Equality Services
At present, the Equality Unit at the CSA provides a comprehensive service for eight core clients all of which are organisations in the health and social services. This includes:
- giving advice on the implementation of Equality Schemes
- delivering and commissioning training in equality awareness and on specialised issues (such as disability awareness, deaf awareness/ textphone, consultation, conducting equality impact assessments)
- screening policies
- conducting equality impact assessments
- implementing actions arising from equality impact assessments
- developing good practice, guidance and frameworks on specific equality and good relations issues.
The Unit also provides on-going support for queries, develops policy/briefing papers, ensures that requirements of human rights goals set out in the 'Priorities for Action' by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety are met, and acts as a representative on working groups and committees.
The Equality Unit at the CSA also carries out developmental and subsidiary work which includes identifying and exploiting opportunities for new work (i.e. training for new clients, offering comprehensive services to new clients).
The nine core clients which the Equality Unit provides services to are:
Mental Health Commission for Northern Ireland (MHC)
Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service (NIBTS)
Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency (NIMDTA)
Northern Ireland Guardian ad Litem Agency (NIGALA)
Northern Ireland Health Promotion Agency (HPA)
Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council for Nursing and Midwifery (NIPEC)
Northern Ireland Regional Medical Physics Agency (MPA)
Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC)
The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA)