Equality impact assessments

What is an Equality Impact Assessment?

Equality impact assessment (EIA) is a process to ensure that any adverse or negative impact on equality is identified and addressed when making strategic decisions, operational decisions, and writing and implementing policies.

Why do we need to do them?

EIAs help the University to understand how policies, strategies and decisions operate in practice and can provide information that can minimise the risk of discrimination, and be used to tailor functions and services to meet the needs of our diverse student and staff community.

The University has a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to undertake EIAs, with a focus on ensuring that policies, strategies and decisions do not unlawfully discriminate, they advance equality of opportunity, and consider if they affect good relations between different groups.

What are the tools needed to do an Equality Impact Assessment?

The University has a standard Equality Impact Assessment Form that should be used by ‘owners’ of policies, strategies and decisions for EIAs. This is supported by an Equality Impact Assessment Form - Guidance document.

The University Equality and Diversity Advisor can provide further support and advice.

The following external sources provide further information and guidance on EIAs:

Advance HE - Equality Impact Asssessment

Equality and Human Rights Commission - Making Fair Financial Decisions

EIA guidance for safe return to campus proposals

EIA Guidance for Safe Return To Campus‌ has been developed to support the EIAs of activities and proposals in relation to the University’s safe return to campus. It complements the existing generic guidance on EIAs listed above.