Equality

Thursday October 7th 2010, Kingsway Hall Hotel - London, 09:00 - 16:20

Equality and Diversity in the 21st Century: Creating a Fairer Society

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Overview

Creating a commitment to equality is based on the understanding that equality is good for the individual, society and the economy. Age discrimination alone is estimated to cost the UK economy £31 billion annually and health inequalities cost the NHS an additional £5.5 billion every year.

In May 2010 the coalition government published their ongoing priorities for the next parliamentary term. Strategies include a pledge to promote equal pay in the workplace, gender equality on the boards of listed companies and to undertake a fair-pay review in the public sector. The coalition government have also pledged to undertake a consultation on the extension of flexible working.

Prior to this, the Labour government placed eradicating inequality at the heart of its policy agenda, introducing several pieces of anti-discrimination legislation such as the National Minimum Wage and the Equality Act 2006, and establishing a number of prestigious governing bodies including the Government Equalities Office and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Current inequality legislation covers four forms of discrimination - direct and indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation on the grounds of sex, race, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, disability and gender reassignment. The Equality Bill received Royal Assent in April 2010. The new Act consolidates existing anti-discrimination legislation into one piece of over-arching policy and extends legislation to include the provision of goods, services and facilities. The impact of the Act will resonate throughout the public and private sectors, with the main measures of the Act expected to be implemented in October 2010.

The Act will place several new requirements on public and private sectors. Private sector organisations with staffing levels over 250 will have to publish data on the pay-gap between staff and will no longer be able to question job candidates about their health or disabilities during the recruitment process. The single Public Sector Equality Duty is expected in April 2011 and through the standardisation and extension of existing duties, the public sector will have a duty to consider fair access for all and reducing socio-economic disadvantage when designing services.

Agenda

Delegates at this forum will hear how the Equality Act will work in practice, the impact on their organisation and what they can do to prepare for its full implementation. With presentations from various sectors, this forum will offer a timely opportunity to discuss the ramifications of the Act and hear case studies from leading practitioners.

09:00	Registration and Coffee
09:40	Chair’s Welcome Address Sarah Spencer CBE, Chair, Equality and Diversity Forum (CONFIRMED)
09:55	Opening Keynote: Towards a Fairer Society What are the key inequality challenges? What are the causes and consequences of inequality? What are the new Government’s priorities? Flexible working and the drive towards equal pay The business case for equality Helping individuals understand their rights and responsibilities Implementing the Equality Act 2010 The challenges for business, public and the voluntary sectors Jonathan Rees, Director General, Government Equalities Office (CONFIRMED)
10:15	Implementing the Equality Act - Equality and Diversity Legislation Delivering fairness for all The measures in place to enforce the Equality Act Providing straight forward, practical guidance The link between the Equality Act and the Human Rights Act Ensuring public sector bodies protect the rights of disabled individuals How can public and private sector organizations prepare for the implementation of the Equality Act? The challenge for local authorities, public bodies and employers Ensuring access to justice to those who have been discriminated against Wendy Hewitt, Interim Director of Legal Enforcement, Equality and Human Rights Commission (CONFIRMED)
10:35	Bridging the Skills Gap The link between increased skills, employment and a fairer society The impact of the recession on equality drives Challenges in increasing transparency in the workplace Policy mechanisms to increase equality in employment and skills Abigail Gibson, Senior Policy Analyst, UK Commission for Employment and Skills (CONFIRMED)
10:55	Questions and Answers Session
11:15	Coffee Break and Networking
11:45	Promoting Fair Access Across the Public Sector How have local authorities worked in partnership to promote equality? The effect of equality legislation on the public sector workforce How to ensure disadvantaged groups access information, advice, and guidance Tackling private sector discrimination through the procurement process and commissioning of services Understanding and preparing for the single Public Sector Equality Duty How have local authorities used the Equality Framework for Local Government to tackle inequality Michael Keating, National Advisor for Equalities and Cohesion, Local Government Improvement and Development (CONFIRMED)
12:05	Equality and Diversity in the Workforce Why does diversity in the workplace matter? Are additional steps needed to improve access to jobs? The impact of the recession on inequality Are further measures required to tackle pay inequity? The business case for engaging with union equality representatives The extension of flexible working Sally Brett, Senior Policy Officer, Equality and Employment Rights, Trades Union Congress (CONFIRMED)
12:25	Health Inequalities - Learning Lesson’s from the Marmot Review The key challenges to tackling health inequalities The impact inequality has on the NHS - an annual additional £5.5 billion Promoting equality across all diversity strands What further training does the workforce require in order to meet the needs of all service users? Working with the Government Equalities Office to tackle age discrimination in the NHS Ensuring fair access to NHS services - developing a joined-up approach across local services to reduce health inequalities The role of commissioning in tackling inequality Learning lessons - the Marmot Review and beyond Surinder Sharma, National Director for Equality and Human Rights, Department of Health and NHS (CONFIRMED)
12:45	School Leadership and Education Inclusiveness The role of the education sector in reducing inequality Reducing inequalities faced by teachers at work School leadership What further measures can be taken to tackle discrimination in schools? Darren Northcott, National Official (Education), NASUWT (CONFIRMED)
13:05	Questions and Answers Session
13:30	Lunch and Networking
14:30	Afternoon Panel: Tackling Inequality - Further Challenges Has equality legislation gone far enough to tackle inequality and reduce discrimination? The impact of spending cuts on public services What more needs to be done to promote active citizenship? Are stronger measures needed to narrow the pay gap? What further measures are required to tackle gender discrimination? Should the national retirement age be reviewed? Equal citizens - choice, control and independent living Social exclusion - less than 20% of people with a learning disability in employment Reducing the employment gap for BAME communities Widening representation - should political parties do more to increase the diversity of MP's? What more can be done to promote the equal treatment of LGBT people in the public sector, including employment, housing, education, healthcare and legal services? Paul Martin, Chief Executive, Lesbian and Gay Foundation (CONFIRMED) Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director, Age UK (CONFIRMED) Dr Rob Berkeley, Director, The Runnymede Trust (CONFIRMED) James Wolfe, Deputy Director, Stakeholder Division, Office for Disability Issues (CONFIRMED) Baroness Gould of Potternewton, Chair, Women's National Commission (CONFIRMED)
15:20	Questions and Answers Session
15:40	Closing Keynote: Working Towards Equality and Diversity Lynne Featherstone MP, Minister for Equalities (CONFIRMED)
16:00	Questions and Answers Session
16:15	Chairs Closing Remarks
16:20	Close

*programme subject to change without notice

Audience

The audience will be comprised of central government departments & bodies, local authorities, equality officers, procurement officers, solicitors from the public and private sectors, police, training and HR officers, teachers, policy and strategy officers, representatives from the third sector, members of chambers of commerce, NHS representatives, CBI, trade union representatives, think-tanks, universities and colleges.