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Impact assessments

Equality Impact Assessments help us understand how new proposals or changes affect different groups, especially those who might be disadvantaged.

EqIAs ensure that we:

  • Understand the impact on different groups within our community or workforce
  • Prevent or mitigate potential negative impacts and reduce disadvantage
  • Meet our legal, moral and business requirements regarding equality and human rights
  • Enhance transparency and accountability in our decision-making processes

We assess the impacts of proposals and policies through EqIAs. This process helps us understand how different groups might be affected, identify any potential negative impacts, and what steps we can take to mitigate them. We gather stakeholder feedback to continuously improve our proposals, and our assessments cover the nine protected characteristics of the Equality Act, as well as considering socio-economic disadvantage and care-experienced individuals.

You can find training on Equality Impact Assessment by searching iLearn. The course is designed to equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively conduct EqIAs. You can review each section for guidance and support while completing your EqIA.

The most up to date Equality Impact Assessment template and guidance are available in our downloads below.

Related resources

  • Equality Impact Assessment Template (DOCX, 567.7 kB)
  • Equality Impact Assessment Guide

    This document contains guidance and a template for completing an Equality Impact Assessment for new or changed services, policies, projects and budgets. It explains legal duties in Scotland and how to consider impacts on protected groups, carers, care-experienced people and those facing financial disadvantage. It covers planning, gathering and analysing evidence, identifying actions to address harmful impacts, publishing findings and recording decisions.

    Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.

    Download PDF (547.1 kB) View plain text

Annual reports

  • ICIA Annual Report 2024-25

    This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s annual report on its legal duty to consider island communities during 2024-25. It explains the assessment process, local guidance and how assessments are built into committee reports, listing activity across policies and services. It includes detailed assessments of the Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan and the removal of home-based registrars. The Council carried out no external challenges during the year.

    Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.

    Download PDF (255.6 kB) View plain text
  • ICIA Annual Report 2025-26

    This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s annual report on how it considered island communities during 2025-26, as required by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018. It explains the law, guidance and local process for assessing how policies and services may affect islands differently, and lists assessment work reported to committees. The report also includes questions and answers, an assessment template, and confirms that no external challenges were made during the year.

    Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.

    Download PDF (180.4 kB) View plain text

Island communities impact assessments (ICIAs)

Orkney Islands Council has a statutory duty, under Section 7 of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, to have regard to island communities in carrying out its functions.

In practical terms, this means:

  • We must prepare an Island Communities Impact Assessment in relation to a policy, strategy or service that is likely to have an effect on an island community which is significantly different from its effect on other communities (including other island communities) in Orkney
  • If we do not prepare an ICIA in relation to a relevant policy, strategy or service, we must publish an explanation of our reasons for not doing so
  • The Council must make arrangements to review any policy, strategy or service which it develops or delivers, not just new ones, either by means of an ICIA or by taking such other steps as it considers appropriate

The Council publishes information about the steps it has taken to comply with the Section 7 duty during each reporting period.

Finding our impact assessments

To search for any of our impact assessments use the button below. You can tailor your search by including a policy or document title.

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