British Broadcasting Corporation Race Equality Scheme


Race Equality Scheme Performance Summary 2009/2010



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5.4 Race Equality Scheme Performance Summary 2009/2010

Introduction


Section 5.4 of the Race Equality Scheme (RES) sets out in detail the steps the BBC has taken to meet the Race Equality Duty, including:

  • Identifying relevant public functions and policies and assessing their potential to impact in relation to race equality

  • Arrangements for monitoring the impact of BBC activities which are carried out in the pursuance of public functions and related policies

  • Arrangements for publishing the outcomes of equality impact assessments and consultation

  • Arrangements for ensuring that the public have access to information and services

  • Arrangements for ensuring that staff are trained in order that they understand the duty to promote race equality and their own responsibilities

This Performance Summary highlights progress against the RES during the last 12 months. All of the objectives for each of the public function areas are outlined below, together with corresponding progress and priorities for 2010-11.

Public function: TV Licensing

(For further detail on the range of public functions which relate to TV Licensing, see the RES: Annex.)


Objective 1: To communicate, wherever practicable, in a way that is accessible and appropriate to facilitate a clear understanding of television licensing obligations for all sections of the community
Key achievements during 2009/2010


  • TV Licensing (TVL) reviewed its equality impact assessment (EIA) on a representative sample of TVL communications in advance of the three-year deadline set during the previous EIA process. The review found that further improvements in communications material had been initiated since the previous EIA (for example by commissioning a leading linguistic expert with substantial experience in the needs of people with low literacy levels to analyse a selection of TVL letters and recommend ways in which they could be made more accessible).




  • TVL published translations of the TV licence conditions on the TVL website in selected languages.

Objective 2: To ensure that all BBC TVL staff and contractors fully understand their duty to promote race equality and are active in implementing actions identified

Key achievements during 2009/2010


  • TVL completed the roll-out of its equality training to contractors who deal with customers’ queries and complaints and to TVL visiting officers.




  • The TVL complaints database was amended in order to be able to record and analyse information on complaints which are related to ethnic or cultural issues.




  • Systems have been put into place to record and analyse information on complaints which are related to ethnic or cultural issues.


Areas for improvement


  • TVL will continue to monitor complaints according to diversity.


Objective 3: To continually review and, wherever possible, improve or develop service support (including technology) to provide accessible and convenient support and advice services and to encourage all sections of the community to engage with TVL as necessary
For detail on progress against this objective and the related actions, see the RES: Section 8, Action Plan Part 1.
Objective 4: To develop and maintain a strategic and systematic approach to integrating race equality into all TVL activities
Key achievements during 2009/2010


  • An initial EIA was conducted on the Voice User Interface (VUI) system to assess how well it meets the diverse needs of ethnic and cultural groups. An EIA was also undertaken on TVL’s new Refunds Policy. EIAs were also completed on the website refresh project and a new service that increased contact with TVL’s customers by text message. No issues were found.




  • A three-year programme of EIAs was developed on existing BBC and contractor policies and functions which are relevant to the duty.




  • The BBC TVL Equality Working Group discussed progress against each of the actions within the Scheme and received regular updates on equality legislation. The TVL Management Team Policy Adviser has given presentations on the Equality Working Group’s progress to a number of TVL team meetings to assist the senior management team to review the work of the Group. This will continue in 2010/2011.


Area for improvement


  • TVL will continue conducting EIAs on relevant policies and projects and will continue reviewing the three-year EIA programme relating to existing BBC (and contractors’) policies and functions which are relevant to the duty.



Objective 5: To maximise the potential for data and information management systems to enhance and promote race equality
Key achievement during 2009/2010
For detail on progress against this objective and the related actions, see the RES: Section 8, Action Plan Part 1.
Objective 6: To develop and maintain strategic leadership and commitment to the broad implementation of the RES and the TVL Action Plan
Key achievement during 2009/2010


  • The TVL Management Team Senior Policy Adviser has given presentations on the Equality Working Group’s progress to a number of TVL team meetings to assist the senior management team to review the work of the Group. This will continue into 2010/2011.


Objective 7: To ensure that all payment methods/processes are accessible and appropriate for a range of needs and lifestyles
Key achievement during 2009/2010


  • As detailed in the overview, great efforts are made to ensure that information is made available to diverse audiences including those with English as a second language. No complaints or issues on equality of payment method were identified during the BBC Trust’s review of TV Licence fee collection.


Objective 8: To ensure a strategic approach to integrating race equality into all TVL procurement activities
Key achievement during 2009/2010


  • Race equality issues and implications were included in recent procurement processes.

For more detail on progress against each of the objectives relating to TVL and the corresponding actions, see the RES: Section 8, Action Plan Part 1.


Public function: the BBC Trust in relation to certain functions under the BBC Charter and Agreement


(For further detail on the range of public functions which relate to the BBC Trust, see the Annex to the Race Equality Scheme.)

Objective 1: To ensure that the Trust actively engages with, and seeks the views of people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds and that engagement activities encourage participation and are accessible

Key achievements during 2009/10


  • Both the Trust Unit and the Audience Councils held a number of meetings across the year with people from different ethnic/cultural backgrounds and organisations representing people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The information and learning shared at these meetings fed into projects such as the Television Service Licence Review and the BBC Trust’s Portrayal project.

  • As part of two Trust Service Reviews (BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four4, and Radio 2 and 6 Music) to try and reach those audiences who do not use the Trust website and therefore participate in its online consultations, we used a number of alternative engagement tools. These included: television trails across BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three and BBC Four (ensuring a good mix of slots in both daytime and evening); network radio phone-ins with trustees; promotions across BBC websites; distribution of leaflets to UK public libraries and visiting shopping centres across England.

  • As part of the comprehensive research for the Trust’s editorial guidelines review 16 workshops were held across the country. Two of these workshops specifically recruited a mixture of Hindus and Sikhs. In addition to the main sample, we also conducted six individual depth interviews with community leaders. These included a Catholic priest; a Protestant vicar; an Imam; a Rabbi; a social worker and a mental health worker. As part of the research there were also eight ad-hoc ethnographic sessions. (These were informal sessions with friends taking place in their own environment for example someone’s home, a community centre, a church meeting room etc) The purpose of these sessions was to allow us to capture the perspective of people whose views might not otherwise be heard and whose views might differ from those of the rest of the sample. Participants included: African-Caribbean people; a Pakistani Muslim community group and a group with travellers.

Area for improvement


  • As highlighted in the 2008/09 performance summary, we still need to work harder at reaching people from a BME background given we know that they are less likely to respond to our public consultations. Continual work and effort on our EIA practice and further exploring the connections and relationships Audience Councils have with these groups will go towards improving this situation

  • Greater effort needs to be made to ensure that the Trust has a regular and consistent approach to monitoring the diversity of licence fee payers attending its public meetings.

  • Feedback from our recent review of the BBC’s three Equality Schemes, highlighted the low awareness levels of the Trust and its activities. There was a call to improve outreach with different groups by building ongoing, relationships with them over a long period of time.



Objective 2: To monitor and assess the BBC’s compliance with its equalities duties and on an annual basis publish its observations of such. The Trust will also monitor and assess its own compliance with the equalities duties and on an annual basis publish its observations of such.

Key achievements during 2009/10


  • We held an event with Trustees and invited senior external figures to discuss with them the importance of equality and diversity in their oversight role.

  • For the first time we asked the BBC Executive to report to the Trust on the progress it is making with its Diversity Strategy. This will be an annual reporting requirement going forward.

Area for improvement

  • We are conscious that the current Public Value Test (PVT) guidelines do not include information about how the BBC Executive will ensure, to a reasonable and appropriate extent, equality of access and service of BBC activities to different groups in its PVT proposals. Therefore the Trust is to begin discussions with the Executive to try and codify what is expected of them, with regards to equality considerations, when preparing a proposal for new/changes to/closure of a BBC service.

  • Feedback from our recent review of the BBC’s three Equality Schemes, included the observation that there was a lack of evidence of how the BBC Trust performs against its objectives. Demonstrating the efficacy of the Trust’s operations and the impact different groups’ involvement have, could better show the Trust’s value to licence fee payers

Objective 3: To provide licence fee payers equal and fair access to the BBC’s complaints processes regardless of their ethnic and cultural background

Key achievements during 2009/10


  • We are currently running a project to test the effectiveness of the BBC Executive’s complaints processes. Equality and diversity have been key to our thinking and we are finding ways to investigate whether who you are or what you complain about affects what happens in any way.

  • We have influenced the BBC Executive’s procurement process for audience services, including the complaints process. In addition we will be working with the BBC Executive to try and develop the way the BBC collects diversity information from those people who contact the BBC (including complainants).



Objective 4: To ensure that people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds have equality of access to consultations and are involved in Trust decision-making in relation to its public functions

Key achievements during 2009/10


  • Both the Trust Unit and the Audience Councils held a number of meetings across the year with people from different ethnic/cultural backgrounds and organisations representing people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The information and learning shared at these meetings fed into projects such as the BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four service licence review, the Radio 2 and 6 Music service licence review and the Portrayal project.

  • As part of two Trust Service Reviews (BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four and Radio 2 and 6 Music) we used a number of alternative engagement tools to try and reach those audiences who do not use the Trust website and therefore participate in its online consultations. These included: television trails across BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three and BBC Four (ensuring a good mix of both daytime and evening slots); network radio phone-ins with trustees; promotion across BBC websites; distribution of leaflets to UK public libraries and visiting shopping centres across England.

Area for improvement


  • We have run a number of public consultations this year, some of which have received large numbers of responses but we remain less likely to hear from black and minority ethnic (BME) licence fee payers. We hope to make progress on our EIA practice and further explore the connections and relationship Audience Councils have with this group to ensure that we are hearing from more BME people.

  • Feedback from our recent review of the BBC’s three Equality Schemes, included the perception that the Trust relies too heavily on the internet when consulting.


Areas for improvement

  • Feedback from our recent review of the BBC’s three Equality Schemes, indicated that documents (especially ones accessed online) might not be the best way to publish information. Many felt face to face communication would work better.



Objective 5: To ensure that, where appropriate and reasonable, the Trust’s public reports and communications (including online) are accessible (in language, format and content) for people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds




Key achievement during 2009/10


  • One of the aims of the BBC Trust’s new website was that it would be more ‘audience friendly’ and in line with the recommendations of the Trust’s strategic marketing work. In addition, much effort was given to building a website which would have a clearer structure, navigation and labelling of documents.

Objective 6: To ensure that diversity and equality matters are integrated into the Trust’s governance tools

Key achievements during 2009/10


  • Finding ways to integrate diversity within our governance tools was the main objective of the equality and diversity review (carried out in 2008). It highlighted a range of challenges which we are working to address. Some examples of progress made over this past year include:

  • The Director of the Trust, team leaders and project managers have all been set individual objectives relating to equality and diversity.

  • The Trust Unit are in the process of meeting all research agencies on the qualitative and quantitative research rosters to take them through the Trust’s internal research guidelines, using the meeting to probe them on their experiences in researching more seldom heard audiences.



Areas for improvement


  • We are conscious that the current Public Value Test (PVT) guidelines do not include information about how the BBC Executive will ensure, to a reasonable and appropriate extent, equality of access and service of BBC activities to different groups in its PVT proposals. Therefore the Trust is to begin discussions with the Executive to try and codify what is expected of them, with regards to equality considerations, when preparing a proposal for new/changes to/closure of a BBC service.

Objective 7: To ensure that Audience Councils are fully inclusive and should as far as possible reflect the diversity of society they represent. The Trust will actively encourage membership from people from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds wherever practicable and possible.




Key achievements during 2009/10


  • We are currently working with Audience Councils to explore audience views on portrayal of all audiences including people from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds

  • Employing a variety of methods, including television and radio trails, online promotions, e-zines, press advertisements and direct contact with organisations representing diverse groups, to raise the awareness of vacancies within the Audience Councils so as to reach and encourage as diverse a number of applicants as possible



Areas for improvement


  • Improving the awareness of Audience Councils.

  • Broadening our engagement with seldom heard groups and communities through our Audience Councils.

  • Continuing to improve the composition of Audience Councils to ensure they are fully inclusive and better reflect the diversity of society they represent.

For further detail on each of the objectives relating to the Trust and the corresponding actions, see Section 8, Action Plan Part 2, of the Race Equality Scheme.



Public function: the BBC’s obligations in relation to digital switchover


(For further detail on the range of public functions which relate to digital switchover, see the RES: Annex.)

Objective 1: To aim to provide appropriate, responsive and sensitive communications advice to different ethnic and/or cultural communities




Key achievements during 2009/2010





  • The Digital Switchover Help Scheme (Help Scheme) branding and equipment undergo significant user testing in order to identify and mitigate potential barriers for black and minority ethnic people within the target audience.




  • Help Scheme written materials are currently available in the following languages:

  •  - (Arabic)

  •  - (Bengali)

  •  - (Simplified Chinese)

  • Polski - (Polish)

  •  - (Punjabi)

  •  - (Russian)

  •  - (Turkish)

  •  - (Urdu)

  • Cymraeg  - (Welsh)

We liaise with local authorities prior to each region going live to determine the top ten most prolific languages in that region and all mailings feature range of languages on mailing envelopes, as per best practice.


  • Eaga’s call centre has dedicated Welsh language speakers and has engaged Big Word to provide translation services for other languages as required.




  • In the Granada region in particular, the Digital Switchover Help Scheme used a wide range of communications to better engage ethnic groups:

  • A version of the Help Scheme leaflet printed with no images or cartoons of people to be suitable for outreach with Muslim audiences.

  • Satellite TV as a communications channel to reach certain groups at risk, such as Chinese and Bangladeshi communities.

  • Community radio stations - these stations have strong listenership among black and minority ethnic audiences. Ramadan Radio was particularly helpful in reaching Asian and Muslim audiences.

  • Street teams (recruited from within black and minority ethnic communities) raising awareness of the Help Scheme in seldom heard black and minority ethnic communities.

  • Tailored press releases about the Help Scheme were released to minority ethnic media outlets. This approach had limited success (presumably because of low appetite for regionally based stories without a stronger minority ethnic angle). We are seeking new PR approaches for future regions.

  • DUK had a presence at 6 Mela’s in the region too along with 25 street team activity days focused on locations with a high BME population.

  • DUK secured airtime on 11 local networks which target specific ethnic minority groups, to promote switchover to communities who risk being left behind. Alpha, BEN, Punjabi, Bangla TV and Zee TV are just a few examples of the satellite channels used. The Help Scheme advert ran for 2 weeks and was dubbed in Gujarati, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and Sylheti.

Objective 2: To ensure that the transition to digital-only broadcasting is a fully inclusive process




Key achievements during 2009/2010





  • We invest heavily in ‘outreach’ activity to better engage people who are eligible for the Help Scheme. Outreach activity takes the form of:

  • Statutory sector activity

  • Third sector activity

  • Communities programme


Statutory sector activity is delivered in each region by eaga network managers. Examples of recent activity this year have included:

  • Building strong relationships with large local authorities has produced opportunities for shared events, coverage in local newsletters, and information points at major city libraries, Town Halls, Council offices and Day Centres.

  • Developing campaigns with Neighbourhood watch, the police and fire services. These organisations have considerable interface with the public, and have disseminated Help Scheme information in the form of face to face, one to one discussions, and within wider community programmes.

  • In the Granada region, linking the Help Scheme with Flu Clinics was incredibly successful – delivering over 7,000 face-to-face conversations with potential customers.

  • In Wales we have gained commitment from the majority of NHS Trusts to distribute Help Scheme materials in local hospitals, brief medical staff and host Open Days.

  • In the West region, ‘Help Scheme Champions’ have been enlisted within all local authorities. Help Scheme information has been posted on all local authority websites, and information made available in all public libraries.


Third sector activity is crucial in engaging local community and voluntary sector organisations to support the Help Scheme. The majority of third sector activity is delivered by eaga (who are contracted by the BBC to deliver the Help Scheme) and through Digital Outreach Limited (DOL who are contracted by Digital UK to communicate with people who may not be eligible for the Help Scheme but are still at risk of being left behind). Examples of recent activity include:

  • DOL training for the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) has become widespread throughout all regions, with additional training for black and minority ethnic groups as appropriate.

  • Street teams (recruited from within black and minority ethnic communities) raising awareness of the Help Scheme in seldom heard black and minority ethnic communities.

  • The Help Scheme community radio publicising the Scheme throughout local communities - particularly among black and minority ethnic communities. The community radio initiative involves producing and broadcasting customised Community Service Announcements (CSAs), interviews with Help Scheme related members of staff, and packaged reports showcasing Help Scheme success stories.

  • The BBC bus was mobilised in Granada to target areas of low take-up. The bus has been a high profile venue, offering face to face advice to customers and their representatives, and also acting as a broadcast platform. A Help Scheme bus will enable the Help Scheme to gain profile in specific neighbourhoods (particularly remote communities) in the future.




  • The communities programme is managed by DOL, and aims to reach the 5%-15% of people who are most at risk of being left behind. Examples of activity this year includes identifying and engaging key community figures (such as community counsellors, GPs, carers, community, psychiatric nurses, shopkeepers, community police officers, café owners), to find community supporters who can then identify those who are most isolated.




  • We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to develop a ‘scoring model’ to help identify people most socially isolated, in order that we can develop strategies to better engage them.




  • Every year the Help Scheme conducts an annual consultation with eligible people, in order to continuously improve the service. The 2009 annual consultation gives new insights into the behaviour of eligible people who qualify for the Help Scheme, and the drivers and barriers to people using the service. The research identified the experiences of people who found making the switch to digital difficult and could have benefitted from the Help Scheme, but did not engage due to a combination of issues including a lack of awareness of the benefits offered by the Help Scheme, lack of awareness that the Help Scheme could even help people who had already made the switch and low awareness of the Help Scheme itself. This year’s consultation points to a series of improvements to address these issues.

  • The customer satisfaction survey is completed by 200-300 Help Scheme customers every month. Since the survey began, (Jan 09) 92.5% of respondents have rated their willingness to recommend the Scheme at 8 or above, out of 10. The satisfaction survey will be improved across the coming year to ensure that feedback is gained from a broad range of people including different ethnic and cultural groups.

  • The Code of Service Standards outlines the level and standard of service that people using the Help Scheme can expect. The Code of Service Standards is currently undergoing an audit to ensure the Help Scheme is delivering against the Code of Service standards.




  • Following research to identify key groups of people who interact with people who are most seldom heard and who could help them to make an informed decision, the Help Scheme developed a series of A5 leaflets aimed at in home carers, threshold service workers and peers to be distributed by on-the-ground teams.




  • Ethnibus research tracks awareness and understanding of the Scheme amongst black and minority ethnic audiences. Following the planned round of fieldwork in July a further survey was carried out in the North West only to evaluate the impact of dedicated activity in the Granada region in the last few months before switchover designed to target BME communities. Results indicated an increase in awareness of the Help Scheme among BME audiences of 23 percentage points from 15% in July 2009 to 38% in October 2009.




  • Digital UK attached promotional banners to lamp posts in areas with a high proportion of BME communities to promote the Help Scheme and to engage with people at risk of being left behind.

  • DUK conducted BME assessments for each of its regional visits last year to ensure that they would reach as many people eligible for the scheme as possible.



Areas for improvement


  • It is a priority for the Help Scheme to improve awareness and understanding amongst black and minority ethnic people. Despite recent improvements, this remains an area of underperformance. We have created a specific project to pay particular attention to this area.



Objective 3: To ensure that all digital switchover related information and modes of communication are appropriate, flexible and accessible for target audiences





  • See information under Objectives 1 and 2 above.



Objective 4: To consult with a range of ethnically and/or culturally diverse communities in the planning and roll-out of digital switchover




Key achievements during 2009/2010





  • We consult annually with people who are eligible for the Help Scheme specifically to ensure that the scheme is shaped by its users.



Area for improvement





  • We are investigating how to increase the involvement of more eligible people in delivering the Help Scheme.



Objective 5: To gather and use information effectively in order to monitor and assess the impact of current and planned digital switchover policies and practices with regard to race equality

Key achievements during 2009/2010





  • The Help Scheme Equalities Working Group meets quarterly, and is attended by all members of the senior team. The group monitors and reports on progress related to commitments in each of the BBC equality schemes, including the Race Equality Scheme.




  • All major decision making forums e.g. Design Authority, Markets Direction Group are charged with undertaking Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) on all major decisions.




  • The existing customer satisfaction survey, customer complaints procedure and installation inspections have all been designed to identify any race equality issues. They are reviewed systematically and issues are logged and progress monitored in the equalities action plan. We have completed the first round of mystery shopping which demonstrated strong performance by call centre staff in dealing with the needs of people using the Help Scheme. A second mystery shopping exercise will take place in Feb / March 2010 in which customers will have the opportunity to give feedback on their experience.

  • The Digital UK tracker informs us of awareness and understanding of the Help Scheme among black and minority ethnic people. Separate to that, Digital UK’s Ethnibus research regularly tracks awareness and understanding of the Scheme amongst black and minority ethnic audiences. Following the planned round of fieldwork in July a further survey was carried out in the North West specifically to evaluate the impact of dedicated activity in the Granada region in the last few months before switchover designed to target BME communities. Results indicated an increase in awareness of the Help Scheme among BME audiences of 23 percentage points from 15% in July 2009 to 38% in October 2009. 97% of all BAME respondents were confident that their homes will be ready for switchover and more 53% of the BAME population in the North West felt that they received enough information about the Help Scheme.



Area for improvement





  • To ensure that EIAs are used more systemically to evaluate all major decisions.



Objective 6: To ensure effective internal monitoring and Race Equality Scheme (RES) outcomes evaluation





  • All four of the major decision making forums, namely the Design Authority, the Operations Group, the Markets Direction Group, and the Marketing and Communications Group, are now explicitly charged with undertaking EIAs on all major decisions.




  • Quarterly research will accompany our annual consultation to assist us to review our progress against our commitments in the BBC equality schemes, including the Race Equality Scheme, identify lessons and any remedial action.


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