Positive About Inclusion was delighted to be commissioned by the North East Combined Authority (NECA) to deliver training to senior managers and policy leads on embedding considerations of equity, diversity and inclusion into their policy and report writing.
The North East Combined Authority was formed in May 2024 and covers the seven local authority areas of County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland. As such, a number of different approaches to completing equality impact assessments (EIAs) were in place and these needed to be brought together to ensure a consistent approach. Furthermore, levels of confidence in completing these and mitigating any negative considerations identified varied throughout the organisation.
We worked with the team responsible for the education, inclusion and skills portfolio to:
- review the existing process in place, offering advice and guidance on opportunities to streamline and improve this based on our experience of cross-sector best practice
- compile guidance notes to support the consistent completion of equality impact assessments throughout the Combined Authority
- design and deliver an in-person workshop (followed by an online catch up) for senior NECA colleagues to enhance their understanding, this included a collaborative activity designed to put the learning into practice by completing an EIA for a NECA project
Brilliant! Thank you again for an interesting and useful session. The feedback from all attendees has been really good.
Emma Patterson, Inclusive Economy Policy Development Officer
