City of York Council

Equalities Impact Assessment

 

Who is submitting the proposal?

 

Directorate:

 

Adult Social Care & Integration

Service Area:

 

Assurance & Improvement

Name of the proposal:

 

Development of an Adult Social Care Strategy

Lead officer:

 

Michael Melvin

Date assessment completed:

 

June 2025

Names of those who contributed to the assessment :

Name                                         

  Job title

Organisation

Area of expertise

Mike Richardson

Consultants

NDTi

Strategy Development

Annafie Beaumont

Customer and Contracts Officer

CYC

Consultation and Co-Production

Elaine Taylor

Head of Service – Service Assurance &  Improvement

CYC

Assurance & Improvement

 

Step 1 – Aims and intended outcomes 

 

 

1.1

What is the purpose of the proposal?

Please explain your proposal in Plain English avoiding acronyms and jargon.

 

To produce a strategy that outlines the vision and priorities for Adult Social Care over a three-year period.

 

1.2

Are there any external considerations? (Legislation/government directive/codes of practice etc.)

 

There is no legislation that states we have to have a strategy for ASC; however it is good practice.

 

ASC is governed by the following legislation:-

 

Care Act 2014

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/23/contents/enacted

 

Care and Support Statutory Guidance

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-statutory-guidance/care-and-support-statutory-guidance

 

Children and Families Act 2014

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/6/contents/enacted

 

Mental Capacity Act 2005

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2005/9/contents

 

Mental Health Act 1983 (as amended in 2007)

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2007/12/contents

 

Human Right Act (1998)

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/42/contents

 

Equality Act (2010)

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents

 

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/398815/SEND_Code_of_Practice_January_2015.pdf

 

The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/397649/CA1989_Transitions_guidance.pdf

 

Education Health & Social Care SEND Code of Practice

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25

 

Children & Social Work Act

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2017/16/contents/enacted

 

Children & Families Act 2014

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/6/contents/enacted

 

Working Together 2015

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/592101/Working_Together_to_Safeguard_Children_20170213.pdf

 

Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/35/contents

 

This list is not exhaustive.

 

1.3

Who are the stakeholders and what are their interests?

 

·        Users of ASC – they receive services delivered by the council so may be interested in our priorities

·        Unpaid Carers – they receive services delivered by the council so may be interested in our priorities

·        Providers – deliver commissioned services on behalf of CYC so may be interested in the vision for ASC

·        Community & Voluntary Sector– deliver services to people who receive ASC and their Carers so may be interested in the vision for ASC

·        Residents of City of York – may be friends or family of people who receive services and may need support from Adult Social Care in the future so may be interested in our priorities

·       CYC staff – involved in delivering our care act duties so need to be aware and supportive of the vision, commitments, approaches and priorities

1.4

What results/outcomes do we want to achieve and for whom?  This section should explain what outcomes you want to achieve for service users, staff and/or the wider community. Demonstrate how the proposal links to the Council Plan (2019- 2023) and other corporate strategies and plans.

 

Users of ASC & unpaid Carers -  We want people in York who have care and support needs and their carers to have the best possible quality of life, with the opportunity to make choices and do those things that are most important to them and make their lives worthwhile.  Our role is to help those with care and support needs and their carers live happier, healthier, and more independent lives.

 

Providers, CVS & Staff - We will provide high-quality support that adapts to different needs while working with people to include them in decisions about their care. We will make sure that our services are safe and fair, and invest in a skilled team that can offer the very best advice and support. We will use our data and information to guide our decisions and collaborate closely with partners across all sectors to achieve the best outcome.

 

Our approach focuses on building on the strengths of individuals and communities to help them grow and succeed

We will work together to provide safe and high-quality care and support, making sure fairness and independence are at the heart of everything we do.

 

We are committed to ensuring staff have the training, resources, and respect they need to deliver excellent care and support. We will commit to the development, wellbeing, and best working conditions for everyone in the care sector.

 

Links to council plan

 

Council Plan

Adult Social Care Strategy

Our vision of a healthier, fairer, more affordable, more sustainable and more accessible city where everyone feels valued.

·        Use our resources fairly and wisely

·        Value carers

Health Inequalities

·        Prevent reduce and delay the need for care and support

·        Make sure homes support independence

·        Work with health services to improve care

·        Promote wellbeing at every stage of life

·        Support people to live well at home and in their community

·        Work together for better care and support

·        Provide high quality and flexible support

Equalities and Human Rights

·        Use evidence and insight to make the best decisions to understand what is working well and where gaps or inequalities remain.

                       

 

 

Step 2 – Gathering the information and feedback 

 

2.1

What sources of data, evidence and consultation feedback do we have to help us understand the impact of the proposal on equality rights and human rights? Please consider a range of sources, including: consultation exercises, surveys, feedback from staff, stakeholders, participants, research reports, the views of equality groups, as well your own experience of working in this area etc.

 Source of data/supporting evidence

Reason for using

Consultation – survey on-line

 

To reach as wide a range of audience as possible and give us quantitative and qualitative data on each aspect of the strategy.

Consultation – survey hard copy

 

To reach as wide a range of audience as possible and give us quantitative and qualitative data on each aspect of the strategy, ensuring feedback was accessible and available to digitally excluded people.

 

Easy read version was also available and BSL instructions to ensure full participation.

Consultation - Face to Face sessions

 

To reach as wide a range of audience as possible we reached out to Learning Disability community groups and the D/deaf community and older people.  We also reached out to wider community groups for Mental Health, however these groups did not participate in a face-to-face session.

Consultation - Staff Sessions

To ensure staff were supportive and engaged with the vision and direction of travel for adult social care and had the chance to develop and influence the final version.

 

Step 3 – Gaps in data and knowledge

                                                        

 

3.1

What are the main gaps in information and understanding of the impact of your proposal?  Please indicate how any gaps will be dealt with.

Gaps in data or knowledge

Action to deal with this

There is limited data on the impact of caring unpaid carers locally and access to support, including young carers.

Work with public health and education to improve data available corporately, which will be tackled as part of the Carers strategy implementation

 

 

 

 

Step 4 – Analysing the impacts or effects.

 

4.1

Please consider what the evidence tells you about the likely impact (positive or negative) on people sharing a protected characteristic, i.e. how significant could the impacts be if we did not make any adjustments? Remember the duty is also positive – so please identify where the proposal offers opportunities to promote equality and/or foster good relations.

Equality Groups

and

Human Rights.

Key Findings/Impacts

Positive (+)

Negative (-)

Neutral (0) 

High (H) Medium (M) Low (L)

Age

ASC’s main customer group are older adults

+

 

Disability

 

Work is underway to review accommodation availability and how we link our ASC demand with our housing strategy.  Part of this work is looking at types of accommodation that meets people varying needs.

 

+

 

Gender

 

We have a vision to reduce unfair differences in health and wellbeing, make support easier to access, and a commitment to use our resources fairly. This is intended to have a positive impact on groups that have been treated unfairly and not had equal access to support.

 

+

 

Gender Reassignment

We have a vision to reduce unfair differences in health and wellbeing, make support easier to access, and a commitment to use our resources fairly. This is intended to have a positive impact on groups that have been treated unfairly and not had equal access to support.

 

+

 

Marriage and civil partnership

Neutral impact

0

 

Pregnancy

and maternity

Neutral impact

0

 

Race

We have a vision to reduce unfair differences in health and wellbeing, make support easier to access, and a commitment to use our resources fairly. This is intended to have a positive impact on groups that have been treated unfairly and not had equal access to support.

 

+

 

Religion

and belief

We have a vision to reduce unfair differences in health and wellbeing, make support easier to access, and a commitment to use our resources fairly. This is intended to have a positive impact on groups that have been treated unfairly and not had equal access to support.

 

+

 

Sexual

orientation

We have a vision to reduce unfair differences in health and wellbeing, make support easier to access, and a commitment to use our resources fairly. This is intended to have a positive impact on groups that have been treated unfairly and not had equal access to support.

 

+

 

Other Socio-economic groups including :

Could other socio-economic groups be affected e.g. carers, ex-offenders, low incomes?

 

Carer

Carers Strategy being co-produced with action plan to address areas for improvement

+

 

Low income

groups

We have a vision to reduce unfair differences in health and wellbeing, make support easier to access, and a commitment to use our resources fairly. This is intended to have a positive impact on groups that have been treated unfairly and not had equal access to support.

 

+

 

Veterans, Armed Forces Community

Neutral impact

0

 

Other

 

Neutral impact

0

 

Impact on human rights:

 

 

List any human rights impacted.

This strategy for adult social care aims to help people to live well, with dignity and independence whilst protecting their human rights.

+

 

 

Use the following guidance to inform your responses:

Indicate:

-         Where you think that the proposal could have a POSITIVE impact on any of the equality groups like promoting equality and equal opportunities or improving relations within equality groups

-         Where you think that the proposal could have a NEGATIVE impact on any of the equality groups, i.e. it could disadvantage them

-         Where you think that this proposal has a NEUTRAL effect on any of the equality groups listed below i.e. it has no effect currently on equality groups.

 

It is important to remember that a proposal may be highly relevant to one aspect of equality and not relevant to another.

 

 

High impact

(The proposal or process is very equality relevant)

There is significant potential for or evidence of adverse impact

The proposal is institution wide or public facing

The proposal has consequences for or affects significant numbers of people

The proposal has the potential to make a significant contribution to promoting equality and the exercise of human rights.

 

Medium impact

(The proposal or process is somewhat equality relevant)

There is some evidence to suggest potential for or evidence of adverse impact

The proposal is institution wide or across services, but mainly internal

The proposal has consequences for or affects some people

The proposal has the potential to make a contribution to promoting equality and the exercise of human rights

 

Low impact

(The proposal or process might be equality relevant)

There is little evidence to suggest that the proposal could result in adverse impact

The proposal operates in a limited way

The proposal has consequences for or affects few people

The proposal may have the potential to contribute to promoting equality and the exercise of human rights

 

 

Step 5 - Mitigating adverse impacts and maximising positive impacts

 

5.1

Based on your findings, explain ways you plan to mitigate any unlawful prohibited conduct or unwanted adverse impact. Where positive impacts have been identified, what is being done to optimise opportunities to advance equality or foster good relations?

 

There EIA does not identify any unlawful or prohibited conduct or unwanted adverse impact.

 

Positive Impact - The delivery/action plan (also ASC Service Plan) that sits behind the strategy contains several workstreams that address inequality such as:-

·        Connecting our cities - creation of mental health hubs across the city

·        Developing a carers strategy and action plan

·        Reviewing our approach to Direct Payments

·        Development of a Co-Production and Research strategy

·        Setting up a Learning Disability partnership board

                                                         

There is also a corporate approach to homelessness, Gypsy and traveller and migrant communities, which adults social care are actively involved in.

 

 

 

Step 6 – Recommendations and conclusions of the assessment

 

6.1  

Having considered the potential or actual impacts you should be in a position to make an informed judgement on what should be done. In all cases, document your reasoning that justifies your decision. There are four main options you can take:

-    No major change to the proposal – the EIA demonstrates the proposal is robust.  There is no                     

   potential  for unlawful discrimination or adverse impact and you have taken all opportunities to

   advance equality and foster good relations, subject to continuing monitor and review.

-         Adjust the proposal the EIA identifies potential problems or missed opportunities. This involves taking steps to remove any barriers, to better advance quality or to foster good relations.

 

-         Continue with the proposal (despite the potential for adverse impact) – you should clearly set out the justifications for doing this and how you believe the decision is compatible with our obligations under the duty

 

-         Stop and remove the proposal – if there are adverse effects that are not justified and cannot be mitigated, you should consider stopping the proposal altogether. If a proposal leads to unlawful discrimination it should be removed or changed.

 

Important: If there are any adverse impacts you cannot mitigate, please provide a compelling reason in the justification column.

Option selected

Conclusions/justification

No major change to the proposal – the EIA demonstrates the proposal is robust.  There is no potential  for unlawful discrimination or adverse impact, and we have taken all opportunities to    advance equality and foster good relations, subject to continuing monitor and review.

The strategy is inclusive to all users of adult social care and attempts have been made to engage a wide range of people in the consultation process to ensure that all views and impacts were considered for the final version.

 

It is a live strategy, and the action plan will be updated in response to the changing needs of people who use our services, their families and unpaid carers and in response to any changes in legislation.

 

Step 7 – Summary of agreed actions resulting from the assessment

 

7.1

What action, by whom, will be undertaken as a result of the impact assessment.

Impact/issue    

Action to be taken

Person responsible

Timescale

Lack of data on local carers

Already included in the Carers Strategy work

Commissioning – Zoe Delaney

1 year

Impact on protected characteristics and other marginalised groups

Improve reporting of impact of ASC on protected characteristics and other marginalised groups, including variance in outcomes

Sara Storey

1 year

 

Step 8 - Monitor, review and improve

 

 

8. 1

How will the impact of your proposal be monitored and improved upon going forward?   Consider how will you identify the impact of activities on protected characteristics and other marginalised groups going forward? How will any learning and enhancements be capitalised on and embedded?

 

The impact on the overall ASC delivery and impact on marginalised groups will be reported via improved Performance reporting, however each individual project that impacts on our community will have a separate equality impact assessment to identify the impact and the measures on that piece of work.

 

Adult Social Care will also produce a Local Account later this year outlining what the public and our service users said and what we did in response.