SQA -

Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA)

An Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) is a tool that we use to help us to identify the unequal impacts which all of our activities (services, strategies, policies or projects) have on our diverse staff and customers.

The process allows us to remove or reduce the unequal effects of our activities and to find opportunities to promote equality through our work. This will help us to improve our service and to ensure that there are fewer unnecessary barriers to attainment. As part of this process we will be consulting with the people who are affected by our work, you.

If you would like to have your say as part of this process please select the 'Getting Involved' link to the left or below.

Getting Involved

We have a two-stage procedure for Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA).

Stage 1 – Assessing for relevance

The first stage is to assess a policy or activity for relevance to equality. This stage includes:

Identifying the main aims of the policy or activity
Collecting and considering this information
Deciding whether the policy or activity is relevant

If a policy or activity is not relevant to equality the procedure ends at this stage. (Existing policies and activities have already been assessed, where relevant, have been allocated a time in our Impact Assessment schedule based on their relevance and the degree of potentially unequal impact they have of diverse groups.)

Stage 2 – Full equality impact assessment

If the policy or activity is relevant to equality, the second stage is to conduct a full EQIA. This has eight stages:

Identify all of the aims of the policy or activity.
Collect and consider evidence (data and information).
Assess any likely impact on different groups.
Consider alternatives (what to do if you find adverse impact).
Consult formally (relevant stakeholders).
Decide whether to adopt/revise the policy or activity.
Make monitoring and review arrangements.
Publish assessment results.

Equality impact assessment reports

Each business area will conduct full equality impact assessments in accordance with the timetable that has been set. At the conclusion of each EQIA, we will publish an impact assessment report which clearly sets out recommended improvements, actions and outcomes.

Publishing our results

We will produce and publish information in a number of ways.

Formal reporting and approval

Summary impact assessment reports will be submitted to our Executive Management Team to confirm that our response is relevant and proportionate, and for formal approval of the recommended actions.
Annual reports on the progress made in mainstreaming equality will be submitted to our Executive Management Team and Board of Management for formal approval, and will then be published on our website.
We will include a summary of the progress we have made in addressing equality issues in SQA’s Annual Report.

Communication of outcomes

Approved actions will be incorporated into existing action plans, and will be communicated within the organisation.
Summary reports setting out the issues, actions and outcomes of impact assessments will be published on our equality and diversity web page, and sent to targeted groups who may have an interest in them.

We will of course be happy to provide full reports on equality impact assessments to any interested party on request.