Under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), the University must consider the potential and actual impact on people with different protected characteristics of all its policies, procedures and decisions, as well as of informal practices and customs (‘practices’). The duty applies to any activity where equality and good relations may be relevant, though the level of scrutiny will vary according to their significance.
The duty applies to all levels of the organisation and to individual decision-makers as well as to committees taking decisions. The main areas of attention are likely to be:
- organisational policies and functions
- key decisions
- policies that set criteria or guidelines for others to use
Examples include: policy decisions, budgetary decisions, public appointments, service provision, statutory discretion, individual decisions, employing staff and procurement of goods or services (EHRC, 2014).
Having ‘due regard’ to equality means considering:
- the potential impact during practice development rather than after implementation
- the cumulative impact of multiple practices (policies or decisions)
- the impact of implementing practices that have been developed elsewhere.
There is more information on the Public Sector Equality Duty and ‘due regard’ on the Legal Framework webpage.
The three boxes below contain general guidance on the Public Sector Equality Duty and equality analysis, an equality analysis screening tool and guidance to support you in completing an Equality Impact Assessment.
