iom health & equalities impact assessment toolkit

8/14/2019 IOM Health & Equalities Impact Assessment Toolkit

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Centre for Health Impact Assessment

Integrating Health

intoEqualities impact assessmentToolkit

2008


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The IOM is a major independent centre of scientific excellence in the fields of occupational and

environmental health, hygiene and safety. We were founded as a charity in 1969 by the UK coal

industry in conjunction with the University of Edinburgh and became fully independent in 1990. Our

mission is to benefit those at work and in the community by providing quality research, consultancy

and training in health, hygiene and safety and by maintaining our independent, impartial position as

an international centre of excellence. The IOM has more than seventy scientific and technical staff

based in Edinburgh, Chesterfield, London, and Stafford. Consultancy work is undertaken through

IOM Consulting Limited which is a wholly owned subsidiary.

Dr Salim Vohra is the Director of the IOMs Centre for Health Impact Assessment based in London.

The vision of IOM CHIA is to be a Centre of Excellence in:

Health impact assessment theory and practice

Healthy public policy

Evidence-based analysis and evaluation of the impacts

of policies and programmes on health

Researching the wider determinants of health and

wellbeing

Tackling environmental and health inequalities

Healthy urban planning and development

Urban and rural regeneration and health


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Contents

Introduction 11. Who will do the Equalities Impact Assessment? 22. What is the aim/purpose of the policy? 23. Assess relevance/significance (tick box) 24. Scope of EqIA and potential equalities issues to be considered 35. What information have you used in developing and/or reviewing the policy or service?66. Consultation 77. Assessment of Equalities Impact 88. Assessment of Health Impact 99. What monitoring & review mechanisms for the equalities & health impacts identified?10


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Introduction

How to use this toolkit

It can be used to undertake either an informal or a formal equalities impact assessment:

by keeping a running written record of the equalities and health issues which are considered as a policy,plan, programme, project or service is being designed and developed; or

by acting as a template to write a formal equalities (with health) impact assessment report for an initiative.

Why use this checklist

It is helpful to note all decisions even when there you decide there is no effect. For example you may decide that yourpolicy has no discriminatory effect on people of different sexual orientation. Dont leave the table blank. This is a validdecision and should be recorded.

The tool will then provide an audit trail of decisions taken as the policy is developed.

Why equalitiesimpact assessment

The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 (RRAA) requires the council to carry out race equality impact assessmentson new and proposed policies. The Equality Standard for Local Government also requires equalities impactassessments to be evidenced in order to achieve progress against the levels contained in the Standard.

The key purpose of equality impact assessment is to:

identify activities, processes and systems that discriminate against individuals and groups from vulnerablegroups and

modify them so that any discrimination is eliminated or significantly reduced on vulnerable to identify ways toovercome discrimination.

Equality impact assessment should reveal aspects of policies, programmes, projects and services that intentionallyor unintentionally exclude certain individuals and groups and thereby negatively impact upon lives and wellbeing.

Why health impact assessment

HIA is the key systematic approach to identifying the health impacts of proposed and implemented policies, plans,programmes, projects and services (initiatives) within a democratic, equitable, sustainable and ethical framework, sothat negative health impacts are reduced and positive health impacts increased (within a given population).

It uses a range of structured and evaluated sources of evidence that includes public and other stakeholders'perceptions and experiences as well as public health, epidemiological, toxicological and medical knowledges.

Equalities impact assessment and health impact assessment therefore have much in common in that they identifythose aspects of policies, programmes, projects and services that increase inequalities and inequities betweendifferent individuals and groups within a given community.


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1. Who will do the Equalities Impact Assessment?Will it be done by members of the policy team or by a single officer?

Name Job Title Area of Responsibility within EqIA(e.g. lead)

2. What is the aim/purpose of the policy?

3. Assess relevance/significance (tick box)

Category High Medium Low None

Age

Disability

Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual Orientation

Category Reasons/Justification for above judgement

Age

Disability

Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual Orientation


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4. Scope of EqIA and potential equalities issues to be considered

4.1 Could the policy discriminate directly?

Law In terms of Yes/No Reason/ Justification

Disability Discrimination Act Intention of Policy

Implementation

Race Relations (Amendment) Act Intention of Policy

Implementation

Sex Discrimination Act Intention of Policy

Implementation

Sources of Further Information on the above Acts


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4.2 Could the policy potentially discriminate indirectly?

Age Which age groupstargeted & whichexcluded

Reason/ Justification

Could this policy target or exclude certain agegroups eg elderly, young people

Does it affect some groups more than others?

What barriers do people face if they try to use theservices? eg communication, physical access, location,constraining factors etc.

Disability Which disabled groupsare targeted & whichexcluded


Could this policy target or exclude people withdisabilities/special needs



Ethnicity Which BME groups aretargeted & whichexcluded


Could this policy target or exclude certain Blackand minority ethnic groups? e.g. Black, Asian, Irish




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Gender Who is targeted &who is excluded?


Could this policy target or exclude either men orwomen?

Does it affect men more than women?

Does it affect women more than men?

Are any barriers which people might face if theytry to use the services different for men andwomen? eg communication, physical access, location,constraining factors etc.

Sexual Orientation Which groups aretargeted & which

excluded


Could this policy target or exclude certain gay,lesbian people? Black and minority ethnic groups?e.g. Black, Asian, Irish




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5. What information have you used in developing and/or reviewing the policy orservice?

Category Literature, Research, Data Type Relevance/ Key Points Learned

Age

Disability

Ethnicity

Gender

SexualOrientation


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6. Consultation

6.1 What is the focus of the consultation? Why?

6.2 Which groups should be consulted

Category Yes/ No Any specificsub-groupfocus

How consulted

Focus group Survey meetings Open meetingsInterviews with community representatives

Other Issues

Age

Disability

Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual Orientation

OTHER egenvironmentalgroups

Source of Further Information


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7. Assessment of Equalities ImpactIn the first two columns write down the issues that have emerged from the previous sections the last three columns begin to iden

Equality Issue(s) Type(s) of PotentialAdverse Effect

What measures areneeded to overcomeadverse effect(s)?

What other intdepartments aexternal agencbe involved?

Age

Disability

Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual Orientation


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8. Assessment of Health ImpactIn the first two columns write down the issues that have emerged from the previous sections the last three columns begin to iden

How will thepolicy, plan,programme,

project or serviceaffect

In what way? good orbad?

Who will be affected? What measures areneeded to overcomeadverse effect(s)?

What other intdepartments aexternal agenc

be involved?

income/ wealthlevels?

employmentlevels?

housing and

accommodation?

learningopportunities?

community-safety?

peoples ability

to influence theirlife & locality?

the localenvironment?


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9. What monitoring and review mechanisms for the equalities and health impactsidentified?

Category Performance Indicator/s What data collection is needed forthis indicator?

Is it already in place if not what resources will beneeded?

Age

Disability

Ethnicity

Gender

SexualOrientation


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Centre for Health Impact Assessment, Institute of Occupational Medicine

Research House Business Centre, Fraser Road, Perivale, Middlesex. UB6 7AQ

Tel: 020 8537 3491/2 Fax: 020 8537 3493

Website: www.iom-world.org

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