in-depth Writing Skills course. We are also in the process of developing Plain language Training which will be rolled out by HR. Review and update database of equality groups for consultations Head of Policy and Legislation Committee Service, Head of Chamber and Committee Service and Head of Research Service Our Committee, Research and Outreach continue to build relationships with a range of equality groups. They are constantly reviewing and developing their contact lists in order to engage more grass roots and community groups in Assembly Business. Priority Objective One: Encouraging and Widening Public Engagement Commitments Actions Lead Responsibility Update - 2015 Focus on engaging grass roots and diverse groups in our engagement and consultation strategies Head of Communications, Head of Policy and Legislation Committee Over the past 12 months our Outreach team has concentrated on engaging directly with affected by the issues considered by Committees. Activities include:
Develop outreach work to increase committee engagement Service, Head of Chamber and Committee Service and Head of Strategic Transformation Establishing a reference of service users and frontline staff for the Health and Social Care Committees inquiry into Alcohol and Substance Misuse. Interviewing a diverse range of young people from across Wales to ask them about their experiences of trying to find work. This contributed to a video shown to the Enterprise and Business Committee for their inquiry into Assisting Young People into Work. Arranging visits for Members of the Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee to hold focus groups with a variety of groups including BAWSO, RNIB, Ebbw Vale Food Bank, the Changing Lives Project, Remploy and Oasis. As part of our annual events programme, we attend a number of community events that are specifically targeted at underrepresented groups, specifically LGBT and BME communities. We constantly look for other events targeted grass roots and diverse groups that could complement our existing events programme.
When organising events at venues across Wales the Events Team always consult with an access group to ensure that reasonable adjustments are made to allow everyone to be able to participate in the events we host. Our BME Action Plan Coordinator has been working with representative groups to identify and remove any barriers to engagement and recruitment. the use of the Assembly estate as an event venue by diverse groups Head of Front of House We collect monthly data on the range of events and exhibitions held on site. We analyse the data to identify any gaps. Ensure access issues are considered for events through equality impact assessments Head of of House Events, Head of Corporate Events Access issues are considered as part of every site visit prior to an event. When delivering Assembly led events access issues are routinely considered. Where appropriate we will ask an external access group to come and assess potential event venues, we will take and act upon their advice when finalising the event venue. We are constantly looking to improve our services and actively seek feedback to ensure that we are meeting the of our diverse customers. Promote the availability of tours and visits to diverse groups Head of Front of House The availability of and visits is promoted to all groups by the Outreach team, the website and by the booking team. We regularly promote tours and visits via social media to reach
We were listed in The Top 50 employers for Women in their 2014 list; We retained our Investors in People Gold Standard. Develop mental health and wellbeing policy Head of HR Operations, Head of Health and Safety The Health and Well-being Strategy was launched, and many of its key points are being implemented including holding events, such as Engagement and Wellbeing day, Mental Health Awareness Week, National Deaf Awareness Week, and the development of a stress management / mental health policy. Equality Impact Assess recruitment practices Head of HR Training, Head of HR Recruitment The Assembly’s recruitment procedure and associated policies are currently being revised following the launch of a revised ‘Recruitment Principles’ document. Equality Impact Assessments and liaison with TUS and Staff networks are a key element of the revision process. Develop guidance outlining the support available for staff networks Head of HR Operations, Equality Manager Following the growth of our staff networks, draft guidance is being re-worked in consultation with staff networks and Trade Unions. Further individual working groups and support networks including pain support and mental health working groups have also been formed.
Priority Objective Three: Supporting Assembly Members and their Staff Actions for 2014-2015 Actions Lead Responsibility Update – March 2015 Develop training and awareness raising strategy for Members and their staff on equality issues Head of Commission and Members’ Support Team, Equality Manager We have updated and shared our equality factsheets and rolled out our online equality training for Members and staff. We have provided other equality-related training to Members and their staff such as Suicide Intervention, McKenzie friend (legal assistance), Welfare Rights, Welfare Appeals, Investing in Children, Personal Independence Payments and Fuel Debt. We are working with the Alzheimer’s Society to roll out Dementia Friends training to Members and their staff. Members and their staff are invited to other training such as disability confidence and supporting LGB staff. On-going commitments Actions Lead Responsibility Update – March 2015 Annually review, update and promote equality guidance for Assembly members Equality Manager, Head of Commission and Members’ Support Team Our Equality Act 2010 guidance was reviewed and reissued to coincide with the launch of Assembly Members’ online equality training in February 2015.
is scheduled to support identified EQIA leads in each service area. Equality Impact Assessing into strategic developments and Project Initiation Documents. Equality Manager, Policy leads Our Projects, Business Analysis and Strategic Transformation teams are all building EQIAs into their work processes. On-going commitments Actions Lead Responsibility Update – March 2015 Ensure Equality is built into the entire procurement process Head of Procurement Equality forms part of the sustainability risk assessment at the very start of a procurement process. Equality is also part of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire. Suppliers who fall short of our expectations on equality are not invited to tender. Our work on social responsibility has seen us look at the supply chain for our goods and we ensure that the living wage is paid to our contractor’s staff working in our buildings. Ensure equality is considered in all areas of legal advice and drafting. Director of Legal Services Our Services Directorate provide advice and guidance to Assembly Members, Committees and Assembly Commission staff. Over the last year, they have provided equality-related advice on a range of areas including procurement and contracts and the development and implementation of our HR policies.
M3 60 34 57 26 43 57 / 43 52 / 48 M2 117 75 64 42 36 64 / 36 73 / 27 M1 54 30 56 24 44 56 / 44 54 / 46 E2 43 22 51 21 49 51 / 49 48 / 52 E1 13 8 62 5 38 62 / 38 58 / 42 Senior 5 2 40 3 60 40 / 60 50 / 50 430 226 53 204 47 53 / 47 52 / 48 We have more than men working in the Assembly overall, and more women than men at each of our Management and Executive Bands. 55.5% of our top two tiers are women. The differential at TS grade can be explained by the high number of male security guards at that level. We have actively targeted women to apply for roles in the security team and have successfully recruited more women to that team. The differential at M2 grade can be explained by the high number of women translators at that level. The increase in the level of men at that grade is a result of the bringing our ICT service in-house. Table 11: Sex and Working Pattern Profile of Workforce In the table below, the percentage refers to the proportion of specified sex at each grade by working pattern. For example, 72.5% of women who are at Team Support grade work full time. Total staff Women Men Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time number Number % Number % Number % Number % Apprentices 6 4 100.0% 0 0.0% 2 100.0% 0 0.0%