What it is
An Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment (EQHRIA) is a tool that helps us to place equality, diversity, and human rights at the heart of everything we do.
They help us ensure that what is implemented is fit for purpose for everyone.
We have EQHRIAs because:
- it’s good practice in policy and strategy development. The process helps us to ensure that disadvantaged groups are not further disadvantaged by the policies and strategies we adopt. It also ensures that policy and strategy that is implemented is accessible
- it guarantees that councillors are properly advised of the potential effects of proposals before they take decisions that will inevitably affect people’s lives. This allows councillors to make informed decisions
- it offers opportunity for stakeholder involvement and lived experience to shape council decisions, building trust and better relationships with the local community and staff. Where we do not already have views from customers, residents and staff on the area of work, we should arrange involvement, particularly with people from the ‘protected characteristics’ equality groups
- it helps us meet our public sector equality duty, as part of complying with the Equality Act 2010. The general duty says that we must pay ‘due regard’ to eliminating discrimination, advancing equality of opportunity and fostering good relations. Our specific duty is to assess new or revised policies and practices for impact.
How EQHRIA process works
Carrying out an EQHRIA involves assessing the likely (or actual) effects of policies and decisions on people in respect of:
- protected characteristics including: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex, and sexual orientation
- intersectionality (this is how multiple protected characteristics overlap to create a unique experience of disadvantage), such as considering the impacts on disabled women or black older people
- cumulative discrimination over time - not just immediate impacts but life-course impact, such as considering historic inequalities, intergenerational impacts and systemic barriers experienced repeatedly
- human rights
- socioeconomic disadvantage
- the care experienced community.
This includes looking for opportunities to promote equality and human rights that may have previously been missed or could be better used.
Negative or adverse impacts should also be identified and removed or mitigated where possible.
If any negative or adverse impacts amount to unlawful discrimination, they must be removed.
View our EQHRIAs
You can see a list of individual Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessments.
More information
For more information about Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessments (EQHRIA) email EQHRIA@renfrewshire.gov.uk.