Equality impact assessment (EIA) form: evidencing paying due regard to protected characteristics

(Form updated April 2019)

Outdoor Learning Service

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.

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 to find completed EIAs we also publish them in the Equality and Diversity section of our website.  This will help people to see for themselves how we have paid due regard in order to meet statutory requirements. 

Name of Directorate and Service Area	CYPS – Outdoor Learning Service
Lead Officer and contact details	Amanda Newbold
Names and roles of other people involved in carrying out the EIA	Gemma Dawson Adrian Clarke
How will you pay due regard? e.g. working group, individual officer	Working group and oversight from legal services
When did the due regard process start?	The planning for the restructure started in August 2021 and the full EIA has been finalised on completion of the final proposal.

Section 1. Please describe briefly what this EIA is about. (e.g. are you starting a new service, changing how you do something, stopping doing something?)

We are proposing to make some changes to the staffing structure of the Outdoor Learning Service to improve the service delivery and resilience and make improvements identified during the review of the Outdoor Learning Service which took place between February 2021 and July 2021. We are also planning to integrate into the service the staffing and associated functions of the Education Visits Advisory Service.

This EIA ensures that we have considered the impact of our proposals on our staff and users of the service.

Section 2. Why is this being proposed? What are the aims? What does the authority hope to achieve by it? (e.g. to save money, meet increased demand, do things in a better way.)

The changes to the staffing structure are being proposed in response to feedback received during the review of the Outdoor Learning Service in order to provide a better more resilient service and to enable staff to concentrate on their areas of expertise and to increase the take up of the service with a view to becoming financial self-sustaining.

The review found that the challenges for the staff were:

1. Managers are responsible for a diverse range of things

2. There were gaps in skills/knowledge including business and marketing

3. Staff have range of extra tasks (not always role appropriate) which reduces their time to concentrate on core role

4. Lack of resource to market the business and attract funding

5. Lack of whole service approach to directing resources

6. The service was not flexible to cover rises and drops in demands and some posts are considered difficult to fill

Section 3. What will change? What will be different for customers and/or staff?

The restructure will introduce the following changes:

· Variation to the staffing structures across both residential centres

· Establishment of new roles including service-wide roles

· Integration of two related services into one

· Transfer of some staff groups into corporate teams

Positives for the users of the service will be:

· Better understanding of what's available and the links between a residential experience and wider learning outside the classroom.

· Clearer where to go for support and information.

· Consistent experience regardless of site

Positives for the Staff will be:

· Clearer defined roles

· Allows staff to focus on their areas of expertise

· Clearer structure and improved reporting lines

· More capacity for support and development from line managers

· Greater collaboration and resilience across the service

· Closer links with schools

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?)

There was significant consultation with all key stakeholders through the OLService Review (Feb 2021 to July 2021). This included regular engagement with staff and unions as below :-

8/2/21 Whole staff meeting

24/2/21 Whole staff meeting

20/5/21 Team meetings at Bewerley Park

24/5/21 Team meeting at Bewerley Park

26/5/21 Team meetings at East Barnby

27/5/21 Team meeting at Bewerley Park

23/7/21 Whole staff meeting

And wider stakeholder groups including schools, other users and Parish Councils.

Staff feedback informed the findings of the review and the proposals for next steps.

The restructure will involve a HR consultation with all staff in scope for the restructure. The timeline for the restructure is detailed below:

ACTIVITY	DATE (OLS)	(Ed visits)
Report to CYPLT	20^th January	20^th January
Planning – complete draft job descriptions, determine T & C’s and get evaluated if necessary Prepare consultation pack, current and proposed structures, ring fencing, rationale for change, proposed local agreement (if changing) section 188, letters to staff and unions	21^th January Pack by 11^th February 2022	21^th January Pack by 11^th February 2022
Advance notification to Unison of proposed changes and intention to start consultation	Notify by 21^st January 2022 Commence formal consultation 15^th February 2022	Notify by 21^st January 2022 Commence formal consultation 15^th February 2022
Advance notification of formal consultation to staff	8^th Feb 2022	8^th Feb 2022
Send formal consultation letters to unison and staff with relevant paperwork (consultation pack)	15^th Feb 2022	15^th Feb 2022
Start of formal 30 day consultation	15^th Feb 2022	15^th Feb 2022
Consultation meeting(s)	18^th Feb 2022	18^th Feb 2022
End of 30 day consultation	25^th March 2022	25^th March 2022
Consideration of feedback	29^th March 2022	29^th March 2022
Report back to CYPLT on final proposals	31^st March 2022	31^st March 2022
Outcome of consultation and next steps to staff and unions	1^st April 2022	1^st April 2022
Assimilation process (if required)	25^th Apr – 6^th May 2022	25^th Apr – 6^th May 2022
Notice periods and redeployment if necessary	In line with contract of employment	In line with contract of employment
Implementation of new service	1 Sept 2022 Internal transfer of staff from 1 May 2022	1 Sept 2022 Internal transfer of staff from 1 May 2022
Post Implementation Review	Summer term 2023	Summer term 2023

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 changes are designed to allow the service to have cost recovery and to allow the service to be financially self-sustaining.

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.

Age

X

X

Staff

The age of the staff in the service is across all age bands and there should be no adverse impact specifically in relation to age. We will ensure that we are compliant with legislation to ensure that staff are not disadvantaged due to age.

Age	No of employees
19-29	10
30-30	9
40-49	13
50-59	14
60-69	6

Customer

The wider proposals will improve the experience for customers of all ages.

Disability

X

X

Staff

The proposed changes will not introduce any changes in terms of the current disability profile. As an organisation NYCC must continue to meet with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 which requires us to make reasonable adjustments to disabled employees or users of our services.

Customer

The wider proposals for development of the facilities at Bewerley Park will give an opportunity to improve the accessibility for disabled users of the service.

Sex

X

X

Staff

No adverse impact is anticipated as a result of the changes.

Appointments to the posts within the restructure will follow NYCC policies and procedures and will be made on merit

Customer

There will be no adverse impact on users of the service.

Race

X

X

Staff

The changes will not specifically affect staff from different ethnic backgrounds. Staff have enough flexibility to ensure cultural requirements can be aligned with work commitments

As an organisation NYCC must comply with relevant legislation and all services and staff need to be culturally sensitive and respect the values, beliefs, culture and traditions of individuals. Staff receive training to increase their awareness and to inform them how to tackle evidence of discriminatory practices.

Customer

There will be no adverse impact on users of the service.

Gender reassignment

X

X

Staff

No impact is anticipated as a result of the changes. As an organisation NYCC must comply with the conditions of the Gender Recognition Act and there is the statutory requirement to protect the confidentiality of someone who has changed or is in the process of changing their gender

Customer

There will be no adverse impact on users of the service.

Sexual orientation

X

X

Staff

There will be no adverse impact on staff in the service.

Customer

There will be no adverse impact on users of the service.

Religion or belief

X

X

Staff

This data is not routinely held within the corporate HR system. No impact is anticipated. NYCC continues to make necessary adjustments to accommodate the needs of individuals in terms of religion or belief

Customer

There will be no adverse impact on users of the service.

Pregnancy or maternity

X

Staff

The service works flexibly with staff who are pregnant or are on maternity leave to ensure that home/work balance can be maintained together with any health requirements related to pregnancy or maternity. NYCC must comply with relevant legislation and it is unlawful for employers or service providers to discriminate against women who are pregnant or have recently given birth or adopted a child.

Marriage or civil partnership

X

No impact is envisaged for staff or users of services.

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.
..live in a rural area?		X		Proposed business case should develop and improve the centres to provide long term employment in the rural area.
…have a low income?		X		More job security especially during the proposed improvement works. More opportunities for progression as part of a bigger team.
…are carers (unpaid family or friend)?	X

Section 8. Geographic impact – Please detail where the impact will be (please tick all that apply)

North Yorkshire wide

Craven district

Hambleton district

Harrogate district

Richmondshire district

Ryedale district

Scarborough district

Selby district

If you have ticked one or more districts, will specific town(s)/village(s) be particularly impacted? If so, please specify below.

None. There are no proposed moves to work bases or where the customer interacts with the service.

Section 9. Will the proposal affect anyone more because of a combination of protected characteristics? (e.g. 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.

It is not anticipated that the changes will impact on staff with combination of protected characteristics but staff will have the opportunity to raise any concerns during the consultation. These comments will be given due consideration before the final decisions are made.

The proposals will positively impact on service users with protected characteristics of age and disability.

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
1. No adverse impact - no major change needed to the proposal. There is no potential for discrimination or adverse impact identified.	X
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.
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)
4. Actual or potential unlawful discrimination - stop and remove the proposal – The EIA identifies actual or potential unlawful discrimination. It must be stopped.
Explanation of why option has been chosen. (Include any advice given by Legal Services.) No adverse impacts have been identified. However, the service will mitigate against potential negative impact on staff by: · Agreeing working practices that still support the development of the team and the expected model of working · Provide a strong ongoing CPD to ensure that staff feel equipped with the skills and knowledge to undertake their role. · Framework for ongoing review of the implementation of the model so that initial problems can be addressed

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?)

There will be a full post implementation review after 12 months (Summer 2023) after implementation which will actively involve all staff. As the service is an annual cyclical service, it allows for reflection on a full cycle.

An interim Staff Survey will be undertaken after approximately 6 months

There will be a framework of team meetings which include discussions, individual supervision for staff. Findings will be reported to the Outdoor Learning senior management team for consideration and action where required.

Feedback will be collected from users of the service following their visit.

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.
Action	Lead	By when	Progress	Monitoring arrangements
Team Meetings	Head of Service
Staff Survey	Head of Service	Dec 2022
Customer Feedback	Business Manager	Ongoing at end of visit
PIR	AD Education and Skills	Summer 2023

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.

This equality impact assessment has highlighted that there are unlikely to be any negative impacts in respect of staff. The consultation which will commence in February will enable staff to raise concerns about their individual circumstances. These will be given consideration before a final decision is made regarding the final organisational model and all equality issues will be addressed during the consultation and subsequent assimilation process.

Section 14. Sign off section

This full EIA was completed by:

Name: Amanda Newbold

Job title: Ad Education and Skills

Directorate: CYPS

Signature:

Completion date: 19 Jan 2022

Authorised by relevant Assistant Director (signature):

Date: 19 January 2022