North West Equality & Diversity Group (NW E&DG)

Warren Escadale Policy & Research Manager

VSNW

About NW E&DG (1)• One of 9 English Regional Equalities Networks (EREN)• Only cross-sector regional network• Originally fed into GONW, NHS NW and NWDA work• Co-Chaired by Louise Barry (Merseyside Disability Federation) and

Paul Martin (Lesbian and Gay Foundation) • From Summer 2010 secretariat responsibility moved to VSNW,

currently subcontracted to Merseyside Disability Federation. Contract managed by me.

• One of several VSNW-supported third sector networks: environment, volunteering, C&YP, employment learning and skills, health & social care (incl PROMiSE), third sector Infrastructure Partnership (NWIP), BME network (1NW), Five Counties Partnership, older people.

About NW E&DG (2)

• 70+ groups on email contact list: includes regional third sector contacts for older people, younger people, race, faith, women, transgender, sexuality, disability, rural, refugee.

• 200 + members on LinkedIn• Core group attends quarterly meetings• Forum to engage and network• Campaigning and lobbying role when possible

Recent activity: health & social care

• NHS NW’s Five Year Equality Strategy (2009 - 2013?): Narrowing the Gaps (plus Landscape of the Region) available: www.help.northwest.nhs.uk

• Representing equalities issues in new Health Structures (DoH): key roles of HealthWatch, Health & Wellbeing Boards, and NHS NW’s Equality Performance and Improvement Toolkit (EPIT)*: Where VCS equalities voices?

• Work with General Medical Council: ‘Good Medical Practice’ consultation event; potential follow up around ‘revalidation’ (raise issue of equalities in light of possible commissioning functions: first steps approach)

• NW Transition Alliance: • Local HealthWatch in the NW (Consumer Champions )• Health and Wellbeing Boards and Children and Young People (series of

prompt questions, useful for thinking about other groups too)• Feeding into EHRC consultations, recently: The Disability Harassment

Inquiry and Home Care Inquiry (“invaluable support”)• Link to VSNW’s role, through Regional Voices, as a DoH strategic partner

Recent activity: points of info

• NW Community Learning Grants Programme• Equality Act 2010 (latest from EHRC)• LGF’s Sexual Orientation Monitoring project• Tameside Race Equality Framework

Recent activity: Equality research (1)• Aim• 8 month project• Who involved• research team• steering group• equalities networks• places

Recent activity: Equality research (2)

Findings of ‘Open for All? The Changing Nature of Big Society and Localism’: 1.Reforms have come at a cost2.New forms of representation are weak and exclude equalities groups3.Spending cuts are damaging voluntary sector capacity to deliver big society4.The new policy framework is liable to reinstate old patterns of exclusion and discrimination5.Implementation is disproportionately harming the most excluded6.The capacity of equalities groups to participate and hold public bodies to account is heading towards a point of critical failure.

Recent activity: Equality research (3)Next steps:• Informal feedback from DCLG• Recommendations for moving forward:

Responsible Reform: Open Public Services for All

• London launch next week (23rd Feb)• Series of pieces in New Start Magazine

beginning today• One proposal: Joint Equality Needs

Assessments

Key links• Attendance from this network at NW E&DG (Next meeting: 10.30m–

1.00pm, 19th March, Manchester; Bernie asked to speak about this network)

• To join NW E&DG: • Email Rosina Ndukwe (rosina@merseydisability.org.uk) and ask to be

added to the distribution list; and/or • When signed into LinkedIn, request to join the LinkedIn network group

‘North West Equality & Diversity Group (NW E&DG)’: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=3311663

• Open for All? research report: http://www.vsnw.org.uk/publications/reports

• To subscribe to VSNW’s bulletin email policy@vsnw.org.uk with the subject line “Subscribe to VSNW Bulletin”

• To contact me: warren.escadale@vsnw.org.uk or 0161 276 9307/07950 162815