All public sector bodies are currently required to produce race, disability and gender schemes. An SES is a single document that outlines how an organisation meets the statutory duties of all three.
It can also cover the other diversity strands of religion and belief, age, sexual orientation, carers and human rights.
Going forward, the Discrimination Law Review will introduce a single equality duty to focus on all the broader equality agenda.
General duties
Many organisations are opting to develop SESs which brings together their responses across the diversity strands. This may have advantages such as identifying and responding to issues of multiple discrimination.
Specific duties
In addition to the general duty, current equalities legislation places additional specific duties on public sector organisations. A key requirement of all these duties is to produce Race, Disability and Gender Equality Schemes.
Equality schemes should set out the actions the organisation has taken or intends to take in relation to equality. Equality schemes are also an opportunity for organisations to demonstrate how they will:
- meet the implications of the general and specific duties
involve and consult with appropriate stakeholders
- gather information which is relevant and use it to review the implementation of the scheme objectives
- assess the impact of current and future functions and policies on equality
- implement the actions as stated in the scheme
Broader context
Public sector equality duties are central to new and existing legislation on race, disability and gender. Organisations are increasingly required to demonstrate how outcomes will be measured and inequalities removed. In particular, how they will assess the impact of policies, strategies and action plans on the local population or workforce.