EQUALITY IMPACT NEEDS ASSESSMENT FORM
TITLE: Prevent Strategy
DIRECTORATE: Chief Executives
EINA
REF:
CE-0906PS
DATE INITIATED: 29/06/2009
COMPLETED: 09/10/2009
Document Live Date: 02 February 2009
Please refer to the Corporate EINA Guidance Manual when completing this form
Author: Shakil Dixon
Version Ref. EINA2.1
Last updated: 23 Jan. 09
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INITIAL SCREENING STAGE
Please complete the following questions to help determine whether an equality impact needs assessment is required.
Name of policy, strategy or function: Building Resilience to Violent Extremism: Delivering the Prevent
Ref: CE-0906PS
Strategy in Birmingham
Responsible Officer: Paul Marriott
Role: Prevent Programme Manager
Directorate: Chief Executives
Assessment Start Date: 29/06/2009
What is the nature of the policy, strategy of function: Strategic
Integral
Other
What is the current status of the policy, strategy or function? New or Proposed
Reviewed
Amended
Does the policy, strategy or function require an equality impact needs assessment (EINA)? Yes
No
Please answer the following questions: 1. What are the main aims, purpose and outcomes of the function, strategy, project or policy and how do these fit in with
the wider aims of the organisation? (State strategic outcome applicable)
BCC has received Government funding to deliver Birmingham's Prevent Strategy, which is part of the Government's wider
CONTEST counter-terrorism strategy. The 5 key strands of Prevent are: challenging the violent extremist ideology and supporting
mainstream voices, disrupting those who promote violent extremism and supporting the institutions where they are active,
supporting individuals who are being targeted and recruited to the cause of violent extremism, increase the resilience of
communities to violent extremism and addressing the grievances that ideologues are exploiting. These are supported by two
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cross-cutting streams of developing understanding, analysis and information and strategic communications. Reduction of violent
extremism is also mentioned in 'Birmingham 2026' under outcome 2: stay safe in a clean, green city.
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2. How will these aims support the Equality Duties to:
1. Promote equality of opportunity?
2. Eliminate discrimination?
3. Eliminate harassment?
4. Promote good community relations?
5. Promote positive attitudes towards disabled people?
6. Encourage participation of disabled people?
7. Consider more favourable treatment of disabled people?
8. Protect and promote human rights?
The Prevent Strategy is deisgned to target outcomes centred around supporting vulnerable people and communities in order to
reduce/stop the likelihood of them becoming/supporting terrorists and/or violent extremists. This outcome will be achieved via
partnership work with other organisations, and via work with communities. The aims support 1, 2, 3, 4 and 8
3. Are there any aspects of the policy, strategy or function, including how it is delivered, or accessed, that could
contribute to inequality? (including human rights)
The Prevent Strategy mainly focuses upon the Muslim community, as this community has been identified as vulnerable regarding
violent extremism in light of the most significant threat coming from Al-Qaida and associated groups which use a distorted
interpretation of Islam, history and contemporary politics to justify their actions.
4. Will the policy have an impact (positive or negative) upon the lives of people, including members of particular
communities and groups? What evidence do you have for this?
The strategy will have a positive impact upon Birmingham citizens, with a specific focus upon Muslim communities. This is
supported by initial findings from the pathfinder external evaluation.
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5. Are particular communities or groups likely to have different needs, experiences and attitudes in relation to the policy,
strategy or function?
Yes
Is an Equality Impact Needs Assessment required?
If your answer to question 2 has identified potential effects and you have answered yes to any of the following questions 3, 4, or 5,
then you should carry out a full EINA. Before proceeding with the EINA you should discuss the scope of the assessment with
colleagues in your service area as well as your local Equality and Diversity Team. You should then move on to use the main EINA
Guidance Manual to carry out the assessment.
If the policy is not relevant to any aspect of the duties or wider equality responsibilities, there is no need to conduct an EINA. In this
event, please contact the Equality and Diversity Team to discuss this decision. If an EINA is not required, please sign the
declaration below.
The policy does not have a significant impact upon equality issues and therefore does not require an EINA.
Officer Name: Sign-off Date:
Summary statement:
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Quality check: screening document has been checked by Equality and Diversity Team:
Name:
Date undertaken:
Screening review statement:
Shakil Dixon
23/07/09
The Prevent Strategy supports 5 of the 8 specific duties. Data to
support the proposals contained within the strategy are
Directorate:
contained within the evaluation report for the Pathfinder.
Chief Executives
Contact number:
303 3965
EINA Task Group Members
Name Job Title Contact Number
1. Paul Marriott
Prevent Programme Manager
464 4693
2. Gemma Williams Researcher Analyst 303 7682
3.
4.
5.
6
7.
8.
9.
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Step 1– scoping the equality impact needs assessment (EINA)
Building on the material included at the screening stage, you should begin the EINA by determining its scope. The EINA should
consider the impact or likely impact of the policy in relation to all areas of our remit, including human rights. The EINA should be
proportionate to the significance and coverage of the policy or function.
Name of the policy, strategy or function
Building Resilience to Violent Extremism - Delivering the Prevent Strategy
1. What are the main aims, purpose and outcomes of the policy and how does it fit in with the wider aims of the
organisation?
BCC has received Government funding to deliver Birmingham's Prevent Strategy, which is part of the Government's wider
CONTEST counter-terrorism strategy. The 5 key strands of Prevent are: challenging the violent extremist ideology and supporting
mainstream voices, disrupting those who promote violent extremism and supporting the institutions where they are active,
supporting individuals who are being targeted and recruited to the cause of violent extremism, increase the resilience of
communities to violent extremism and addressing the grievances that ideologues are exploiting. These are supported by two
cross-cutting streams of developing understanding, analysis and information and strategic communications. Reduction of violent
extremism is also mentioned in 'Birmingham 2026' under outcome 2: stay safe in a clean, green city.
2. List the main activities relating to the policy or function and identify who is likely to benefit from it?
The programme/delivery plan is designed to meet the objectives of the Prevent Strategy, be jointly agreed and managed by West
Midlands Police, Local Authority and other partners, be proportionate to the level of threat in each local area, reflect local needs
and opportunities and set out clear and tangible milestones in tracking progress. Citizens of Birmingham, particularly those within
Muslim communities, will benefit.
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3. What do you already know about the relevance of the policy? What are the main issues you need to consider?
Some things to consider:
• How is the policy likely to affect the promotion of equality in the areas of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, race,
religion or belief, sexual orientation, or human rights?
• How do you think that the policy will meet the needs of different communities and groups?
• What consultation has already been undertaken which is relevant to the development of this policy?
• Are there any examples of existing good practice in this area – such as measures to improve access to the policy among
particular groups?
• Do you think that your policy presents any problems or barriers to any community or group?
Strategy mainly focuses upon Muslim communities within Birmingham, as this community has been identified as being vulnerable.
Some of the projects involved focus upon young people, women, schools and mosques and one project focuses upon the
Somalian Muslim community (young people). Community consultation took place in 2007 to establish areas for Birmingham to
focus upon when delivering it's Prevent Strategy. Good practice examples have been identified via NI35 self-assessment, and via
external evaluation of the pathfinder year, which have lead to continuation of some of the pathfinder projects.
4. What data, research and other evidence or information is available which will be relevant to this EINA?
National Indicator 35 - includes police data, local and Government research
External evaluation of pathfinder year - Waterhouse
5. What further data or information do you need to carry out the assessment?
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None - data collected is ongoing for self-assessment related to NI35
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Step 2 – involvement and consultation
When considering how you will involve and consult other people in developing the policy, you need to think about internal and
external audiences and all areas of our remit.
Please use the table directly below to outline any previous involvement or consultation which is relevant to this policy or function.
Equality target group
1. Briefly describe what you did, with whom, when and where. Please provide a brief
summary of the responses gained and links to relevant documents, as well as any
actions
Age
Disability
Gender
Gender reassignment
Race
Religion or belief
Community consultation took place on 31/1/07, 1/2/07 and 20/2/07 - Cllr Rudge held
meetings (details contained in Prevent Strategy document). Waterhouse external evaluation
of pathfinder year.
Sexual orientation
Human rights
Community consultation took place on 31/1/07, 1/2/07 and 20/2/07 - Cllr Rudge held
meetings (details contained in Prevent Strategy document). Waterhouse external evaluation
of pathfinder year.
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2. What do previous consultations show about the potential take-up of any resulting activities or services?
Waterhouse external evaluation of pathfinder year made recommendations as to which projects to take forward and which Prevent
areas Birmingham should focus upon in further years. Projects are now being monitored and evaluated in line with National
Indicator 35, and Service Level Agreement requirements.
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Step 3 – data collection and evidence
1. What evidence or information do you already have about how this policy might affect equality in any of the areas
covered by our remit, or human rights, and what does this tell you?
Please cite any quantitative (for example, statistical or research) and qualitative evidence (for example, monitoring data,
complaints, surveys, focus groups, questionnaires, meetings, interviews) relating to groups having different needs, experiences or
attitudes in relation to this project. Describe briefly what evidence you have used.
Prevent Strategy has produced a local narrative to provide the Birmingham context - this has used data from the 2001 Census,
West Midlands Police strategic assessment data, community consultation feedback and points raised within the external evaluation
of the pathfinder year. Both quantitative and qualitative data has therefore been used.
2. What does available data tell you about the potential take-up of any resulting activities or services?
Waterhouse evaluation of pathfinder year indicates that PVE projects are well received by those they target. Monthly monitoring of
current projects provides details of take-up of services against targets as set within Service Level Agreements.
3. What additional research or data is required to fill any gaps in your understanding of the potential or known effects of
the policy? Have you considered commissioning new data or research?
Ongoing self-assessment is required as part of National Indicator 35 - this uses data and evidence from a variety of
resources/organisations to show progress against the Prevent objectives.
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Step 4 – assessing impact and strengthening the policy
What evidence do you have about how the policy will affect different groups and communities in relation to equality and human
rights?
1. How does/will the policy or function and resulting activities affect different communities and groups?
Some things to consider:
• Is there any potential for, or known, adverse or positive impacts of the policy?
• You should consider how the policy might affect communities with small populations; people affected by discrimination in multiple
areas of equality (age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, and sexual orientation); specific interest
groups such as small businesses, voluntary sector agencies and other service providers.
• Are there examples of good practice that can be built on?
• You may wish to consider how the policy will be delivered or communicated.
Prevent Strategy mainly focuses upon Muslim communities within Birmingham, as this community has been identified as being
vulnerable. Some of the projects involved focus upon young people, women, schools and mosques and one project focuses upon
the Somalian Muslim community (young people). Projects are designed to make a positive impact upon those engaged. Good
practice examples have been identified via NI35 self-assessment, and via external evaluation of the pathfinder year, which have
lead to continuation of some of the pathfinder projects. A Communications Plan is being developed as a means to communicate
with others around the strategy and it's outcomes.
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2. What measures does, or could, the policy or function include to help promote equality of opportunity?
• For example, positive measures designed to address disadvantage and reach different communities or groups?
Prevent Strategy mainly focuses upon Muslim communities within Birmingham, as this community has been identified as being
vulnerable. Some of the projects involved focus upon young people, women, schools and mosques and one project focuses upon
the Somalian Muslim community (young people).
3. What measures does, or could, the policy or function include to address existing patterns of discrimination,
harassment or disproportionality?
Projects detailed within the strategy aim to tackle issues around extremism, including building communities resilience and
improving community cohesion. This would therefore help to address any patterns of discrimination and/or harassment. The
strategy also includes details of how the police will work with communities to tackle such issues.
4. What impact will the policy or function have on promoting good relations and wider community cohesion?
The strategy hopes to improve relations and cohesion with the Muslim communities within Birmingham, and some of the projects
being delivered are designed to empower these communities and support them. The strategy also involves working in partnership
with West Midlands Police, developing trust and confidence around the strategy within communities. The PVE strategy overall aims
to have an impact on the whole community within Birmingham as it is designed to stop/prevent violent extremism, the effects of
which impact upon all communities.
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5. If the policy or function is likely to have a negative effect (‘adverse impact’), what are the reasons for this?
Including direct or indirect discrimination.
There is a risk of negative impact occurring due to public perception of the Strategy and funding being given to a particular
community (perception from non-Muslim communities) – seen as unfair. There is also a risk of the Muslim community feeling
‘targeted’ and labelled as terrorists, which could add to existing grievances within the community.
6. What practical changes will help reduce any adverse impact on particular groups? For example:
• Changes in communication methods, providing language support, collecting data, revising programmes or involvement activities.
• Have you considered our legal responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act, including treating disabled people more
favourably where necessary?
Some projects are taking place in predominantly white areas to tackle extremist behaviour/attitudes, as well as taking place in
predominantly Muslim areas.
Funding and strategy are both transparent in terms of how the money granted to BCC is being used.
Communications Plan is being developed to make sure that information around Prevent outcomes is shared within communities.
Work around community cohesion and partnership working with Police etc.
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7. What evidence is there that actions to address any negative effects on one area of equality may affect other areas of
equality?
No evidence currently although this may be addressed through community perception surveys taking place within 2009.
8. What will be done to improve access to, and take-up of, services or understanding of the policy or function?
Some things to consider:
• Increasing awareness of the policy or function among staff.
• Reviewing your staffing profile to make sure you reach all parts of local communities.
• Encouraging wider public involvement in our work or communications activities.
• Encourage different groups, including disabled people, to get involved in what we do.
Please note that you may need to revisit this section once you have completed the policy development process.
Increasing awareness of strategy - PVE Steering Group representation includes BCC, partners and representatives from the
community
Monthly project monitoring meetings are attended by project leads, BCC representatives and police representatives - meetings are
designed to share good practice and provide opportunities to develop relevant links with other organisations.
Please note that you may need to revisit this section once you have completed the policy development process.
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Step 5 – procurement and partnerships
Consideration of external contractor obligations and partnership working.
1. Is this project due to be carried out wholly or partly by contractors? If yes, have you done any work to include equality
considerations into the contract already? If you have, please set out what steps you will take to build into all stages of the procurement process the requirement to consider
the general equality duties and equality more broadly.
Specifically you should set out how you will make sure that any partner you work with complies with equality legislation. You will
need to think about:
• tendering and specifications
• awards processes
• contract clauses
• performance measures, and
• monitoring and performance measures.
Some of the projects delivered are Birmingham City Council based so will comply with BCC policies and procedures in relation to
equalities. External organisations are required to submit a copy of their equal opportunities policy as part of the tendering exercise,
otherwise their funding application will be rejected. Equality is also written into the Service Level Agreement terms and conditions
for all projects.
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Step 6 – making a decision
1. Summarise your findings and give an overview of whether the policy or function will meet the authority’s
responsibilities in relation to equality.
PVE is included within the Local Authority Agreement (measured by NI35), Birmingham City Council Plan 2008-2011 and Safer
Birmingham Partnership’s community cohesion strategy. The strategy demonstrates what Birmingham will do to meet the targets
as set in these documents. PVE is also mentioned as a key objective within the Birmingham 2026 sustainable community strategy
document (stay safe in a cleaner, green city).
Steps are in place to ensure that the authority’s responsibilities in relation to equality are being met/already met – this includes
regular monitoring which is used to evidence performance against NI35 and having evidence of equality policies/procedures that
organisations involved in the delivery of the Strategy abide by.
The strategy focuses upon a specific community within Birmingham (Muslim community) as this community has been identified as
being at risk/vulnerable to violent extremism. However it is recognised that this may have a negative impact upon both the wider
community and the Muslim community (see below).
2. What practical actions do you recommend to reduce, justify or remove any adverse/negative impact?
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Some projects are taking place in predominantly white areas to tackle extremist behaviour/attitudes, as well as taking place in
predominantly Muslim areas.
Funding and strategy are both transparent in terms of how the money granted to BCC is being used.
Communications Plan is being developed to make sure that information around Prevent outcomes is shared within communities.
Work around community cohesion and partnership working with Police etc.
Step 7 – monitoring, evaluating and reviewing
1. How will the recommendations of this assessment be built into wider planning and review processes?
• This may include policy reviews, annual plans and use of performance management systems.
NI 35 has been adopted as the national indicator to measure performance against – this is contained within the Local Authority
Agreement and Birmingham City Council’s Plan 2008-2011. NI35 will be measured quarterly and an annual self-assessment will
take place. The Prevent Delivery Plan will also be reviewed annually.
PVE activity may be externally assessed on a periodic basis.
2. How will you monitor the impact and effectiveness of the new policy or function?
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• This could include adaptations or extensions to current monitoring systems, relevant timeframes and a commitment to carry out
an EINA review once the policy has been in place for one year.
NI35 monitoring - ongoing. EINA will become part of annual process.
Monthly monitoring of project progress against Service Level Agreements
Quarterly monitoring of performance against NI35 in relation to BCC Plan and Local Area Agreement
Additional monitoring will also take place within Scrutiny covering Equalities and HR.
3. Give details of how the results of the impact assessment will be published
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BCC website, along with all other EINA documents produced in directorates
Step 8 – action plan
1. Taking into consideration the responses outlined in the Initial Screening Stage and Steps 1-7 of the Full Assessment,
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complete the action plan below.
Ref
Actions
Target
Responsible post
Monitoring post
date
holder and
holder and
directorate
directorate
CE-
Communications Plan finalised to
Dec 2009
Paul Marriott, Chief
Involvement and
0906PS1
include methods for consultation with
Executives
Consultation
internal and external partners and with
the community
CE-
Data obtained for National Indicator 35 March
Gemma Williams,
Data Collection and
0906PS2
– quantitative and qualitative evidence
2010
Chief Executives
Evidence
from variety of sources/organisations
CE-
Data obtained for National Indicator 35 March
Gemma Williams,
Assessment and
0906PS3
– quantitative and qualitative evidence
2010
Chief Executives
Analysis
from variety of sources/organisations
CE-
To use data from NI35 to make sure
April –
Paul Marriott, Chief
Procurement and
0906PS4
that future projects are commissioned
June
Executives
Partnership
according to needs within the
2010
community
CE-
Data obtained for National Indicator 35 March
Gemma Williams,
Monitoring,
0906PS5
– quantitative and qualitative evidence
2010
Chief Executives
Evaluation and
from variety of sources/organisations
Reviewing
Step 9 – sign-off
The final stage of the EINA process is to formally sign off the document as being a complete, rigorous and robust assessment
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The policy, strategy or function has been fully assessed in relation to its potential effects on equality and all relevant
concerns have been addressed.
Lead Officer or Chairperson of EINA Task Group Name:
Job Title:
Directorate
Sign-off Date:
Paul Marriott
PVE Programme Management
Chief Executives
07/07/09
Concluding statement:
Quality Check and Review by Directorate Equality & Diversity Team:
Name:
Directorate Team:
Review Date:
Shakil Dixon
Chief Executives
23/07/09
Summary of strengths and area(s) for improvement:
Service Director or Senior Officer (sign-off)
Name:
Job Title:
Date:
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