The Equality Standard provides a way to assess our commitment to make equality a true part of what we do.
We are currently at Level 2 of the Equality Standard, this shows that we are progressing towards our goal. We will use the Equality Standard to monitor our progress in achieving what we set out to do in the Cumbria Equality Scheme.
We have set ourselves the ambitious target of reaching Level 5 of the Equality Standard by April 2010. A Level 5 authority can clearly demonstrate tha the quality of life for all six equality strands has improved. We have also chosen Level 5 as our target, because we can only achieve that level by an external inspection. At present time no County Council has achieve Level 5 of the Equality Standard, so we intend to be pioneers in this field.
The Equality Standard for Local Government (external site, opens in a new window)
Key Milestones
Assessment against the Equality Standard is based on the progress of the least performing Directorate. This requires a Council-wide consistent approach. The key milestones for reaching Level 5 are:
| Level | Key Achievements | Date | Method of Assessment |
| 1 | Corporate Equality Policy; clear decision-making structure; resources committed; commitment to equal pay review; commitment for Equality & Diversity training | April 2005 (achieved) | Self assessment |
| 2 | Equality impact assessments carried out in all Directorates; effective engagement with communities from the six equality strands; equality objectives in employee appraisals | January 2007 (achieved) | Self assessment |
| 3 | Equality objectives and targets for all services and reflected in Service Plans; corporate mechanism for monitoring progress; monitoring in place for all six equality strands across all services; completion of the equal pay review; embedded awareness of equality across all staff groups, managers and members | May 2008 | External inspection of the county council |
| 4 | All services monitoring equality objectives against outcomes; second year of targets adjusted to meet monitoring | April 2009 | Self assessment |
| 5 | clear improvement in outcomes for all six equality strands; progress against Local Agreements Targets show improved outcomes for all six equality groups; clear proof of improved user satisfaction across all six equality strands; evidence of improvements in attitudes towards diversity among the wider Cumbrian population; complete implementation of the findings of the equal pay review | April 2010 | External inspection |