Equality and Diversity Action Plan 2006/07

 

RBH has adopted a range of equality objectives and targets from a variety of sources such as:

• Rochdale Council's Housing Strategy and Black and Minority houisng strategy.
• Government Public Service Agreement Targets.
• Government Best Value Indicators.
• Various RBH policies and strategies e.g., Equality & Diversity policy, Race Equality Scheme, Anti-Social Behaviour policy, Fair Recruitment Policy etc.
• Equality Impact Assessments carried out on our services.
• Government's Housing Inspectorate recommendations.
• Benchmarking groups .

The objectives and targets are set out in an annual Equality & Diversity Plan.  Progress against the Action Plan is monitored by the Equality & Diversity Steering Group with performance on individual service areas being reported to relevant groups such as the staffing sub-committee who monitor personnel related objectives and targets.

Below is an extract from the Equality & Diversity Plan 2006/07 showing the actions/tasks/targets for each team or service area.

Dealing with Anti Social Behaviour
Rehousing
Rent Collection and Arrears Recovery
Repairs
Right to Buy
Tenancy Services
Tenant Participation
Personnel
Training
Information and Customer Care
Corporate

Dealing with Anti Social Behaviour

We will:

• Work in partnership with the Domestic Violence Forum (Consider introduction of domestic violence clause within tenancy agreement. Consider implications of involvement in one stop shop proposal for domestic violence victims)
• Develop a race hate crime reporting centre in conjunction with the Rochdale Centre of Diversity.
• Start planning to improve lighting and street safety on The Strand at Kirkholt. (Instal lighting outside the drop-in centre)
• Introduce initiatives to encourage reporting of racist incidents with a target to increase the number of incidents reported by 3% per year.
• Update CCTV signage, including minority languages.
• Improve information to tenants and residents on the concierge and CCTV service.
• Produce customer information brochure on safeguard security and monitored alarms.
• Ensure all new staff at Kirkholt Drop-In Centre are trained re reporting racial harassment.

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Rehousing

We will:

• Assess financial options for converting smaller harder to let properties into large family accommodation.
• Work with Rochdale MBC to review eligibility criteria affecting access with choice based letting affects registered social landlords.
• Provide access to Housing and Employment Mobility Services (HEMS)/MoveUK Scheme.
• Develop targeted HomeChoice material for disabled applicants.  Incorporate within the overall marketing strategy for applicants.
• Ensure that BME communities are aware of the choice based system and are able to access the system.
• Level of housing need in BME communities to be reflected by the number of Asian Council tenancies.  Long term goal of 14% of all tenancies to be held by BME.
• Ensure a diversity of housing providers in the borough and promote non-traditional areas – Support Surma Housing Co-operative and Ashiana Housing Association with transfer management of stock.
• Automate mutual exchange service if possible within housing management IT system.
• Employ a HomeChoice Access Officer to appraise system for vulnerable applicants.
• Implement findings of HomeChoice report on access to service for vulnerable applicants – Update and re-issue Support Directory and set up supported housing help page on HomeChoice website.
• Carry out equality monitoring of applicantions on the rehousing list, all tenancy allocations, all tenancies and tenancy terminations.

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Rent Collection and Arrears Recovery

We will:

• Ascertain RBH’s obligation to ensure/ability to influence Disability Discrimination Act compliance of Paypoint and Payzone outlets.
• Implement recommendations in report “Improving the effectiveness of rent arrears management”.
• Further to “Rent Arrears Profiling” report of August 2005, analyse reasons for disproportionate percentage of BME tenants facing court action.
• Develop bespoke translation block for current and former arrears and recharges letters.

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Repairs

We will:

• Produce customer information leaflet for gas commissioning and servicing.
• Install minicom system on call centre.

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Right to Buy

We will:

• Carry out equality monitoring of Right to Buy applications.

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Tenancy Services

We will:

• Continue to support the Community Induction Project to increase numbers of BME tenants on a wider number of estates – Monitor lets to BME applicants on an estate basis. Consider further service delivery options with RMBC “Housing Options Team” and how it links to present support package. Work in partnership with RMBC and Burnley Council to submit Connecting Communities Plus bid for funding.
• Review targeted community cohesion/development work across the three Priority Area estates.
• Provide appropriate support to vulnerable tenants.  Raise awareness of all sources of supported accommodation.
• Increase staffing resources at Kirkholt Drop-In Centre.  To provide low level tenancy support to vulnerable households.

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Tenant Participation

We will:

• Address under-representation of BME communities in formal structures for tenant involvement.

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Personnel

We will:

• Continue with talent scouting through an advertising campaign and attendance at job fairs.
• Consider updating Employee Appraisal Scheme in line with requirement to identify equality objectives/targets.
• Review the Fair Recruitment and Selection Code of Practice.
• Review personnel procedures to ensure compliance with new Age discrimination and forthcoming disability equality duty.
• Carry out an annual review of the 2 ticks – Good Employer Scheme.
• Carry out job evaluation exercise and implement findings via a revised pay and grading structure for the company.
• Develop inclusive workforce strategy and carry out equality monitoring of training and employment from recruitment to termination.
• Achieve target to recruit 14% of new employees annually from BME communities.
• Continue to strive for 14% of staff to be from BME communities.

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Training

We will:

• Increase the number of trainees from BME communities.
• Recruit to 3 Intermediate Labour Market disability work placements.
• Establish system to ensure that any/all potential external training venues are checked to ensure accessibility prior to the venue being booked.
• Deliver Equality & Diversity training to all staff and board members.  Consider delivering course to Tenants and Residents Associations and external partner/contractors.

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Information and Customer Care

We will:

• Develop the housing management IT system (IBS) to prompt re special needs requirements e.g. Braille/audio and produce letters in required format e.g. large print.
• Ensure all offices and community bases have consistent signage.
• Clearly advertise at each office in plain language/BME translation, as appropriate, the availability of male/female/BME interviewer where required, private interview facilities and languageline/language express services.
• Ensure staff are aware of the range of translation services that are available.
• Extend knowledge of tenants profile. (Identify appropriate level of information to be collected and method of collection.  Improve the percentage of tenants whose ethnicity is declared.  Identify mechanisms for obtaining and storing information relating to age, gender and household composition).
• Publish RBH’s Race Equality Scheme 2006 – 2009.
• Publish RBH’s revised Equality & Diversity Policy.
• Use Rochdale MBC toolkit to examine guidance on communicating with disabled people.
• Investigate the provision of Braille strip on staff identity badges.
• Carry out a survey to assess language needs of new BME households on Kirkholt and provide language training based on the outcome of the survey.
• Work in partnership with Rochdale MBC to implement the findings of research undertaken by Salford University on the use of the internet amongst the BME community in Rochdale.

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Corporate

We will:

• Hold quarterly meetings of the Equality & Diversity Steering Group.  This group is responsible for monitoring and progressing this Equality & Diversity Action Plan.
• Hold quarterly meetings of the Disability Working Group and review progress.
• Ensure all community bases are accessible and comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) (Complete the programme of work by December 2006).
• Keep up to date with best practice on equality performance indicators.
• Improve monitoring to include all disadvantaged groups.
• Participate in International Women’s Week 2007 (8th March 2007).
• Ensure compliance with the Race Equality’s Code of Practice in Rented Housing can be demonstrated.
• Ensure compliance with the Good Practice Standards for Social Landlords on Tackling Harassment set out in ‘Tackling Racial Harassment: Code of Practice for Social Landlords’ can be demonstrated.
• Consider achieving Level 4 of the Equality Standard.
• Review and report on progress against targets set out in the Race Equality Scheme, Equality & Diversity Policy and Equality & Diversity Action Plan at least annually.
• Ensure all existing and new policies, services and procedures and those that are subject to significant change undergo an equality impact assessment.
• Carry out equality monitoring of complaints, tenant satisfaction and repairs satisfaction with quarterly reports to Company Management Team and half yearly report to The Board.
• Improve access for disabled users of Kirkholt Drop-in Centre.  Investigate the provision of additional parking and disabled parking bay near 10 The Strand.

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