Adult Social Care and Health department equality and diversity
Nottinghamshire Adult Social Care and Health Department has a framework for equality and diversity [PDF 460KB] which drives and supports the achievement of equality and diversity in all aspects of our work. Our Assistant Directors are responsible for carrying out the objectives within the Framework and these are also reflected in our annual Business Plan targets. The Framework includes all issues concerned with race, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion and belief.
We produce an annual Equality Action Plan, approved by Directorate and monitored by our Equalities Steering Group to achieve our targets.
We play a leading role in all corporate Equality and Diversity initiatives and are presently preparing for assessment at Level 3 (of 5) of the Local Government Equality Standards. We have completed a self-assessment of our present position and are taking the necessary steps to ensure our compliance with this corporate milestone.
One of our key achievements recently has been the completion of 15 Equality Service Diversity Reviews, which require in-depth analysis of our functions, policies and procedures to ensure that their effects do not discriminate against any vulnerable group, either in the community or among our staff. These are available for public scrutiny on the corporate website.
Our Black Workers' Support Group (BWSG) has been in existence since 1980 and has recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary in a major event at County Hall. The Group offers black colleagues an independent voice and forum, challenging racism and supporting its members in the workplace. It plays a central role in developing appropriate services and, through its membership, provides an opportunity for community participants to influence the Department.
The BWSG have volunteer link workers who support staff who find themselves in difficulty as well as a departmental Mediation Service to mediate when necessary with their managers. The BWSG is proactive and tries to constructively challenge departmental procedures and processes on race-related issues. The Group meet quarterly with the Director and helps develop bi-annual action plans through special staff conferences held with senior management. This has proved to be an effective way to identify problems and bring about improvements through positive commitment and negotiation.
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