Transcript Using Impact Assessments to Drive Change Dr Helen Mott Bristol Fawcett / University of the West of England [email protected] 10/06/2015

Using Impact Assessments
to Drive Change
Dr Helen Mott
Bristol Fawcett / University of the West of England
[email protected]
10/06/2015
The story of one civil society
impact assessment
http://www.bristolfawcett.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/BristolCuttingWomenOut.pdf
HOUSING
CHILDREN’S
SERVICES
NEIGHBOURHOODS
Reducing housing
support
EqIA
Closing children’s
centres
EqIA
Reducing VAW
services
EqIA
E.g. Impact on victim/survivors of domestic
& sexual violence against women
Domestic
Abuse
victim
Advice services
Why “Equality and Human Rights”?
• Legislative framework (PSED/HRA) –
compliance
• Feeding in to required institutional EqIAs
• Equality – disproportionality
• Human Rights – severity, inhuman /
degrading treatment
Other routes for public bodies to
assess cuts impact
• Fairness Commissions
An alliance between public sector
equality practitioners and civil
society
Drivers
• Cumulative – across sectors
• Intersectional
• Uses our analytical strengths
• Anna Mapson project lead and main author
• Roadmap – Mary-Ann Stephenson at Warwick
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/researc
h/centres/chrp/projects/spendingcuts/resource
s/database/reportsgroups
• Resource for allies in women’s sector
• Resource for practitioners
• Resource for unions
• Resource for politicians
Impact of other cuts on women experiencing violence - A case study
“A woman called our helpline to talk about the increased domestic
abuse she was suffering. Her husband had recently lost his job in the
public sector and the abuse she was suffering from him had
escalated. She believed that this escalation of abuse was due to him
drinking more because of the loss of his employment and the
subsequent financial hardship and stress on family life. She said that
the abuse was mainly emotional and psychological. However, she
was very concerned about whether he would become physically
abusive in the future.”
Womankind 245
“The demand on our services has increased
as other services are cut.
We are working with women with an
increasing range of complex needs; due to
the budget cuts we increasingly have to
advertise posts at a lower salary level which
means we are unable to attract and secure
experienced support staff to manage and
respond to these needs.”
Clare Perriton, Nextlink
Process
• Research phase builds alliances across sectors
• Builds consensus among stakeholders
• “Messenger” is not equality officer
• Multiple channels for communication
• Multiple triggers (motivators) for action (including
threat / reputational risk)
• Equality practitioners can support with resources
• Equality practitioners can invite messenger to
conduct briefings
Outcomes
• Enhanced reach – local and national
• Iterative contribution to statutory EqIAs
• Visible guardianship – increased accountability
& enforcement potential
• Political buy-in
• “Deeper” learning eg cumulative impact
• Protective function – consolidate, reward
• Leverage: outcomes not always linear
Some Take-aways
• Alliance-building – strategic planning
• Engagement – two way communication &
benefit
• Resourcing / SLAs & external funding
• Use universities and the impact agenda
• Outcomes can derive from process
• Borrow from campaign planning