FOI_25-086 Equality Diversity and Inclusion policies and initiatives

Date of response: 28 April 2025

We have now considered your request of 02 April 2025 for the following information:

I am writing to follow up on my previous request for information under the Freedom of Information Act regarding the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives undertaken by the University of East Anglia. Understanding these initiatives is vital for fostering an inclusive and equitable environment, particularly in the context of anti-racism efforts.
I appreciate your attention to this matter and would like to reiterate my interest in obtaining data that illustrates how these initiatives are operationalized within the university. Specifically, I kindly request access to the following information held by the university between August 2022 and October 2024:
Question 1. EDI Policies and Procedures: All policies and procedures related to EDI, with particular emphasis on how they address systemic racism and promote equity.
Clarification received 02 April 2025:
‘Thank you for the update and I would like to refine my request to information held by our People and Culture Division only.’

Our response:

Please see accompanying document, our ref: FOI_25-086 Appendix A for the following policies and procedures relating to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. All documents provided are those held by our People and Culture Division – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team. Please note that the documents provided were in place at certain points during the requested period but not necessarily for the whole period, and some have subsequently been withdrawn, reviewed or replaced, and therefore do not necessarily reflect current policy or practice.

UEA Code of Practice – Disability in Employment
UEA Code of Practice – Dignity and Respect in the Workplace
UEA Code of Practice – Equality and Diversity
UEA Code of Practice – Equal Pay and Gender Pay Gap
UEA Code of Practice – Freedom of Speech
UEA Code of Practice – Marriage and Civil Partnership
UEA Code of Practice – Personal relationships between Staff and Students
UEA Code of Practice – Pregnancy and Maternity
UEA Code of Practice – Promotion of Race Equality for Staff
UEA Code of Practice – Promotion of Age Equality in Employment for Staff
UEA Code of Practice – Religion or Belief
UEA Code of Practice – Sex Equality
UEA Code of Practice – Sexual Orientation
UEA Domestic Abuse Policy
UEA Religious Observance Meeting Guidance (Staff)

Question 2. EDI Committees/Networks: A comprehensive list of EDI committees and networks, including:
o Date of creation
o Composition (e.g., senior executive team, academic, professional services)
o Number of meetings held
o Their role and impact within the university structure

Our response:

• Access All Areas

Created: Over 10 years ago (exact date not held), re-structured in 2017.

Role: Access All Areas provides recommendations and advice to support relevant teams at UEA to enhance accessibility, in line with the legislative regulations of the Equality Act 2010, associated public sector duties, and the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, with the aim of ensuring UEA is accessible for all staff, students, and visitors.

Consisting of: Over 150 staff and students who have an interest in improving accessibility for disabled people at UEA. Chaired by a member of the central EDI Team.

Number of meetings: 6 per annum

Reporting structure: Reports to Joint Equality Networks and EDI Committee

• Athena Swan Framework Group (previously referred to as EDI Frameworks Group)

Created: March 2021

Role: to support the University and individual departments in work undertaken to further gender equality and the Athena Swan Charter principles.

Consisting of: Central EDI Team, all academic School Athena Swan Leads, departmental managers (by request/invitation), representatives from central teams leading work with overlap with Athena Swan Charter work (by request/invitation)

Number of meetings: 3 per annum

Reporting structure: Reports to EDI Committee

• BAME Staff Network

Created: November 2017

Role: to foster a supportive community and safe space for BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) staff, promoting the exchange of information, experiences, ideas, and concerns. To empower staff to realise their full potential by creating a positive, safe, and supportive working environment.

Consisting of: 40+ members of staff with BAME lived experience

Number of meetings:

Reporting structure: Reports to Joint Equality Networks

• Disabled Staff Network

Created: 2023

Role: to foster a supportive community and safe space for disabled staff.

Consisting of: 20+ members of staff who identify as disabled/having a disability.

Number of meetings: n/a (online forum via Teams channel only)

Reporting structure: Access All Areas and Joint Equality Networks

• EDI Committee

Created: November 2009

Role: To govern the leadership, development and implementation of the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion strategy, embedding EDI in all University business to support Council in its duty to ensure the University’s legal compliance with the Equality Act 2010 and responsibilities under the Higher Education and Research Act and its intended aim of protecting the university community from discrimination and to hold the University to account to this commitment.

Consisting of (From 2024):

Co-Chairs: Director of People and Culture (Executive Lead); Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Student Inclusion

Secretary: (In attendance) Head of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (supported by EDI Project Co-Ordinator)

Full Members: Director of People and Culture; Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Student Inclusion; Pro-Vice Chancellor, Research, and Innovation; Registrar and Secretary; Director of Student and Academic Services; Senior Faculty Managers; Chief Executive Officer (Union of UEA Students)

Number of meetings: 6

Reporting structure: Reports to Exec

• Joint Equality Networks

Created: June 2020

Role: a joint forum for all equality staff networks and working groups to raise awareness of the network/group’s purpose and to work collaboratively on shared objectives.

Consisting of: Chairs and representatives from EDI-related staff networks and working groups, along with staff members with significant EDI-related responsibility in their roles

Number of meetings: 3 per annum

Reporting structure: Reports to EDI Committee

• Neurodivergent Staff Network

Created: 2023

Role: to foster a supportive community and safe space for staff with a condition commonly associated with the umbrella term of neurodiversity.

Consisting of: 70+ members of staff who identify as neurodivergent or having a condition commonly associated with the umbrella term of neurodiversity.

Number of meetings: n/a (online forum via Teams channel only)

Reporting structure: Access All Areas and Joint Equality Networks

• Race Equality Steering Group

Created: February 2024

Role: Embed and promote race equality as an institutional priority in our work to bring about institutional change.

Advocate for race equality across UEA, raising awareness and visibility of campaigns, initiatives, and successes.

Hear, consider, represent, and advocate for the diverse lived experiences, perspectives, and views of all members of the UEA community, including staff and students.

Steer and drive visible, impactful, and measurable outcomes in relation to race equality.

Ensure objectives and actions of the group align with the wider mission, vision, and objectives of UEA Strategy 2030 and other relevant institutional initiatives.

Raise awareness that race equality is everyone’s responsibility.

Consisting of: 30+ members of staff. The membership is selected from various departments within the University, considering contractual status, grade, and field of expertise, through an expressions of interest process. The membership includes representatives from the Student Union alongside our Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Student Inclusion who are all aware of the issues impacting students.

Number of meetings: 4

Reporting structure: Reports to EDI Committee

• Staff Pride Network

Created: 2008

Role: to foster a supportive community and safe space for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual + (LGBTQIA+) staff and to promote the exchange of information, experiences, ideas, and concerns, and also provide socials, events, and opportunities to engage with fellow colleagues who identify as part of the community above. The Network’s primary goal is to empower staff to realise their full potential by creating a positive and supportive working environment.

Consisting of: 100+ members of staff with LGBTQ+ lived experience

Number of meetings: Total no. of meetings between August 2022 and October 2024 were 21.

Reporting structure: Joint Equality Networks

Question 3. Race Equality Action Plan: Detailed records pertaining to the Race Equality Action Plan, including:
o Objectives
o Specific actions taken
o Measures and milestones
o Assigned responsibilities
o Timeframes for implementation
o Current status updates
Our response:

On this occasion it is not possible to provide any of the requested information. In line with your rights under section 1(1)(a) of the Act to be informed whether information is held, we confirm that the University does not hold any recorded information for detailed records pertaining to our Race Equality Action Plan.

Following a thorough search, we can confirm that a draft version of Race Equality Action Plan was worked on during the requested period. However, this draft was not retained in an accessible format following the departure of the staff member who authored it, and we no longer hold a copy. Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, public authorities are only required to provide recorded information that is held at the time of the request. As such, we are unable to provide the requested document.

Question 4. Hate Crime/Incident Reporting Mechanisms: A summary of hate crime and incident reporting mechanisms currently in use, alongside key trends and insights that have emerged.

Our response:

The University’s People and Culture Division have a range of reporting mechanisms in place for staff to report incidents of Hate Crime:

Report + Support online reporting
Contacting their line manager or manager within their reporting structure
Contacting a member of People & Culture Division
Contacting their Campus Trade Union
Raising an informal or formal grievance using the relevant Grievance procedure
Contacting a colleague who reports on their behalf
Contacting our internal Security department or members of Security staff on campus

Question 5. Best Practices and Achievements: Documentation of best practices and achievements related to the EDI agenda, particularly those that have effectively advanced anti-racism initiatives during the specified period.

Our response:

On this occasion it is not possible to provide all of the requested information. In line with your rights under section 1(1)(a) of the Act to be informed whether information is held, we confirm that the University does not hold any recorded information for specific best practices which have effectively advanced anti-racism activities during the specified period. We do measure effectiveness of EDI initiatives via analysis of relevant student and workforce data and via consultation, but there is no one specific dataset or consultation report held which indicates quantitative analyses of how effectively these practices have advanced anti-racism initiatives, especially as some of the race equality strategic work is in a developmental, rather than evaluation, stage.

However, the following list summarises some of the most significant pieces of strategic EDI work which was completed, on-going, or had impact, during the specified period (with particular emphasis on work to advance anti-racism initiatives):

Anti-Racism Work:

Continued work to include diverse voices in strategic anti-racism work by establishing Race Equality Steering Group to advocate for race equality across UEA
Decolonising UEA (a range of initiatives across academic Schools and the Library) aiming to challenge dominant structures and assumptions
Participation in the 100 Black Women Professors NOW! (a sector-leading, award-winning systemic change programme facilitated by WHEN (Women’s Higher Education Network)
Encouraging staff and students to enrol on Santander Universities and The Open University’s Union Black: Britain’s Black cultures and steps to anti-racism online training course
Black Humanities Project, a student-led project run in partnership with the UEA Outreach Team aiming to address disparities and champion and empower black humanities

General EDI Work:

Continued to invest in Advance HE’s Athena Swan gender equality charter, achieving six bronze and four silver departmental awards in the specified period
Curation an EDI Collection of LinkedIn Learning Pathways (covering topics such as Dignity and Respect, Bystander/Allyship, Unconscious Bias, and Cultural Awareness)
Investing in Leadership and Management qualifications/apprenticeships, engaging a provider who specialises in EDI
Promoted use of, and disseminated guidance relating to, Equality Impact Assessments
Funded development places on Aurora, Advance HE's leadership development initiative for women, aiming to address the under-representation of women in leadership positions in the sector
Rolled out Return to Work and family support funds across all faculties
Established new staff networks for disabled and neurodivergent staff