverse stakeholders think
2. Investigate – REGARDS data, good practice and research
3. Action – identify what needs to be done and do it

14. Summary EIA is a tool to help you deliver equality pledges / values
There are lots of benefits – business, legal, employment, social and ethical
There are lots of EIA success stories including SUs
EIA is a proactive rather than a reactive approach
Don’t over-complicate it – just Engage, Investigate, Action!
There is a handy guide & template on the Diversity Hub

15. “Talk does not cook rice”
Food for thought
“Talk does not cook rice”
Chinese Proverb
Thank-you