Equality Impact Assessment Action Plan (incorporated into Service Specification)

Area for improvement	Changes proposed
Age To integrate the WAA and OP into a single service aged 16+ with the potential to be provided as an East / West or countywide service	The Service Provider will be required to share a population-based accountability, working with partners, to meet the housing-related needs of East Sussex residents particularly those who are most vulnerable due to homelessness, age, mental health needs, physical disability, poverty or other issues.
Disability A more ‘persistent’ approach will be commissioned to engage clients who may struggle to engage with support services	Specific measures and targets will be developed and agreed between Commissioners and the Service Provider as part of the ‘Strategic Partner’ arrangement stipulated in the specification.
Disability Language barriers	This may include British Sign Language/community language interpretation, communications that meet the needs of visually and/or hearing-impaired users, those with little or no literacy skills.
Ethnicity Language barriers and cultural needs	The Service Provider(s) will be required to arrange appropriate support so that people are not excluded from the Services.
Gender Recording and service re-development	The Service Provide(s) will be required to record trans and other genders and this will be reviewed routinely to consider changing needs
All Protected Characteristics Increased number of clients supported for a reduced length of time	The Service Provide(s) will be required to support a minimum of 7,000 clients pa for an average of 4 months for Working Aged Adults and 3 months for Older People. Contract monitoring will continuously review the volumes supported and average lengths of service to consider necessary adjustments.