The Socio-economic Duty #AMoreEqualWales

Welcome to the socio-economic duty: a film for public sector senior leaders and those involved in taking key strategic decisions such as chief executives, chairs, elected members, board members and governance leads. This film should be considered alongside guidance documents The Socio-economic Duty provides an opportunity to put addressing inequality at the heart of our decision making. Never has there been a more pertinent time to act. Earlier in the summer we saw the Black Lives Matter protests which highlighted systemic and sutural racism in our society. The Covid-19 outbreak has also brought huge challenges to our communities.

00:47 - It’s become clear, though, that certain groups have been affected more than others – for example, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people, disabled people, women, and young people. The Socio-Economic Duty requires public bodies, when making strategic decisions, such as deciding priorities and setting objectives, to consider how their decisions may help reduce inequalities associated with economic disadvantage. What do we mean by strategic decisions? These are the sorts of things that bodies will be making all the time. For some bodies, they may make more strategic decisions than others. Some might be annual, such as thinking about organisational planning or budget setting.

01:30 - For others, they will be more ad-hoc and routine such as thinking about procurement or revisions of services and commissioning decisions for example. Ultimately through improving how we think about socio-economic disadvantage, we should ultimately be improving outcomes for people in Wales. We will now hear more about what we mean by inequalities of outcome, which are those measureable differences in outcome between those who have experienced socio- economic disadvantage and the rest of the population. We know that in Wales, more people are reliant on social welfare than other parts of the UK. We know that 23% of people in Wales are living in poverty, and that rises to 1 in 3 when we consider our children.

02:17 - We know that children on free school meals don’t attain the same levels at GCSE and A Level than their peers. We know that 17% of our workforce is in insecure and precarious work that’s low-paid. And we know that ethnic minorities are over-represented in the gig economy. If we together, focus on the biggest inequalities in Wales, we can make a difference. We can make a difference for our children, so that those on free school meals can attain better, can go on to University, can get a well-paid job. Together we can do it, using the Socio-Economic Duty. I work in communities, where every day this is felt by the parents, and then the young people as well, who are sometimes having to leave school and step up to find a job and often they’re not living wage paid jobs, to help pay the bills. So I think, you know, we can’t afford to leave anybody behind and I think it’s really important that we definitely hold to account those organisations who are affected, impacted by the Socio-economic Duty and I look forward to bringing members of the community into that process so we can genuinely hear from those most affected about how we can help and support them live decent lives. Representatives of relevant public sector bodies will now share their expectations for the duty, discussing what the socio-economic duty will mean in practice. Newport City Council welcomes the Socio-economic Duty and the opportunity to further develop our consideration of inequalities when making the decisions that affect our communities.

03:53 - We’re hopeful that, through the Duty, better decision making will lead to improved outcomes for the people of Newport. Strategic decisions are made in a number of ways within the Council, by senior officers and through our democratic processes. We’re going to need to think about how we gather the right evidence to allow the Duty to be properly considered in these decisions, and how we can support our elected members to understand what is expected of them. At a policy level, we’re going to need to factor in the time and resources to fully understand the impact of the changes that we make and to support this, we’ll be both re-writing out Impact Assessment processes and working to provide training for all relevant staff and officers. As Leader of Ceredigion County Council I want to see the Duty lead to better outcomes for our people both socially and economically.

04:51 - So that we can make informed decisions, a question set on economic impact will be included in our Integrated Impact Assessments. This will help us as elected members and the leadership group give due regard to socio-economic impacts in our decision making processes. We’ve already included the Socio-economic Duty in the Integrated Impact Assessment for our new Tackling Hardship Strategy for example. That strategy aims to develop a coordinated and coherent strategic response to the increased risk of hardship faced by our Ceredigion citizens due to the far reaching economic and social implications of Covid. As a County Council we are also currently making plans to transform social care into an integrated service.

05:45 - This transformation is a major strategic decision and will include the Socio-economic duty in our Integrated Impact Assessment of it. In Public Health Wales, we are working hard to embed the Duty in how we work across the organisation. How we strengthen our organisational culture, how we engage with people, how we scrutinise our decision making – it’s embedded in all aspects of our work. For our staff and colleagues who work in policy development, the Duty’s actually giving them more opportunities to gather evidence through working with others, engaging collaboratively in what works to tackle inequalities. Now in Public Health Wales, the Board makes a number of significant strategic decisions.

06:35 - Our long term strategy, our integrated medium plans, and our annual operational plans – all those the Board approves. And they all focus on what we can do working with others to protect the public and to tackle health inequalities, and in that way, hopefully reverse socio- economic disadvantage. From a Public Health Wales perspective, the Socio-economic Duty is vital, it’s central to our work. We are embedding it across everything we do in the same way that we’ve done with the Future Generations Act, and all to look to reverse socio economic disadvantage that is so devastating for so many disadvantaged groups in our population. The health of our communities is a vital and important responsibility for the Health Board, and this Duty, we believe, will enhance our ability to undertake the requirements of that Duty.

07:37 - This important Duty will help underpin our planning systems. We have very good information at the moment on health inequalities within our communities, and we also know the action that improves wellbeing for them. But we feel that the Duty should enhance the joint planning that already takes place. We will now go on to understand the role of leaders and decision makers in providing assurance that ‘due regard’ has been given. When making an effective decision, I’ll be looking to see if sufficient evidence has been provided.

08:10 - Are there gaps within the evidence provided is an initial question I’d be asking myself. I’d also be looking to see what consultation has occurred and whether or not those communities directly affected by the decision have been consulted. In Bridgend, like other Local Authorities, we do take the duty to consult, engage and involve our residents in our decision making really seriously and we’d particularly like to hear from those with lived experience of socio-economic disadvantage. Another question I’d be asking is what would the impact, or likely impact of the decision be on inequality of outcome for those with socio-economic disadvantage. Are we as a result of the decision putting in place mechanisms and systems that help them overcome disadvantage or are we putting in place mechanisms and systems that act as a barrier.

09:03 - And if they do act as a barrier, what can we do differently? Another thing I would be considering is the intersectionality and we know that those with socio-economic disadvantage usually come from a protected characteristic. I will question what the likely impact on inequalities of outcome experienced as a result of socio-economic disadvantage are. I will ask if the voices of people, staff and communities have been heard, particularly those who suffer socio-economic disadvantage. The Socio-economic Duty does not compete with or override other duties such as the Public Sector Equality Duty and the well-being duty under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. The Socio-economic Duty is an important new Duty which will help us to think about how we also meet the goal of a more equal Wales in the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act.

09:55 - So it’s really important that we don’t see this as an added, extra burden and that we integrate it with other duties. Some of the things that you should be thinking about is how you consider the Socio-economic Duty in developing wellbeing assessments and plans, how you consider the requirements of the Socio-economic Duty in how you set your wellbeing objectives, and how you assess the impact of your decisions. In line with the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act, but also more specifically considering the socio-economic implications of the things that you’re doing. Everything is connected to everything so making sure that we’re addressing socio-economic disadvantage will also be contributing to the goal of a more prosperous Wales. Understanding the implications in terms of those living in poverty and why they live in areas of high air pollution will be part of meeting our goals around a more equal Wales and around a resilient Wales.

10:49 - Understanding the wider and socio-economic determinants of health will be important to meeting the goals of a healthier Wales and a more equal Wales. So it’s important that you think about this holistically. Don’t see it as an added extra – embed it in everything that we do and make sure that you’re integrating the way that you deliver this new Duty. We’ll conclude the film by hearing about how the Fairer Scotland Duty is working and its impact so far. So impacts so far have included that Elected Members in councils now have a broader awareness of the potential impact of budget saving proposals, and this has meant that the removal of some services which would have had a disproportionately negative impact on those living in socio-economic disadvantage has been halted.

11:32 - A lot of organisations have reported that there have been a range of opportunities realised as a result of the introduction of the Duty. For example it has helped to raise the profile of poverty and inequality and make links to the socio-economic determinants of health. There have also been more opportunities to consider the potential consequences of decisions and potentially avert negative outcomes. Training in the Duty has given increased confidence to some senior managers and board members to challenge decision-making in relation to inequalities and the introduction of the Duty has been used to shine a light on inequalities and make policy and practice connections to other areas, for example housing, welfare reform, child poverty, community engagement and empowerment. The Duty has facilitated improved collaborative working and there has been the development of a shared understanding of socio-economic and financial pressures across partners and stakeholders.

12:20 - From an economic perspective it has allowed for more rigorous assessment linked to inclusive growth ambitions and at a strategic level, there has been an improvement in thinking about promoting fairness in economic outcomes. The Welsh Government published non-statutory guidance on the first of April 2020 and has since made available a suite of resources to support public bodies in preparing for the Duty. Resources include a fact sheet, frequently asked questions, a presentation for public bodies to use internally to raise awareness, information regarding inequalities of outcome prevalent in Wales and a scrutiny framework document to support those providing assurance that ‘due regard’ has been given. These can be found on our website. These resources have been produced with input from key stakeholders and representatives from public bodies likely to be captured by the Duty. Additionally Welsh Government officials would be happy to join senior leadership teams in discussing the Duty.

13:16 - Please contact us at our mailbox address: Socio- economicDuty@gov.wales Thank you for your time. .