1.1 Statutory Obligations
2.1 Devon County Council operates a policy of equal opportunity and equal access to services. It is committed to eliminating racial discrimination, ensuring that all its dealings (as employer, service provider or community leader) are free from racial discrimination. It affords all persons equal opportunity in employment, at service delivery, and will not discriminate on the grounds of race, colour, ethnic origin, cultural background or religion.
3.1 Ethnic recording refers to the process of recording the ethnic origin of users, potential users, and carers.
3.2 There is evidence both nationally and locally that Black and Minority Ethnic groups are under-represented amongst service users, that they are unaware of the availability of services, that services are not used by them because they consider the services inappropriate, and that those who have used services felt that their needs were not met.
(e.g. A Question of Fairness, Exeter 2004, DH Report Excellence not Excuses 2000)
4.1 Practice Managers and Senior Care Direct Advisers are accountable for ensuring that information on ethnic origin is collected and recorded by Referral Co-ordinators or Care Direct on the Referral or Initial Contact Form. It is also the responsibility of the Practice Managers and Senior Care Direct Advisers to ensure that the Referral Co-ordinator or Care Direct collect and record accurate information.
4.2 If this is not possible at the first point of contact, Practice Managers are accountable for ensuring that ethnic information is collected by the Assessing Officers at Assessment or Re-assessment. The Assessing Officers are responsible for recording the information and for the completion of process forms SS1P and SS3P. It is also the responsibility of the Practice Manager to ensure that Assessing Officers collect and record accurate information. An ethnicity prompt is being added to the child care process forms.
4.3 For those who decline to give details of their ethnic origin the category of declined to answer needs to be recorded.
4.4 Business Resources is accountable for the input of SS1P and SS3P forms to CareFirst
5.1 The categories are recommended by the Department of Health. They are:
| Asian or Asian British |
Black or Black British |
| Indian | Caribbean |
| Pakistani | African |
| Bangladeshi | Any other Black Background (please state) |
| Any other Asian Background (please state) | |
Mixed |
White |
| White and Black Caribbean | British |
| White and Black African | Irish |
| White and Asian | Any other White Background (please state) |
| Any other mixed background (please state) | |
Other ethnic group |
|
| Chinese | |
| Any other ethnic group (please state) |
6.1 A fundamental principle of ethnic origin data collection is self classification whereby the respondent classifies her or his own ethnic origin. How an individual sees her or himself may be different from how that person’s parents, other family members or third parties see them
6.2 There are some unavoidable exceptions to self-classification. For example, parents or carers should speak on behalf of babies and young children. A baby or young child should not be automatically accorded the ethnic group of the mother.
6.3 Where children are concerned, their views should be sought if they are capable of understanding and responding to what they are being asked. Parents or carers may support children in giving their answers.
6.4 Close relatives or advocates may speak on behalf of individuals who because of physical illness or disability, learning disability, cognitive
impairment or mental ill-health, are unable to speak for themselves or are not able to understand what is being asked of them or give anaccurate reply
6.5 As with all other aspects of the care process, some individuals who have difficulty in communicating in spoken or written English, may need the support of translators or interpreters to help them understand and respond to questions about their ethnic group.
6.6 For people with a hearing or visual disability other accessible versions of the necessary paperwork may need to be provided.
6.7 For people with learning difficulties, easy-to-read paper-based versions should be available.
6.8 Where self-classification is not possible, it is important to record who gave the information. This provides the opportunity to confirm or correct the classification made on their behalf.
7.1 Where the referral is from a third party the ethnic data must be verified through contact with the potential user or carer.
7.2 Where referrals are from other agencies (e.g. Health) and the ethnic origin category has been completed, this can be accepted where the principle of self-classification is used by the agency.
Back to top