Equality Impact Assessment

An impact assessment is a means of equality proofing policies, processes and practices to ensure they don't unwittingly favour, or discriminate against groups as defined in the Equality Act 2010.

As a public sector organisation we're expected to demonstrate best practice and are committed to looking beyond compliance to continued improvement. Ideally an impact assessment should be completed in the development stage of new policies and processes to ensure that any equality feedback can be included in good time.

When changing procedure, processes or policies it is also a good idea to complete an impact assessment. We publish our impact assessments on our Wiki site. For questions about Equality Impact Assessments, please contact Ian Clarke on Ext: 25816 or email I.Clarke@leedsmet.ac.uk.

Understanding the process

An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) is simply a self-guided process for auditing activity to ensure that it doesn't affect people unequally. It is a simplified and structured process that is easy to follow and relatively quick to complete.

When undertaking an impact assessment you will be required to complete sections 1-5 of the form before returning it to the Equality & Diversity Team. Where appropriate you should look at both qualitative and quantitative evidence to support you analysis of the impact of your new policy or procedure on the groups defined in the Equality Act 2012. The form is mostly tick boxes; you can download a copy here.

After you have submitted your form, your assessment will be available for consultation with staff and student forums, and any other interested groups. It will be available for people to view on our Wiki site. After consultation (usually 28 days), you will receive any recommendations that have been received. Where practical, these should be implemented.

Equality Impact Assessment Form

> Visit the Wiki