The Equality Framework for Local Government

A brief summary of the Equality Framework and Solihull Council's performance within it to reach the 'Achieving' level.

At the end of October 2009, Solihull Council was assessed as having reached the 'Achieving Level' of the new Equality Framework for Local Government (EFLG).  This confirmed our own assessment of how well we are performing as a Council in our commitment to close the gap of inequality in the borough, including Council services, and work with other organisations in Solihull to ensure everyone is treated fairly.

We were the first Council to be assessed in this way under the EFLG.

What is the Equality Framework for Local Government?

The EFLG is the tool used by councils to mainstream equality into all their functions and responsibilities. 'Mainstreaming' is the term used for ensuring that equality and diversity considerations are included in all policies and services at all levels and at all stages.

It was introduced by the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) in April 2009 to replace the Equality Standard for Local Government, which had been used for several years to gauge the equalities performance of local authorities.  The biggest changes in approach between the Standard and the Framework are much greater emphasis on councils knowing their communities and responding to the needs and wishes of those communities, together with an assessment of how councils work with partner organisations to support communities.  

There is greater emphasis on councils being able to demonstrate that they are improving the lives of people in those communities.  This is done by measuring the value of outcomes and achievements that result from the equality plans and actions they develop. 

As with the Standard, the EFLG has a strong focus on consultation and monitoring to make sure that we are meeting the needs of all groups.

The Achieving Level

We had achieved Level 2 (out of five levels) of the old Equality Standard and we were working towards Level 3, which corresponds to the "Developing" level within the EFLG. There are three levels of assessment within the Framework:  Developing, Achieving and Excellent.  

Our original performance target for 2009/10 was to demonstrate that we had progressed to Level 3 of the Standard, and the new equivalent to this level in the Framework is ‘Achieving’.

We had to assess our own performance against the requirements of the EFLG and submit a detailed report to IDeA on our findings, together with extensive supporting evidence, followed by an external assessment.

The EFLG covers five themes:

• ‘knowing our communities and equality mapping’
• ‘place shaping, leadership, partnership and organisational commitment’
• ‘community engagement and satisfaction’
• ‘responsive services and customer care’
• ‘modern and diverse workforce’

Further information on the Equality Framework for Local Government can be found on the website for IDeA.