Inclusion and Cohesion

Diversity Toolkit

This Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit has been developed to support and encourage the voluntary and community sector to address diversity and inclusion in all their organisational activities. There are some questions for you and the people in your organisation to think about. This includes management committees/directors/trustees, staff, volunteers and other people you work with. There are also some activities included in the appendices.

Click here to view the Diversity Toolkit 

Consultation on the Equality Framework for Local Government

The Equality Standard for Local Government (ESLG) was established in 2001 as a

Performance and improvement framework, to enable local authorities to mainstream equality.  It has now been revised to take account of the feedback from local authorities and the challenges and opportunities introduced by the local government white paper ‘Strong and Prosperous Communities’ and the new performance and assessment framework.

This new Equality Framework for Local Government (EFLG) has been designed to build on existing work.

Click here to view the framework

Communities and Local Government: Cohesion Research

"This release provides headline findings from the Citizenship Survey, covering April-June 2008 (the first quarter of the 2008-09 survey). The release is divided into three sections covering empowered and active communities; community cohesion; and prejudice and discrimination."

Click here to read the survey results

The Equality Standard for Local Government

"The Equality Standard is a tool to combat the institutional processes that lead to discrimination as part of the culture, administration and governance that can be found in many public organisations.  Prevailing assumptions and practices can set up barriers that prevent fair access to services and equal employment opportunities, which in turn can discriminate against people on the grounds of age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation.  Working with the Equality Standard will enable local authorities to mainstream equality, which will ensure that discriminatory barriers are identified and removed.  The revised Standard has been developed to provide a common approach for dealing with all equality strands and this integrated approach is important because it supports the principle that there is no ‘hierarchy’ of discrimination.  This approach will also develop understanding of the inter-relationship between equality issues – individuals do not fit into one neat box, but instead may be affected by more than one aspect of discrimination.  Taking a generic approach should not, however, lead to the view that all the equality strands can be dealt with as a single issue – the specific barriers will vary and each strand requires separate consideration.  The Standard is intended to be consistent with the changing legislative framework for equality and should help local authorities comply with the equality duties, although they do not take an incremental approach."

Click here to view the full document

Communities and Local Government: Cohesion Guidance for Funders -Consultation

"In June 2007, the Commission on Integration and Cohesion published Our Shared Future, setting out practical ways in which local authorities could help to build strong communities by promoting cohesion and integration locally.

This consultation document is an important part of the response to the Commission.  It follows the recommendations the Commission made about what it termed “single group funding” – and the idea that funders should not automatically award grants to third sector activities organised on the basis of single identities, but should consider how their funding can be used to provide opportunities for interaction."

Click here to read the full report

SINGLE-MINDED PURSUIT

Government guidance on cohesion is thought to have spurred some councils to stop funding black and minority ethnic charities. But now a high court victory could force a serious rethink. Click here to read Saba Salman's report in the Guardian

   Sunderland Community Network, Riverview House, West Wear Street, Sunderland, SR1 1XD.  Click here for map.