Equality Impact Assessment

An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) is a way to check that our work (be it a policy, process, service, project, etc.) doesn't disadvantage or discriminate against different groups.

EIAs help to design and deliver better and inclusive services, projects, and procedures. This is crucial for us to drive the structural changes required to see everyone living Warwick’s values and nurturing a culture that truly recognises, respects, and fosters diversity.

EIAs also help us to meet our legal responsibilities under the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Download the EIA form here, and guidance on completing an EIA here. Email us if you'd like examples of completed EIAs.

We have answered some common queries below, if you have any other questions about EIAs, email us at .

When is an EIA needed?

EIAs should be used for new work and/or any work with significant impact. To determine if you need to complete an EIA for your work, ask the following questions:

Does your work impact individuals or groups of people?
Do different groups have different needs or experiences in relation to the work?
Could the work disproportionately affect groups of people? Could the work inadvertently lead to direct or indirect discrimination against any group?
Will the work enhance equality or reduce existing disparities? Does it support our Social Inclusion Strategy objectives (increase diversity of staff and students, develop an inclusive culture, become a recognised leader on inclusion)?
Has previous consultation, data, or complaints identified that equality issues might be important in this work?

If yes to any of the above, it is important to conduct an EIA to assess the full impact and avoid any negative unintended consequences.

If no to all of the above, an EIA is likely to not be required. In this case, it is still good practice to document why an EIA was considered unnecessary.

If you are still unsure if you need to complete an EIA, email us at .

How do EIAs fit into development of work?

Development and approval for new work should follow the steps outlined below:

Planning . Define and plan the work.
Assessment . Identify the implications for different groups - if negative, make changes and/or identify mitigations. If you're not yet sure of the implications, note this in the EIA and identify a date to review any impact once the work is underway. Keep a copy of the EIA.
Approval . Seek approval for the work through relevant governance processes - add information from the EIA to your report (see guidance on recording equality implications in reports here).
Review . Review the impact for different groups as the work is carried out and reviewed. If negative impact is found, make changes and/or identify mitigations.

Where can I see completed EIAs?

The owner of an EIA (usually the person leading the work being assessed) is asked to keep a copy of the completed EIA to produce on request. As such, if you would like to see an EIA for a piece of work, feel free to contact people directly to request it. If the work is presented at a committee meeting, findings from the EIA should be referred to in the paper.

If you are looking for the old EIA Portal, you can find it here - but please note this has not been in use since February 2023 so is not an up to date record of EIAs.

To see examples of completed EIAs, email us at (please note: these are for illustrative purposes only, they are not from real projects).

Where can I find additional resources/guidance on completing an EIA?

Download the guidance on writing an EIA above, and email us if you would like to see example EIAs.

You may also find the following resources/guidance useful:

If you have any other questions about EIAs, email us at .

Read the Social Inclusion Annual Report for more about social inclusion at Warwick and the action we're taking.

The Social Inclusion Annual Report highlights the work that has been taking place across the University over the last year, and how it is helping us to meet our Social Inclusion Strategy objectives to increase the diversity of our staff and student communities, develop an inclusive culture, and become an internationally recognised leader in inclusion.