Contour Housing: Equality Impact Assessment Training

With over 20,000 properties across the North West, Contour Housing Group is one of the region’s largest registered social landlords. Equality Works has recently supported Contour in its work to embed Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) processes throughout the group structure.

Equality Works was initially commissioned to prepare and deliver a pilot EqIA workshop with managers at Hyndburn Homes (one of Contour’s subsidiaries) in July 2007. We know from our experience that EqIA training is most effective where participants can apply their learning immediately and seek feedback and support from a consultant whilst they do this. So we were delighted to have the opportunity to work with Contour Housing in this way.

Hyndburn Homes had decided to start its EqIA programme by looking at their Customer Services. Having met with key managers to agree objectives and identify relevant information, Equality Works reviewed a bundle of key documents. These included STATUS resident survey reports, business plans, customer charters, minutes of the Customer Care and Equality Diversity consultation groups, self-assessment and mock inspection reports and tenant profile statistics. We also reviewed 2001 Census data and relevant documents from Hyndburn Borough Council, such as the Black and Minority Ethnic Housing Needs Assessment. We produced an ‘evidence pack’, which contained information, comments, statistical data and relevant policy aims for each of the equality strands relevant to the Customer Services function.

The one-day workshop for senior managers consisted of:

• Training input to ensure a shared understanding of EqIA;
• Activities to develop skills in analysing equalities data;
• An opportunity to look at and apply Contour’s own toolkit; and
• A ‘live’ EqIA scoping of Customer Services, using the evidence pack and supported by a consultant.

The session was well received and participants were in a position to write up the initial EqIA at the end of the day. Equality Works has now been commissioned to roll out this approach to others in the group.