Good Practice Seminars

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Good Practice Seminars

• Equal Opportunities and Empowerment
• GB Equal Support Unit
• November / December 2003

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Why this seminar?

• First in series of seminars addressing leading
  principles of Equal
• Equal opportunities and empowerment highlighted
  as areas of interest by mid-term evaluation
  of Equal and Support Units own survey
• Coincides with mid-way point of Action 2
• chance to review
• chance to learn from and build on work so far

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Objectives

• To share experiences of fostering equal
  opportunities and empowerment with
• other DPs
• practitioners and policy makers outside of Equal
• To identify issues and problems arising
• To provide mutual support
• To identify and disseminate emerging good practice

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Guides to equal opportunitiesand empowerment

• Draft guides on leading principles of Equal
• Give practical insight into principles, including
  case studies and examples
• Based on research of DPs and projects funded
  under previous/other initiatives
• Use this seminar to enrich and elaborate drafts
• Due for publication in New Year

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Agenda

• 10.30am Equal opportunities workshop
• 12.30pm Lunch
• 1.30pm Empowerment workshop
• 3.30pm Close

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Domestics
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Whats special about Equal? (1)

• Flagship programme for equal opportunities
• about defining and reaching highest standards of
  equality
• about making equal opportunities integral, rather
  than a bolt-on
• Innovation - test bed for new ways of combating
  discrimination and inequality in labour market

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Whats special about Equal? (2)

• Works to combat all forms of discrimination and
  inequality
• goes beyond current legislative requirements
• provides leading-edge examples to underpin and
  inform emerging policy and legislation - notably
  in relation to sexual orientation, religion or
  belief, and age
• contributes to and broadens equality debate

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Whats special about Equal? (3)

• Equal opportunities sub-group for Objective 3 and
  Equal
• Equal opportunities assessment process for Equal
  has been mainstreamed in Objective 3, LSCs and
  Job Centre Plus
• Abundance of theoretical writings on empowerment
  - translates this theory into practical solutions

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What do we mean byequal opportunities and
diversity?

• Equal opportunities centre on principle of
  fairness
• about ensuring that all people are treated fairly
  and not discriminated against
• Diversity recognises and values difference
• about addressing differing needs and rights of
  all sections of community
• Not just about minorities

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Equality Standard (1)

• Local Government Equality Standard five levels
• Level 1 commitment to comprehensive equality
  policy
• DPA equal opportunities policy
• commitment to change
• signed up to by all stakeholders, including
  target groups

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Equality Standard (2)

• Level 2 assessment and consultation
• establishes baseline position
• on-going
• opportunities for empowerment
• Level 3 setting equality objectives and targets
• DPA equal opportunities action plan
• SMART
• covers DP management and service delivery

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Equality Standard (3)

• Level 4 information systems and monitoring
  against targets
• issues of sensitivity
• monitor non-participants
• Level 5 achieving and reviewing outcomes
• at regular intervals
• equal opportunities committee or officer

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What do we mean byempowerment? (1)

• those who have little or no influence, such
  as excluded people, are able to acquire the
  capacity to have informed opinions, take
  initiatives, make independent choices and
  influence change those with influence actively
  change their attitudes, systems and rules, and
  change the way decisions are made by engaging
  with excluded people (EIG)

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What do we mean byempowerment? (2)

• Can be viewed as abstract
• Range of definitions and perspectives
• Radical concept, implying a shift in power
• Two-way process
• Should empower partners, as well as target groups

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Types of empowerment

• Promoting individual empowerment
• Promoting collective empowerment
• Involving beneficiaries in DP development,
  design, evaluation and dissemination
• Changing attitudes and behaviours of key actors,
  and systems and structures

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Process or outcome?

• Are you empowering individuals or groups as an
  end result of your activity? - outcome
• Are you empowering individuals or groups by
  involving them in the design and delivery of your
  activity? - process

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Monitoring and evaluation

• Essential for determining true extent of equal
  opportunities and empowerment
• Underpin commitment to change
• Should include qualitative, as well as
  quantitative data
• Should include soft indicators

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Mainstreaming potential

• Think beyond your Theme
• What equal opportunities and empowerment actions
  can be mainstreamed?
• Capture evidence to demonstrate success of these
  actions
• Make links with policy audiences now

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Outcomes

• Published guides on equal opportunities and
  empowerment
• Seminar materials and overheads
• Seminar write-up
• On Equal website www.equal.ecotec.co.uk