Objective Area

Action

5 Year Aim

Objectives

Lead

Completion Year

Milestones/

Outcomes /Targets

1. Addressing Institutional Racism

1. Adoption of the Bath & North East Somerset Council's Race Equality Scheme.

The Race Equality Scheme will be the driver for organisational change, ensuring that the Council is meeting the needs of the whole community.

Compliance with the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000

LG, DG, Executive, CJ

Sept 02

2. Adoption of the Bath & North East Somerset Council's Race Equality Action Plan.

The Race Equality Action Plan will enable the Council to mainstream race equality through out all services, polices and functions.

Compliance with the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000

LG, DG, Executive, CJ

Sept 02

3. Public Launch of the Race Equality Scheme and Action Plan

Over the next five years the council will be able to demonstrate a clear and public commitment to the elimination of racial discrimination and the promotion of equality of opportunity and good relations between different racial groups

A clear and public commitment to combating racial inequality.

CJ, WH, LG,JT

Oct 02

Public promotion of the Councils Commitment to Race equality

4. Conduct an Impact Assessment of all Services

The Council will have in place all the necessary mechanisms to monitor and evaluate the impact of service provision and to assess if the services are being provided appropriately or accessed equally.

All services will be able to ascertain and set priority areas for tackling racial inequality.

HS, CJ

Oct 04

All Services to have completed an impact assessment by October 03.

5. Improve the Council's Race equalities rating on the CRE Standard.

The Council will achieve the appropriate CRE Standard level measured by the Audit Commission's Performance Indicators.

Develop the mechanisms necessary to take the Council on to level 3 of the CRE Standards and the Standards for local Government under the Audit Commission's Performance Indicators

CJ, LG, SL

April 07

The Council will achieve the appropriate level measured by the Audit Commission's Performance Indicators.

6. Develop the processes to conduct a full council Audit of all services inline with the CRE's Standard, Auditing for Equality

The Council will have a complete overview of where each Service is in relation to the Councils commitment to the requirements of the General duty.

Conduct an audit of all services inline with the CRE's Standard, Auditing for Equality

CJ, LG

August 03

Submit to DG and HS guidelines for the Audit.

7. Work in partnership with Heads of Service to develop service plans, which incorporate race equality targets.

All Service Plans will incorporate race equality targets.

Service Plans will show how each Service is working towards the promotion of Race Equality

CJ,LG,HS

Life of the Scheme

All Services must demonstrate annually through their Service Plans how they intend to promote race equality.

2. Service Delivery Explicitly integrate the race equality issue into service Delivery, Best Value planning and review

1. Review the role of existing Race Equality groups to identify models of consultation.

1.1 Review the mechanism for consulting with the B&ME community

The Council will have improved its contact and re-engaged with the B&ME community.

To improve the Council's formal and informal mechanism for consulting with Black & Other Minority Ethnic people.

CJ,PN,LG, REDG, BREC

Nov 02

Improved methods of consulting with the BME community.

Updated directory of BME Groups.

2. Establish a base line of the current use of Council services by B&ME people.

The Council will have a complete overview of the take up of service provision by B&ME people and be able to identify areas of under representation and low take up

To improve service provision to the BME communities.

DG,JA,LG,

HS

May 03

Services to report progress to DG in the thrice- yearly performance report.

3. Work with Public and Voluntary Sector Partners to develop a community Translation, Interpretation and accessible formats Service for the use of organisations within the Bath & North East Somerset Area.

A community partnership with the ability to deliver an accessible service for the use of the whole of Bath & North East Somerset organisations

To work in partnership with other local organisations to deliver an effective Bath & North East Somerset wide community Translation, Interpretation and accessible formats service

CJ,SL,BCP

Dec 03

Complete the needs assessment by March 03

Set up the community Translation, Interpretation and accessible formats service by Dec03

4. Develop guidelines and publicity for Services to know when to access and use translation and interpretation facilities

April 04

Increased use of translation, interpretation and accessible formats service

3. Customer Satisfaction and Complaints

1. Producing guidance for to carry out the monitoring of B&ME customer satisfaction

1.1Producing guidance for the use of the monitoring information

The Council will be able to identify areas of best practice that other services can benefit from.

The Council will be able to identify the number of black and other minority ethnic service users accessing Council Services.

Target areas of poor service provision for black and other minority ethnic service users.

Improve the corporate systems for monitoring and evaluating the percentage of B&ME service users satisfied with the overall service provided by the Council.

LG, HS, CJ

May 06

Train all front line staff by March 03

Guidelines published by May 03.

2. Provide race equality training for Complaints officers.

2.1 Provide guidance to improve the monitoring of the percentage of B&ME people making complaints

2.2 Producing guidance for the use of the monitoring information.

2.3 Improve the monitoring of the percentage of B&ME people making complaints

2.4 Improve the monitoring of the percentage of B&ME people satisfied with the Council's handing of those complaints.

Identify areas of poor service provision for black and other minority ethnic service users

Increased confidence in the Councils service provision by the black and other minority ethnic community.

To have the systems in place to monitor complaints for the B&ME community.

Work towards achieving the confidence of the B&ME community, so they are empowered to complain

CJ, HR VH

May 06

Train all Complaints officers by March 03

Guidelines published by May 03.

3. Using the harassment policy, develop a comprehensive system of monitoring and reporting racial incidents.

Council will be able to identify how effective the Harassment Policy, the Corporate Complaints Procedure and other anti-racism work have been.

Compliance with the Lawrence Inquiry Recommendations and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000

CJ,LG,WH

May 03

Produce guidelines for the monitoring of racist incident by May 03

Review of the complaints via the Harassment Policy annually

4. Community Leadership

1. The Council will continue in the role of Community Leader, championing race equality for the people of Bath & North East Somerset.

The Council will use it's power and influence through the compliance of the Specific duties and the general duty to promote racial equality, and cultural diversity, and tackle institutionalised racism, with all community partners

Compliance with the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000 and the secondary legislation.

DG,LG,JA,SB

Ongoing to June 07

All partnerships and community plans will have mainstreamed race equality

5. Community Development

1. Confirmed commitment to continued partnership working with the B&ME Voluntary Sector.

Increased use of Council Services by the BME communities.

A greater level of partnership working between the Council and the B&ME Voluntary Sector

LG,CJ

Ongoing to June 07

6. Contracting

1. Provide race equality training for all staff involved within contracting and purchasing.

2. Encourage Providers and to promote race equality within their organisations.

All organisations that the Council has contracting or purchasing contracts with should also be working within a race equality frame work.

The Council will no longer engage with organisations or partners who are not prepared to promote racial equality.

DG,LG,HS,CJ

Ongoing to June 07

Review all contract for equalities issues by March 04

7. Employment Issues

1. Continue the monitoring and evaluation of the council's Ethnic Monitoring Workforce Audit.

Enable the Council to demonstrate the success or identify the weakness of the Equal Opportunities Policy.

Enable the Council to target areas of under representation of B&ME staff, as the Council is committed to making it's workforce representative of the Bath & North East Somerset community.

Compliance with the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000,CRE Standards and the Audit Commissions Performance Indicators.

WH, LG, CJ

Ongoing to June 07

Publication of the ethnic monitoring figures twice a year.

2. Ensure that the Workforce Audit Also includes ethnic monitoring by grade

Targeting of Service areas having difficulty recruiting and promoting black and other minority ethnic staff.

Promotion of equality of opportunity

WH, LG, CJ

Ongoing to June 07

3. Continue to monitor and evaluate the Ethnic Monitoring data to be reported to the Lawrence Group biannually.

The Lawrence Group will use the Ethnic Monitoring Data to advise the Council on Target setting.

Promotion of equality of opportunity

WH,LG

Ongoing to June 07

Lawrence Group will supply Directors Group with Ethnic Monitoring progress reports.

4. Update the Council's recruitment process to include Ethnic Monitoring forms using the 2001 Census categories for all candidates

Promotion of equality of opportunity

WH

April 03

Continued Ethnic Monitoring of all employment applications, new and existing staff.

5. Ensure all members of recruitment and selection panels are required to attend race equality and equal opportunities training.

Will ensure that selection decisions are based upon objective criteria and avoid the possibility of unlawful discrimination

Promotion of equality of opportunity

DG,LG,WH, CY, HS

Train all staff involved in the recruitment and selection process by May 04

6. Regular review of the Council's recruitment and selection policies, procedures and outcomes, to ensure that the process remain free from racial discrimination.

Identify if any of the recruitment and selection policies are institutionally racist or can be used to discriminate.

LG.CJ

Annually

7. Develop corporate targets for the recruitment, progression and retention of B&ME Staff.

Ensure that the Council workforce will be more representative of the local community.

LG,DG

March 03

(Needs to be reviewed annually)

Services are required to set a target to increase their BME by 5% relative to turnover.

Services with 500 or more staff are also set a target to increase BME representation within the top two earning categories.

Services to identify this target in the four-monthly performance report.

8. Develop corporate positive action initiatives for the recruitment, progression and retention of B&ME staff.

Reduce the under representation of black and other minority ethnic staff employed by the Council.

LG,DG,HS

Ongoing to June 07

Review the way Services advertise and recruit to jobs.

9. Develop targets and positive action initiatives for the recruitment, progression and retention of B&ME Staff at Senior Level.

Reduce the under representation of black and other minority ethnic staff employed at senior levels by the Council.

LG,DG,

Ongoing to June 07

Services to identify B&ME staff who meet the criteria for Management training.

10. Set targets for particular sectors of the B&ME community that are under-represented within the Council.

Reduce the under representation of a particular sector of the black and minority ethnic community employed by the Council.

LG,DG,

Ongoing to June 07

8.Organisational Development

1. Ensure that a program of race equality training is available to all staff.

The Council is committed to the training of all 5000 staff members

Over the next five years the Council will have provided all staff with race equality training

WH,CY,CJ

Ongoing to June 07

2000 Staff undertaken race equality training by May 04

2. Use all of the current methods of staff communication to ensure that all staff is made aware of their responsibilities in implementing the race equality policy.

Raise racial awareness of all council staff of their responsibilities in implementing the Equal Opportunities and the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000.

Ensure all staff have an understanding of the General and Specific Duties of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act

HS,LG,CJ

Ongoing to June 07

All Staff to attend Race Equality Update briefings.

Briefings to be held by Dec 03

3. Review all managerial job descriptions, performance reviews and appraisals forms and add race equality competencies.

All managerial job descriptions, performance reviews and appraisals to include racial awareness and equal opportunities competencies.

Ensure that all managers will have an understanding and awareness of race equality issues.

DG, LG,HR

Ongoing to June 07

4. Evaluation of the corporate race equality training

All Staff will have gained a good working Knowledge of race equality issues, all relevant and current legislation.

Incorporate lessons and good practice gained from the training.

CJ, LG, Corporate trainer

Ongoing to June 07

Annual review of the training to evaluate and identify if the training objectives have been met.

5. Develop and deliver race equality training for all Members and Parish Councillors

All Members and Parish Councillors will have gained a good working Knowledge of race equality issues, all relevant and current legislation.

To ensure that all representative of the Council have a full understanding of the race equality issues and legislation effecting their community.

CJ, LG

Ongoing to June 07

All Members and Parish Councillors to have had training by Feb 03

6. Develop and deliver race equality training for all Voluntary and Community Sector Partners

Raise racial awareness of the Bath & North East Somerset community.

Ensure that any Voluntary & Community sector organisations who receive council funding are working within a race equality frame work

CJ

Dec 02 - Dec 03

20 Voluntary sector groups to have received training by Dec 02.

All Voluntary & Community sector organisations who receive council funding to have received training by Dec 03

7. Develop a corporate B&ME workers group, using best practice lessons learned from the Social Services B&ME Workers Group.

Provide all black and other minority ethnic staff with the necessary support mechanism.

An internal corporate body for the council to consult with on race equality issues.

CJ,SSBMEWG

March 03

9. Race Equality and Anti Racism Training

1. Evaluate the current range of equality training available to staff across the whole Council and make recommendations for improvement where necessary.

Identify strengths and weakness in the current training provision.

Provide an improved race awareness training package where necessary.

CJ

Annually

2. Develop the necessary mechanisms for managers and staff who work with B&ME service users to receive training regular issue updates and briefing to insure they are aware and able to share any best practice.

Greater understanding of race equality issues, more informed staff team and improved service delivered to the B&ME community.

Regular briefings will be available for services to access.

CJ,HR,LG

Ongoing to June 07

Set up of the Council Equalities web site by Dec 02

10. Employee Relations

1. Develop the necessary mechanisms to incorporate and mainstream the corporate Harassment and Bullying Policy into the Council culture

Enable the Council to monitor the effectiveness of the Harassment Policy by the initial rise in the number of Harassment complaints as staff adopts the policy and the number of complaints will fall as the Council Culture changes.

Compliance with the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000.

CJ,WH,SL

Ongoing to June 07

Review the Harassment and Bullying Policy by March 05

2. Develop in house briefing on the use of the harassment policy for managers, heads of service and team leaders

The incorporate and mainstream the corporate Harassment and Bullying Policy into the Council culture

All Senior Managers and Team Leaders would have been briefed on implementing the Harassment Policy and will have gained an understanding of the issues.

CJ,WH

Ongoing to June 05

First briefing to be held by Feb 03

3. Recruit and train the volunteer support workers for the Harassment and Bullying Policy

Trained staff, to provide support to victims of harassment and or bullying.

WH,HR

Ongoing

First cohort of volunteers to be recruited and trained by May 03

4. Improve the system of monitoring grievances, disciplinary and harassment cases to identify race issues.

Enable the Council to monitor trends of possible discrimination and take the necessary effective action to combat it.

Enable the Council to monitor the effectiveness of the Harassment Policy.

Compliance with the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000.

WH,CJ

May 03

11. Race Equality Scheme

1. Mid- term review of the Race Equality Scheme

Use the data gathered to improve service provision

Review of all targets and performance indicators in accordance with S.71 Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000

DG,LG,CJ

June 05

2. Full Review of the Race Equality Scheme

Review of all targets and performance indicators in accordance with S.71 Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000

Use lessons learnt to improve service provision, mainstream race equality within the Council and community and develop a more effective Race equality scheme to address the issues of racial discrimination.

Review of all targets and performance indicators in accordance with S.71 Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000

DG,LG,CJ

June 05

Begin to develop new Race Equality Scheme