Equality impact assessment Template April 2019

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

(Form updated April 2023)

Health & Adult Services Provision in Ryedale

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.

question mark

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	Health and Adult Services
Lead Officer and contact details	Hannah Brown hannah.brown3@northyorks.gov.uk
Names and roles of other people involved in carrying out the EIA
How will you pay due regard? e.g., working group, individual officer	The EIA will be undertaken by lead officers with input from other colleagues via discussions at project meetings. Consultation will be undertaken with residents and staff at the services impacted.
When did the due regard process start?	08/01/26

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?)

A proposal is being put forward to cease delivery of services at Cauwood Day Service in order to re-provide local community-based solutions for people in Malton and the surrounding areas. The proposal to cease delivery of services at Cauwood Day Service is due to ongoing risks and challenges faced in sustaining operational delivery of the service. There has been extremely low demand for the service over the last five years, and the building is out-dated and in need of significant investment.

Through involvement of people who use services, it is acknowledged that adults with learning disabilities and/or autism, or indeed other care needs, are now less likely to wish to spend their days predominantly at one site-based day service and are seeking a more varied life in their local area.

The Service Development team are keen for community-based support to be exactly that - about supporting people to live well and independently within their communities. Different forms of community-based support should be about opportunities for improving health and wellbeing in its broadest sense as well as supporting adults as they grow older to continue to lead independent and active lives, maintaining and developing friendships and enjoying life to their full potential.

The assessment of local community-based support provision in the locality indicates that, there is available capacity to meet the needs of people currently supported at the service. There is also the opportunity to consider more personalised care and support options for people through Direct Payments and/or Individual Service Funds so people can make their own arrangements with their chosen providers, giving them greater control and flexibility to tailor services around the needs and preferences of the person.

The priority is ensuring people supported by Cauwood Day Service continue to receive the care and support they need to achieve their goals and outcomes. The service is committed to working closely and sensitively with people and their families and/or carers to identify or develop local alternative support solutions that support them to lead fulfilling and active lives.

The approval of this decision will result in the closure of Cauwood Day Service in Autumn 2026. This EIA is to assess the impact on the staff and people supported by the service and to the local community and will enable the development of an Extra Care Housing scheme in Malton.

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 closure of the service is being proposed due to the reasons listed below:

· Through involvement of people who use services it is acknowledged that adults with learning disabilities and/or autism, or indeed other care needs, are now less likely to wish to spend their days predominantly at one site-based day service and are seeking a more varied life in their local area. The service is keen to ensure community-based support is exactly that - about supporting people to live well and independently within their communities. Ultimately, the service is keen to move away from long-term, full-time attendance at dedicated day services provided in single locations towards a more personalised approach to supporting people to take part in meaningful activities in their local community.

· There are alternative community-based support provisions across the Ryedale and surrounding area offering a variety of activities for people with care and support needs. There are several dedicated land-based and building-based services with available capacity, offering a diverse range of work-based activities including horticulture, landscape gardening, arts and crafts, catering, drama, and so on. Promoting links with the wider community is a key feature of this provision. There is a diverse range of facilities, including full-scale garden centres, cafés and working farms that are open to the public, with a strong social enterprise element embedded within their offer. Most providers operating across the area offer bespoke support enabling individuals to pursue their goals and interests in their local community.

· There has been limited demand for the service over the past three years with only two new people accessing the service since 2020. The low demand and utilisation of the service presents a substantial challenge in relation to sustainability and maintaining a service that is significantly underutilised.

· The building-based model, whilst historically valuable, no longer aligns with more modern and personalised approaches to adult social care. People now express a desire for more flexible, community-integrated support that promotes independence, choice, and inclusion.

· The property from which the service operates is out-dated, isolated in location and maintenance costs are significant for the volume of service delivered. It will also require planned maintenance and investment in the coming years; not deemed appropriate given the level of demand.

· The proposal will enable the wider site to be considered for provision of a new Extra Care Housing scheme.

The aim of closing the service and re-providing through local community-based solutions for people in Malton and the surrounding areas is to better meet the needs of people in the local area through securing outcomes-based community based provision.

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

People supported:

There are currently seven people supported by Cauwood Day Service, as at end of March 2026. The level and frequency of support received by each person varies according to the personal care and support needs.

The proposed closure and re-provision of services will mean the seven people supported will require support to access alternative local community-based support solutions. It is recognised that Cauwood Day Service has provided valuable support to those accessing the service for many years, and therefore the priority and commitment is to ensuring everyone who uses the service continues to receive the care and support they need to lead fulfilling and active lives. Sensitive consultation will be undertaken with people and their families prior to the closure, working closely with the local Social Work team to ensure alternative care and support is identified that meets people’s needs and wishes. This will follow a person-centred approach and the latest good practice.

Alternative care and support options for people will be dependent on sensitive and joined-up reviews and re-assessments, involving people and their families/carers to identify suitable alternative solutions and support are identified, promoting choice and taking account of friendships alongside personal and social needs.

The local Social Work team will work closely with the local Communities team and Commissioning & Service Development team to optimise the range of options available to people and involve people and their families in the identification and/or development of suitable alternative arrangements.

Counselling and/or advocacy and additional support will be made available to people demonstrating signs and symptoms of stress related to the closure.

Future potential people who may have been supported by the service:

There has been very low demand for the service over the last five years; only two people have newly accessed the service during that time. It is therefore not anticipated that closure of Cauwood Day Service will have a lasting impact on market capacity beyond the identification of alternative care and support for the current people supported.

Staff:

The staff team at Cauwood is currently made up of 12 established employees and two on temporary contracts. If the proposal is approved by Executive, HR will lead a 30-day consultation with staff. The Council would seek to offer staff suitable alternative roles, wherever possible. The outcome of this cannot be pre-determined, and will take account of individual factors.

Support will be provided to staff throughout the process, with involvement and engagement with trade unions, as appropriate. It is anticipated that staff will find the process stressful and difficult. Support will also be made available in the form of counselling and Human Resources support. Trade Unions will be involved and informed throughout the process and will be available to support staff.

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 decision to cease delivery of services at Cauwood Day Service and re-provide through local community-based solutions will be taken by the Council’s Executive Committee on 21^st April. There is a five working day call-in period following this. If the proposal is approved, consultation with the affected individuals will be carried out once the call-in period is concluded. The consultation period will last a total of 30 days.

The consultation for people supported (and their families/carers) will involve:

· Information on the replacement of the home;

· How they will be supported to find a new service by the Council’s Social Care teams, considering personal choice alongside personal and social needs;

· Availability of advocacy and counselling.

The consultation for staff will involve:

· Information on the re-configuration of services;

· Alternative employment options, and any other options specific to their circumstances;

· Availability of support throughout the process.

Briefing sessions have taken place with staff and residents ahead of the publication of the report. Further briefing sessions will be arranged for people supported, families/carers and staff once the decision is known. One-to-one staff meetings and individual person-centred support from care and support teams for residents and their families/carers will also be arranged. Human Resources and Trade Unions will also be available to staff, as well as counselling services.

People supported and staff will be kept up to date throughout the consultation period with clear lines of communication being available.

Section 5. What impact will this proposal have on council budgets? Will it be cost neutral, have increased cost or reduce costs?

If the proposal is approved by the Council’s Executive Committee, it is anticipated that the seven people currently supported by Cauwood Day Service will be supported to access alternative local community-based support solutions. The cost of meeting people’s needs and outcomes in alternative ways would be required to transfer to the appropriate locality Community Support Budget(s) or transferred to a Direct Payment or Individual Service Fund.

Whilst it is anticipated that the majority of staff at Cauwood Day Service will be offered suitable alternative roles, and the preferred option is to retain staff within Care Provider Services wherever possible, the outcome of this is subject to consultation and cannot be predicated.

It is proposed that following closure of the service, the Cauwood Day Service site is handed back to Corporate Property Services who will become responsible for the future of the site. There will be a one-off corporate cost of securing the site.

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	X	Cauwood Day Service supports adults over 18 with no upper age limit. The people currently supported vary fairly significantly in age. Potential negative impacts: · There is the potential for people supported, who may have elderly family members, to be negatively impacted by the closure of the service. Care and Support teams will take this into account as part of the assessment and will provide support to find services that meet the need and wishes of residents, and involve families and carers, where appropriate. Location of family/friends, personal choice and current friendship will all be considered when identifying new provision with the person. · Current residents may find the change difficult due to their age and having made friendships within the service. It is likely that they will find it stressful and worrying. To minimise the impact as much as possible, experienced Care and Support teams will work with people all the way through the process. Communication will be open and honest as soon as the decision can be shared, with a briefing set up. At this briefing we will inform people of their next steps, their options, and the support available to them. The availability of independent advocacy and counselling will be communicated to people. The entire process will be guided by established best practice and experience in supporting people with this type of transition. No Impact · Cauwood Day Service received only two new referrals to the service in the last five years. · The assessment of local community-based support provision in the locality indicates that, there is available capacity to meet the needs of people currently supported at the service. There is also the opportunity to consider more personalised care and support options for people through Direct Payments and/or Individual Service Funds. Positive Impact · Cauwood Day Service does not meet the emerging and future needs of people with care and support needs. The needs and aspirations of people who require care and support are changing. The Council aims to expand community‑based support that promotes health and wellbeing in the widest sense. It wants to help adults stay independent and active as they grow older, maintain friendships, and enjoy life fully. To achieve this, people need alternative care and support options beyond traditional building‑based day services.
Disability	X	X	X	Cauwood Day Service supports people with a range of different disabilities. Potential Negative Impacts · There is the potential for people supported, who may also have elderly family members, to be negatively impacted by the closure of Cauwood Day Service. Care and Support teams will assess this before the move and will support people to find services that meet the need and wishes of the people supported, and involve families and carers, where appropriate. Location of family/friends, personal choice and current friendship will all be considered when identifying any new provision with the person. No Impact · Cauwood Day Service received only two new referrals to the service in the last five years. · The assessment of local community-based support provision in the locality indicates that, there is available capacity to meet the needs of people currently supported at the service. There is also the opportunity to consider more personalised care and support options for people through Direct Payments and/or Individual Service Funds. Positive Impact · Through involvement of people who use services we know that adults with learning disabilities and/or autism, or indeed other care needs, are now less likely to wish to spend their days predominantly at one site-based day service and are seeking a more varied life in their local area. There are alternative community-based support provisions across the Ryedale and surrounding area offering a variety of activities for people with care and support needs. Most providers operating across the area offer bespoke support enabling individuals to pursue their goals and interests in their local community.
Sex	X			Data shows that more women than men access social care services, however this is not reflected in at Cauwood Day Service where there is a fairly equal split of men and women. There is capacity in other local community-based support provision; none of which discriminate by sex, and therefore a neutral impact is anticipated.
Race	X			The impact of the proposal is anticipated to be neutral. Whilst all people currently supported by the service are White British, alternative care provision in the area take account of people’s identity, culture and race in the assessment for and delivery of care services. This is addressed through person-centred assessment and our commissioning and quality assurance approach.
Gender reassignment	X			No evidence of an impact. The Council and our partners take account of people’s identity, culture and race in the assessment for and delivery of care services. This is addressed through person-centred assessment and our commissioning and quality assurance approach.
Sexual orientation	X			No evidence of an impact. The Council and our partners take account of people’s identity, culture and race in the assessment for and delivery of care services. This is addressed through person-centred assessment and our commissioning and quality assurance approach.
Religion or belief	X			No evidence of an impact. The Council and our partners take account of people’s identity, culture and race in the assessment for and delivery of care services. This is addressed through person-centred assessment and our commissioning and quality assurance approach.
Pregnancy or maternity	X			No evidence for impact; not applicable to this service
Marriage or civil partnership	X			No evidence of an impact. The Council and our partners take account of people’s identity, culture and race in the assessment for and delivery of care services. This is addressed through person-centred assessment and our commissioning and quality assurance approach.

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			No Impact Malton is not in a rural area of the VOY and as such there are other local care services in the area.
…have a low income?			X	It is recognised that the proposals have the potential to have a negative impact on the current staff of Cauwood Day Service. A sensitive and comprehensive consultation will be undertaken with staff, and wherever possible the Council will seek to redeploy staff within suitable alternative roles. Where redeployment has increased travel implications, time-limited financial protection can be offered. There are job vacancies within the local care sector, both within the Council and independent sector. The individual impact on staff will be picked up further during the staff consultation process.
…are carers (unpaid family or friend)?	X		X	It is likely that people supported by the service will have elderly family members and family carers involved in their care and support who may be negatively impacted by the closure of Cauwood Day Service. Location of family/friends, personal choice and current friendship will all be considered as part of the assessment and identification of alternative care provision for people.

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	X
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.
The proposal will have a specific impact on people living in Malton and surrounding towns and villages as Cauwood Day Service is in the centre of the town of Malton.

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.

Cauwood Day Service supports adults over 18 with no upper age limit who have a range of physical and sensory disabilities. The service does not specifically support people with identified protected characteristics, and there are no exclusions of this nature. Therefore it is anticipated that the proposal will not affect anyone more because of a combination of protected characteristics.

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.) The potential for immediate negative impact on people supported and their families, as well as staff of Cauwood Day Service, will be mitigated with overall and longer-term positive impact. The longer-term effect of the re-provision of services locally is anticipated to be positive for people supported; enabling access to alternative outcomes-based community based support options allowing people a more varied and fulfilling life in their local area.

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?)

Adult social care teams will work sensitively and collaboratively with the current people supported and their families/carers to identify alternative care and support services and will support them with the transition of care. They will be best placed to see how the changes are affecting the people and their families. The staff team at Cauwood Day Service will also support people and their families, whilst being offered additional support, counselling and support throughout the process by Care Provider Services Service Managers and HR. This will allow us to know the real effect on staff.

HAS Service Development continuously monitor the demand on services in the local area and will be able to pick up if the local area is negatively affected by the closure of the service.

A regular steering group will be set up to coordinate and monitor the process, with representation from Care Provider Services, Adult Social Care teams and HR. The steering group will monitor impact on people.

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
Work with people to ensure that they are supported to find an alternative service which best meets their current needs with their personal choice, current friendships and family circumstances considered.	Adult Social Care team(s)	September 26
Continuously monitor demand in the local area to ensure that local need is being met.	Service Development Team	Continuously
Continuously assess and monitor the impact on people and family members.	Adult Social Care team(s)	Continuously
Make counselling and advocacy made available to both staff and people supported during the consultation process	Adult Social Care team(s)	Before, during and after the consultation process.

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.

Overall, the closure and re-provision of Cauwood Day Service will have a positive impact on local people. Due to the property condition and service model, Cauwood Day Service does not meet emerging and future local care and support needs. Through involvement of people who use services it is known that adults with learning disabilities and/or autism, or indeed other care needs, are now less likely to wish to spend their days predominantly at one site-based day service and are seeking a more varied life in their local area.

The service is keen to ensure community-based support is exactly that - about supporting people to live well and independently within their communities. Alternative community-based support provisions across the Ryedale and surrounding area offer a variety of activities for people with care and support needs. These services include:

· employment skills service, providing short-term employment-focused support

· day opportunities aimed at promoting independence and skills development

· day care, catering to individuals with the most complex needs

There are several dedicated land-based and building-based services with available capacity, offering a diverse range of work-based activities including horticulture, landscape gardening, arts and crafts, catering, drama, and so on. Promoting links with the wider community is a key feature of this provision. There is a diverse range of facilities, including full-scale garden centres, cafés and working farms that are open to the public, with a strong social enterprise element embedded within their offer.

Most providers operating across the area offer bespoke support enabling individuals to pursue their goals and interests in their local community.

The decision to close Cauwood will enable the wider site to be considered for the development of a new Extra Care Housing scheme for Malton.

There is the potential for negative impacts on current people supported by the service due to the need to identify alternative provision, and impact on their families. To mitigate this Care and Support teams will work closely and sensitively with people and their families throughout the process; before, during and after their move. Choice will be promoted throughout the assessment process, and current friendships alongside personal and social needs will be taken into account, with counselling and advocacy services available to residents throughout. Best practice will be used and where possible staff experienced in managing service closures will support residents.

Staff will undoubtedly be impacted by the proposals. This will be mitigated by clear communications and sensitive consultation with the staff team, supported by HR, with staff involved in all elements of the process as much as possible. Staff will also have access to additional support, counselling and/or advocacy. Any additional needs of staff will be discussed as part of the consultation, and reasonable adjustments made to enable people with disabilities to take part in the consultation and identify alternative employment and re-deployment options, where appropriate. As part of the staff consultation, wherever possible, the staff team from Cauwood Day Service will be offered alternative roles. The preferred option is to retain staff within the Council’s Care Provider Services wherever possible.

Next steps will depend on the outcome of the decision to be taken at Executive Committee on 21^st April 2026. If the recommendation to close Cauwood Day Service is approved, staff, people supported and their families will be informed on or as soon after the mandatory call-in period. The staff consultation and sensitive re-assessment of people’s care and support needs will then commence thereafter. A steering group will be set up to coordinate and monitor the process.

Section 14. Sign off section

This full EIA was completed by:

Name: Hannah Brown

Job title: Commissioning & Provider Services Development Manager

Directorate: Health and Adult Services

Signature: Hannah Brown

Completion date: 23/03/2026

Authorised by relevant Assistant Director (signature): A. Barron

Date: 01.04.26