Making Equality Impact Assessments more than a tick box exercise

29 March 2023

  • Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) is an important part of the approach to tackling inequality in Wales. EIAs help public services meet their legal duties to avoid discrimination in the decisions they make and to promote equality of opportunity and cohesion. 

    Done well, EIAs are more than a means to show compliance. They support the growth of a mind-set and culture that put issues of equality at the heart of decision-making and policy development. 

    However, what we have seen and heard tells us that public bodies in Wales tend to use their EIAs defensively. Too often, they seem like a tick box exercise to show that the body has thought about equality issues in case of challenge. While legal challenge is of course an important risk to manage, this approach means public bodies are not using EIAs to their full potential, especially in terms of promoting equality and cohesion. 

    This shared learning event aims to assist public bodies to improve use and application of EIAs beyond an exercise in compliance by bringing people together from across public services to share ideas, learning and knowledge. 

    Presentations

    Title Size Link
    The place of Equality Impact Assessments in Advancing Equality 452.24 KB Link
    Equality & Human Rights Commission - Using the PSED for impact 143.16 KB Link