An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) is an audit and improvement tool that we use at Oxford Brookes University to:
- ensure that our policies, practices, and decisions are fair, meet the needs of their staff, students and wider community and that they do not inadvertently discriminate against any protected equality group
- demonstrate due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), which is required by law, and help to advance equality and support positive improvements.
Conducting an EIA for key decisions on policy or service changes that we intend to introduce enables the University to review the equality and inclusion implications of the decisions that we make, be aware of the consequences of the decisions, understand how those may affect our staff and students in a differential manner and take appropriate actions to mitigate any adverse or differential impact.
The EIA process also enables documented equality deliberations and conclusions and shows transparency and accountability to our wider staff and student community.