Equalities Report 2015-2017 | Page 17

Equality Outcomes An important framework to support the College’s commitment to equality and inclusion The College recognises that equality outcomes are the key framework in supporting our commitment to equality and inclusion. As a public body, the College is legislatively required to prepare and publish a set of equality outcomes every four years. This is a welcomed opportunity because it means that the College can acknowledge its progress in meeting the current equality outcomes and set new ones in response to identified need across all protected characteristic groups. The purpose therefore, of equality outcomes is to drive and elicit changes which promote and advance equality in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). The College’s current Equality Outcomes have been in place for four years with a new life-cycle commencing 2017-2021. It is for this reason, that the College is now establishing a new set of Equality Outcomes for the review period. For the first time, the College and a range of other public bodies across Ayrshire have developed together a set of four shared regional Equality Outcomes. These Equality Outcomes will be effective from April 2017 with the College required to report on its progress in meeting these no later than 30 April 2019. Having shared regional Equality Outcomes is ambitious and much is demanded in the way of actions to ensure they are successfully achieved. All partners involved 1 , however, believe that the Equality Outcomes are what the people and communities of Ayrshire asked for and deserve following a rigorous consultation process. 1 Ayrshire College, Ayrshire Valuation Joint Board, Community Justice Authority, East Ayrshire Council, East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, North Ayrshire Council, North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership, South Ayrshire Council, South Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership 17