The Northern Ireland Assembly Commission Draft Good Relations Action Plan 2025-2030

Download this information as an accessible PDF (16 pages, 196KB)

Aim 1: Staff Training

Our staff will be a motivated, resilient and expert team.

Corporate Strategy 2023-2028 High Level Objective

Promote a learning environment to support staff in their careers.

Action 1

Action

We will deliver training to all staff to ensure they understand requirements relating to Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and how it relates to their role.

Aims and Objectives

We will ensure all staff receive mandatory training on Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
Staff understand requirements related to Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and how it relates to their role.
Training covers the needs and perspectives of minority communities, which may include practical scenarios and case studies.

Measurable Outputs

Timescale

Every 3 years.

Lead Business Area

Equality Unit and Learning and Development.

Action 2

Action

Training and support is provided to policy authors in relation to the requirements of equality and good relations policy screening.

Aims and Objectives

Support and advice are provided by the Equality and Good Relations Unit to policy authors on an ongoing basis, as requested.
Guidance and information on policy screening for staff is provided on the Assembly Commission’s intranet.
Quarterly Screening Reports are published on the Assembly website.
We will ensure Assembly Commission policies are screened for equality and good relations as per the Assembly Commission’s Equality Scheme and Equality Commission guidance.

Measurable Outputs

Timescale

Over the lifetime of the action plan.

Lead Business Area

Equality Unit and Learning and Development.

Action 3

Action

Welcome training is provided to the Visitor Experience Team.

Aims and Objectives

We will ensure the Visitor Experience Team receives ‘World Host’ training.
The Visitor Experience Team will be trained in ‘World Host’ training which relates to the delivery of excellent customer service.

Measurable Outputs

Timescale

World Host training to be completed by the Visitor Experience Team in their first year of employment.

Lead Business Area

Public Engagement.

Aim 2: Participation, dialogue and engagement

The public will understand and value the role of the Assembly and be engaged in its work.

Corporate Strategy 2023-2028 High Level Objectives

Develop and implement a public engagement strategy
Create more opportunities to engage with Committees

Action 4

Action

Establish a minority ethnic stakeholder group.

Aims and Objectives

Work with partners to establish an ethnic minority stakeholder group.
Provide support and resources to the stakeholder group.
Ethnic Minority Stakeholder Group Formed.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of the stakeholder group.

Measurable Outputs

Timescale

2026.

Lead Business Area

Public Engagement.

Action 5

Action

Hold a Minority Ethnic Parliament as part of a series of citizen parliaments.

Aims and Objectives

To ensure those who identify as being part of a Minority Ethnic Community have an opportunity to have their voices heard.
Provide support and resources to the Minority Ethnic Parliament.
Positive feedback from attendees.
Seek representation from people of different ethnic backgrounds, ages, genders and socio-economic status.

Measurable Outputs

Timescale

2026.

Lead Business Area

Public Engagement.

Action 6

Action

Create Information Packs for minority ethnic residents, illustrating how the Assembly and Committees work to encourage engagement.

Aims and Objectives

To create an Information Pack for minority ethnic residents, illustrating how the Assembly and Assembly Committees work and how to engage.
An information pack will be co-designed with minority ethnic groups to increase understanding of the work of the Assembly and Assembly Committees and how to participate.

Measurable Outputs

Timescale

2029. To be carried out in consultation with the Minority Ethnic Stakeholder group.

Lead Business Area

Public Engagement.

Action 7

Action

Host events in support of Good Relations.

Aims and Objectives

We will host events to help build relationships with communities and create effective opportunities for engagement.
Events will be held on an annual basis.

Measurable Outputs

Timescale

Ongoing over the lifetime of the action plan.

Lead Business Area

Public Engagement.

Aim 3: Accessibility and Communication

The public will understand and value the role of the Assembly and be engaged in its work.

Corporate Strategy 2023-2028 High Level Objectives

Make the work of the Assembly more accessible
Develop and implement a strategy for communicating the impact of the Assembly

Action 8

Action

Continually improve accessibility of our website and digital offerings.

Aims and Objectives 1

Aim

Establish, with relevant Business areas, which pages on the Assembly website should be made accessible in various languages. E.g. ‘How to visit Parliament Buildings’, ‘How to book a tour’, ‘How to keep up with Assembly proceedings’ etc.

Measurable Outputs

Agree a priority list of website pages with relevant business areas and produce a set of recommendations based on findings, capability and capacity.

Timescale

June 2025.

Lead Business Area

Communications Office with relevant business areas.

Aims and Objectives 2

Aim

Scope out the possibility of automatic text translation of relevant website pages.

Measurable Outputs

Investigate provision of text translation in non-English as part of the ongoing website redevelopment project and produce a report of findings and recommendations.

Timescale

Scoping requirement 2025, possible delivery dependent on capability offering, January 2027.

Lead Business Area

Communications Office with relevant business areas.

Action 9

Action

Monitor feedback from the visitor experience in Parliament Buildings with a focus on customer service, public facilities and accessibility to Assembly business.

Aims and Objectives

The Visitor Survey is mainstreamed across services which interface with the public in order to collect data to inform access and service provision.

Measurable Outputs

A Visitor Survey to be developed and platformed on a mobile device(s) for completion by visitors to Parliament Buildings.

Timescale

2025-2026.

Lead Business Area

RaISe has responsibility for the analysis of survey responses.

Public Engagement forward any issues raised to relevant business area.

Action 10

Action

Develop and implement a strategy for communicating the impact of the Assembly to Northern Ireland society promoting the advantages of community harmony delivered by a functioning representative Assembly.

Aims and Objectives

Northern Ireland Assembly Commission imagery will strive to reflect different ethnic identities. Legislation or committee hearings with particular focus on community relations will be highlighted in social media and promoted to relevant communities.

Measurable Outputs

Outputs will be audited to reflect aims and objectives.

Timescale

Over the lifetime of the action plan.

Lead Business Area

Communications Office.

Aim 4: Recruitment and workforce monitoring

Our systems and facilities will be modern, secure and efficient.

Corporate Strategy 2023-2028 High Level Objective

Deliver the corporate systems review project

Action 11

Action

We will continue to review and analyse applicant and employee Equality Monitoring data in relation to the Northern Ireland economically active population.

Aims and Objectives

We will monitor recently added sub categories in our recruitment monitoring against economically active data, to understand the breakdown of job applicants and Assembly Commission staff by community background, ethnic group and country of birth.

Measurable Output 1

In May of each year, report on monitoring data against 2021 Census data.

Timescale

May each year.

Measurable Output 2

We will consider actions to address under representations identified.

Timescale

Over the lifetime of the plan.

Lead Business Area

HR Office.

Monitoring and Reporting

Corporate Strategy 2023-2028 High Level Objective

Ensure decisions are taken at the appropriate level.

Action 12

Action

Report on progress to the Senior Management Team (SMT) every six months and the Assembly Commission every year.

Aims and Objectives

Ensure that we deliver on the action plan targets.
Staff and the public are informed of progress.

Measurable Outputs

Following consultation with business areas, six-monthly updates are prepared for SMT and annual updates for the Assembly Commission.
Approved six-monthly updates are published on the Assembly website.

Timescale

Every six months (June and December each year).

Lead Business Area

Equality Unit.

Action 13

Action

A progress report is submitted yearly to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) via the Annual Equality Progress Report.

Aims and Objectives

To inform the ECNI of action plan delivery and progress.

Measurable Outputs

An annual equality progress report is prepared and submitted to the ECNI.

Timescale

Annually (submission to the ECNI by 31 August each year).

Lead Business Area

Equality Unit.