EQIA: Policy 13 - Decision Review Requests

In completing this EQIA you should be ensuring the needs of diverse groups of people are thought about when developing and implementing a new policy, procedure or service or a change to existing ones. Please consider the protected groups in line with the Equality Act 2010 and other diverse groups who may be impacted.

Name of Activity: Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) for Policy 13 - Decision Review Requests
Name of person completing EQIA: Linda Scott
Date EQIA completed: 29 July 2022

What type of activity are you planning?

Change to procedure: No
Event: No
New procedure: No
Office Plan/Budget: No
Policy: Yes
Project: No
Service: No
Other (free text):

1. Describe the main aim or purpose of what it is you are planning to do?

Review of policy and wording revision.

2. Who is likely to be affected by this policy, service or change?

Recipients and Award Managers.

3. Do you have enough information to know what the potential impact might be on diverse groups and what that might look like?

The protected characteristics to consider are: Age, Disability, Sex, Race, Religion or Belief, Gender Reassignment, Sexual Orientation, Marriage and Civil Partnership, Pregnancy and Maternity. It will also be helpful to consider these groups more widely in relation to their socio-economic status that includes such factors as educational attainment, occupation, income, wealth and social deprivation.

Please mark as Yes or No. If yes use the Comments column to describe what the potential impact is. What are your sources of evidence?

(Try to think about both positive and negative impacts. There are lots of sources of data to help answer this question. Diversity Networks, the Diversity Report or Diversity & Inclusion team may offer some useful information. Previously completed EQIAs may also offer answers to questions you may have).

Age: Yes
Comments: Recipients are an aging population and we are aware that many of their informal carers are also older people. We recognise the Decision Review process can be a source of additional stress, and as older people, Recipients and their Award Managers are more likely to experience the negative effects of stress.
Sources: https://www.healthscotland.scot/media/1159/optimising-older-people-quality-of-life-strategic-outcomes-model-08-14.pdf and What to do if you are struggling with stress | NHS inform

Disability: Yes
Comments: All recipients are identified as having a substantial disability / impairment. We recognise the Decision Review process can be a source of additional stress, and as disabled people, Recipients and their Award Managers are more likely to experience the negative effects of stress.
Sources: Assessing Stress in Disability: Developing and Piloting the Disability Related Stress Scale - PMC (nih.gov) and Disability and stress: A study in perspectives (researchgate.net)

Gender Reassignment: No
Comments:

Marriage and Civil Partnership: No
Comments:

Pregnancy and Maternity: No
Comments:

Race: No
Comments:

Religion or belief: No
Comments:

Sex: No
Comments:

Sexual orientation: No
Comments:

Is there evidence of any impact on other groups not covered by the protected characteristics? If yes use the Comments column to describe what the potential impact is, what you could do to remove/reduce any negative impact and what you could do to benefit from any positive impact.

(For example, carer status, single parent, economic exclusion. It is important not to limit your thinking just to the protected characteristics listed above. This question is broadening the EQIA out to be more inclusive. The impact might be a negative one (e.g. making that decision could decrease the opportunity for some people to participate) or it could be a positive one (e.g. by making that decision, more people are able to take part in the activity).)

Carers: Yes
Comments: Award Managers are often informal carers for the recipient, and can also experience high levels of stress in their daily lives.
Sources: 2. Chapter 2: Carers' Health and Wellbeing - Scotland's Carers - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

4. Have you consulted with the relevant groups (these could be internal and/or external) or gathered evidence for you to know the potential impact on these different groups affected? What sources have you used to gather information?

If there are any gaps in information that make it difficult or impossible to form an opinion on how your policy, service or change might affect different groups of people, please take the time to gather information to help you make an informed answer (for example, review statistics, survey results, complaints analysis, consultation documents, customer feedback, existing briefings submissions or business reports, comparative policies from external sources and other Government Departments etc).

Desk research, consultation with ILFS Assessors, Specialist Caseworkers, Recipients, Award Managers, Scottish Advisory Group, NI Stakeholder Group.

5. Having analysed the relevant sources of information, what does the evidence tell you? Is there any evidence that the proposed changes will have an adverse equality impact on any of these different groups of people?

Age: Yes - as above
Disability: Yes - as above
Gender Reassignment: No
Marriage and Civil Partnership: No
Pregnancy and Maternity: No
Race: No
Religion or belief: No
Sex: No
Sexual orientation: No

6. Please provide details of who the proposals affect, the adverse impacts and explain how you will minimise or remove the adverse impact.

Recipients and their Award Managers if applicable – to reduce any potential for an adverse impact, the Decision Review process is time limited, and provides an opportunity for additional information to be considered. The policy is available on the ILFS website and available in alternative formats upon request. The management team will consider the request and there is no further right of appeal following the Decision Review process. The exception to this is where the management team has made the original decision, in which case the CEO will consider the request. It is important, therefore, to ensure that the management team / CEO is provided with full and accurate information and evidence upon which they can base any final decision.

7. Is there any evidence that the proposed changes will have a positive impact on any of these different groups of people and/or promote equality of opportunity? Please provide details of which group/ groups benefits from the positive impacts. and how this will be promoted/evaluated.

Age: Yes
Comments: By having a policy for Decision Reviews, equality of opportunity is promoted for older people through the use of a clear, transparent and timely process outlined in the policy document.

Disability: Yes
Comments: By having a policy for Decision Reviews, equality of opportunity is promoted for disabled people through the use of a clear, transparent and timely process outlined in the policy document.

Gender Reassignment: No

Marriage and Civil Partnership: No

Pregnancy and Maternity: No

Race: No

Religion or belief: No

Sex: No

Sexual orientation: No

8. Provide a final summary of the commitments/actions you will take as a result of completing this EQIA. Who will you consult with on your action plan and how will you do this to ensure the relevant stakeholders understand the equality impact?

We will continue to inform Recipients / Award Managers of this policy via our website, and contact with our Assessors and Specialist Caseworkers, Scottish Advisory Group and NI Stakeholder Group.

9. Have you a plan in place to review your actions? Please provide a summary. Will plan require sign off and from where?

Ongoing monitoring and review of policy impact on Recipients and their Award Manager via feedback from Assessors and Specialist Caseworkers, Management Team, and Senior Management Team. Policy will be signed off by Linda Scott, Director of Policy, Improvement and Engagement.