Our services
Equality Focus covers every aspect of equality and diversity, ranging in scope from one-off events such as audits and individual casework, to major programmes of ongoing activity.
Please contact us for a personalised free consultation and quotation for your organisation.
Policy and Planning
The full benefits of diversity can only be achieved when equality runs seamlessly all the way through your business strategies, policies and practices. Equality Focus can help you achieve this and also ensure that all the legal requirements of policy planning are met.
Our consultants have a wealth of relevant experience and can help you devise, review and implement your equality and diversity strategies and policies. Equality Focus can assist with qualitative and quantitative research, target setting, positive action, consultation exercises and impact assessments to enable your organisation to meet the requirements of the equality legislation and ensure that equality and diversity is embedded throughout your organisation.
In addition to this Equality Focus can provide advice and guidance on new proposals, policies and procedures. We can also assist with compiling data for external funding agencies as appropriate and advise organisations on management action to be taken to be taken to comply with equality legislation and best practice.
Support Work Services
Equality Focus offers a complete support worker service for disabled students in Higher Education and disabled people in the workplace.
We provide a flexible service which involves the recruitment of workers, matching approved workers with clients, invoicing and payments. We currently work with many Higher Education Institutions offering a complete service for their student and staff support needs.
Support Workers
Equality Focus offers a wide variety of support workers, including but not limited to note takers, transcription support, mentors and tutors. We offer competitive rates and a bespoke service to clients dependent upon particular needs.
All support workers are recruited and interviewed through the Equality Focus recruitment process and have an enhanced CRB check funded by Equality Focus.
All support workers have appropriate qualifications for their role, they attend regular training and meetings to ensure excellent levels of communication. We also have a monthly networking meeting, to provide a supportive team environment in which general issues can be discussed.
As part of the administration of support workers Equality Focus invoices direct to funding bodies and provides a matching service offering a complete service to the organisation. When funded by the Disabled Students Allowance there is no cost to the organisation We aim to match a support worker as soon as possible, but to take no longer than five working days.
If you would like further information or to meet to discuss how we can support you, please feel free to contact us at anytime.
Audits and Surveys
The key to ensure equality is embedded within an organisation is to understand specific issues and concerns that people may have and then to develop the solutions needed to respond to these findings. The only way to unlock this information is to conduct a full assessment of the situation using a range of methods such as audits, anonymous surveys, focus groups and 1-1 interviews.
Recent equality legislation demands consultation and assessment from all public sector organisations. An external audit or survey can provide review mechanisms to ensure that these legislative requirements are met.
Equality Focus offers an independent service to fully assess your organisation and provide a detailed rounded report and analysis of the situation, also including our recommendations if required. We offer a range of methods all of which will be co-ordinated and communicated by Equality Focus This process is tailored to each organisation and budget.
Positive Action
Are you struggling to know what action to take following a recent event, findings from data collection or results from a survey or audit? Equality Focus will assist you in reviewing the situation and developing an action plan to determine how to move the organisation forward. Let us explain the benefits of positive action and explore together the best ways to enable change in your organisation.
Training and Development
Equality Focus will help your organisation generate and run staff development activities that raise awareness of equality issues. Training and development activities can be arranged over a long term period or on a one off basis on a specific issue. Equality Focus will discuss with clients the best way to support training needs and develop a bespoke programme for the organisation. Examples of previous training courses are generic and bespoke equality and diversity sessions, impact assessment training, training on disability and needs assessment.
Casework
Equality focus will provide a confidential casework service to all members in an organisation. This service might be used to support individuals who feel they have been bullied or who have a complaint they would like to raise.
This service is most commonly used for advice to disabled people to arrange needs and entitlements. Equality focus will discuss with the organisation what level of support is needed and then tailor an individual package for the client.
Coaching
Equality Focus offers a full coaching service. Let us develop an internal scheme for your organisation or simply use us as coaches if you prefer.
Our trained coaches have worked with a variety of people for a number of years. From our experience many people are often more comfortable working with a coach external to the organisation allowing people to talk more freely.
Our services are completely confidential and we work with each organisation to agree the type of coaching that we offer to staff.
Specialist Specific Learning Difficulties Support
The length and structure of the support is flexible, and adapted to meet the needs and priorities of each student or institution. The support can include but is not limited to organisation and time management techniques, reading and writing skills, revision and examinations support, and work place transition. This can be provided for students or staff who need support in their professional life.
Impact Assessment
All public sector organisations must conduct equality impact assessments under the Race Relations Amendment Act, the Disability Discrimination Amendment Act and the Equality Act. At Equality Focus we have a specialist interest in the impact assessment field and have worked with many organisations to create impact assessment policies and procedures, also running tailored training courses in this area.
Let us help you kick start your impact assessment process or simply assist you with your ongoing work in this area.