APPENDIX 1
Equality impact assessment (EIA) form: evidencing paying due regard to protected characteristics
(form updated June 2023)
Early Years Supplementary Grant
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If you would like this information in another language or format such as Braille, large print or audio, please contact the Communications Unit on 01609 53 2013 or email communications@northyorks.gov.uk.
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Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) are public documents. EIAs accompanying reports going to County Councillors for decisions are published with the committee papers on our website and are available in hard copy at the relevant meeting. To help people find completed EIAs, we also publish them in our website's Equality and Diversity section. This will help people to see for themselves how we have paid due regard in order to meet statutory requirements.
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Name of Directorate and Service Area |
Central Services - Resources |
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Lead Officer and contact details |
Howard Emmett - Assistant Director – Resources
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Names and roles of other people involved in carrying out the EIA |
Sally Dunn – Head of Finance (Schools, Early Years & High Needs)
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How will you pay due regard? for example, working group, individual officer |
The DfE have prescribed that the grant funding must be passed on in full to early years providers. The Department has also said that, to ensure that payments to providers can be made promptly, local authorities are not required to consult their schools’ forum, but local authorities are encouraged to engage appropriately with their early years’ providers about the funding amounts from September. Early years providers were notified of the funding rates received by the local authority on 18 July 2023 The item will be discussed at the North Yorkshire School Forum meeting on 21 September 2023 |
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When did the due regard process start? |
The DfE published the funding rates and guidance in respect of the Early Years Supplementary Grant on 7 July 2023. The grant relates to the period September 2023 to March 2024. This EIA considers the additional funding to be paid to early years providers for this period.
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Section 1. Please describe briefly what this EIA is about. (for example, are you starting a new service, changing how you do something, stopping doing something?)
The EIA considers the funding rates to be paid to early years providers which will be funded from the DfE Early Years Supplementary Grant (estimated value £1.8m) for the period September 2023 to March 2024.
The Early Years Supplementary Grant provides additional funding for the funded entitlements for 3 & 4-year-old children and disadvantaged 2-year-old children. The Grant also includes additional funding in respect of Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP), Disability Access Funding (DAF) and Maintained Nursery School Supplementary Funding. The DfE have prescribed that the grant funding must be passed on in full to early years providers. The local authority proposes to pass on the funding, as per the funding allocations and guidance received from the DfE i.e. based on an hourly rate for the termly claimed hours and an annual allocation for DAF.
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Section 2. Why is this being proposed? What are the aims? What does the authority hope to achieve by it? (for example, to save money, meet increased demand, do things in a better way.)
The DfE require each local authority to allocate the additional funding provided through the Early Years Supplementary Grant for the period September 2023 to March 2024.
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Section 3. What will change? What will be different for customers and/or staff?
The impact on individual early years providers may vary in relation to the level of the Early Years Supplementary Grant funding rates and the operating profiles of the settings. The early years sector will see an increased funding benefit from the Grant.
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Section 4. Involvement and consultation (What involvement and consultation has been done regarding the proposal and what are the results? What consultation will be needed and how will it be done?)
The DfE have said that, to ensure that payments to providers can be made promptly, local authorities are not required to consult their schools’ forum, but local authorities are encouraged to engage appropriately with their early years’ providers about the funding amounts from September.
Early years providers were notified of the funding rates received by the local authority on 18 July 2023
The item will be discussed at the North Yorkshire School Forum meeting on 21 September 2023
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Section 5. What impact will this proposal have on council budgets? Will it be cost neutral, have increased cost or reduce costs?
Please explain briefly why this will be the result.
The specific proposal in the EIA is cost neutral as all costs will be contained within the ring-fence of the Early Years Supplementary Grant and any overspend will be funded from the Early Years Block DSG Reserve.
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Section 6. How will this proposal affect people with protected characteristics? |
No impact |
Make things better |
Make things worse |
Why will it have this effect? Provide evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc. |
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Age |
ü |
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It is anticipated there would be no identifiable impact as a result of this proposal for this characteristic. The proposal will be applied to all years providers. |
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Disability |
ü |
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It is anticipated there would be no identifiable impact as a result of this proposal for this characteristic. |
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Sex |
ü |
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It is anticipated there would be no identifiable impact as a result of this proposal for this characteristic. |
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Race |
ü |
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It is anticipated there would be no identifiable impact as a result of this proposal for this characteristic |
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Gender reassignment |
ü |
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It is anticipated there would be no identifiable impact as a result of this proposal for this characteristic |
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Sexual orientation |
ü |
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It is anticipated there would be no identifiable impact as a result of this proposal for this characteristic |
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Religion or belief |
ü |
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It is anticipated there would be no identifiable impact as a result of this proposal for this characteristic |
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Pregnancy or maternity |
ü |
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It is anticipated there would be no identifiable impact as a result of this proposal for this characteristic |
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Marriage or civil partnership
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ü |
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It is anticipated there would be no identifiable impact as a result of this proposal for this characteristic |
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Section 7. How will this proposal affect people who… |
No impact |
Make things better |
Make things worse |
Why will it have this effect? Provide evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc. |
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..live in a rural area? |
ü
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It is anticipated there would be no identifiable impact as a result of this proposal for this characteristic. |
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…have a low income? |
ü
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It is anticipated there would be no identifiable impact as a result of this proposal for this characteristic |
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…are carers (unpaid family or friend)?
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ü
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It is anticipated there would be no identifiable impact as a result of this proposal for this characteristic |
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….. are from the Armed Forces Community
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ü
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It is anticipated there would be no identifiable impact as a result of this proposal for this characteristic |
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Section 8. Geographic impact – Please detail where the impact will be (please tick all that apply) |
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North Yorkshire wide |
ü
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Craven district |
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Hambleton district |
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Harrogate district |
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Richmondshire district |
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Ryedale district |
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Scarborough district |
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Selby district |
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If you have ticked one or more districts, will specific town(s)/village(s) be particularly impacted? If so, please specify below. |
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Section 9. Will the proposal affect anyone more because of a combination of protected characteristics? (for example, older women or young gay men) State what you think the effect may be and why, providing evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc.
None identified |
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Section 10. Next steps to address the anticipated impact. Select one of the following options and explain why this has been chosen. (Remember: we have an anticipatory duty to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled people can access services and work for us) |
Tick option chosen |
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1. No adverse impact - no major change is needed to the proposal. There is no potential for discrimination or adverse impact identified. |
ü |
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2. Adverse impact - adjust the proposal - The EIA identifies potential problems or missed opportunities. We will change our proposal to reduce or remove these adverse impacts, or we will achieve our aim in another way which will not make things worse for people. |
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3. Adverse impact - continue the proposal - The EIA identifies potential problems or missed opportunities. We cannot change our proposal to reduce or remove these adverse impacts, nor can we achieve our aim in another way which will not make things worse for people. (There must be compelling reasons for continuing with proposals which will have the most adverse impacts. Get advice from Legal Services) |
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4. Actual or potential unlawful discrimination - stop and remove the proposal – The EIA identifies actual or potential unlawful discrimination. It must be stopped. |
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Explanation of why the option has been chosen (include any advice given by Legal Services.)
No significant adverse impacts have been identified from the EIA affecting one or more protected characteristic.
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Section 11. If the proposal is to be implemented how will you find out how it is really affecting people? (How will you monitor and review the changes?)
The processes operating in the LA with regard to monitoring the sufficiency or early years provision and the monitoring of the termly early years headcount claims used to calculate payments to early years providers allow the LA to monitor the impact of funding rate changes on the early years sector within North Yorkshire
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Section 12. Action plan. List any actions you need to take which have been identified in this EIA, including post implementation review to find out how the outcomes have been achieved in practice and what impacts there have actually been on people with protected characteristics. |
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Action |
Lead |
By when |
Progress |
Monitoring arrangements |
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1. To obtain approval from the Executive to commence payment of the Early Years Supplementary Grant in September 2023 through the LA monthly payment to early years providers |
Howard Emmett – Asst. Director |
22 ugust 2023 |
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2.To report the North Yorkshire Council operation of the Early Years Supplementary Grant to Schools Forum |
Howard Emmett – Asst. Director |
21 September 2023 |
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Section 13. Summary Summarise the findings of your EIA, including impacts, recommendation in relation to addressing impacts, including any legal advice, and next steps. This summary should be used as part of the report to the decision maker.
The Equality Impact Assessment has assessed the impact of the proposed operation of the DfE Early Years Supplementary Grant within North Yorkshire for the period September 2023 to March 2024.
At this stage of the EIA there is no evidence to suggest that the proposal made will significantly disadvantage one or more protected characteristics
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Section 14. Sign off section
This full EIA was completed by:
Name: Sally Dunn Job title: Head of Finance – School, Early Years & High Needs Directorate: Central Services - Resources Signature: Sally Dunn
Completion date: 26th July 2023
Authorised
by relevant Assistant Director (signature):
Date: 1st August 2023 |
