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29 July 2021


July news from the Equality and Human Rights Commission


Our inquiry into challenging decisions about adult social care


This month we launched an inquiry into how older and disabled adults and unpaid carers can challenge local council decisions about social care and support in England and Wales. The provision of appropriate social care and support for unpaid carers is vital to enable many older and disabled people to live independently.


Assessments about the need for care or support are carried out by local authorities. We want to understand people’s experiences of challenging, or trying to challenge, local council decisions about adult social care or support.


Find out more [link removed]


To inform our inquiry, we will gather evidence from local councils, ombuds, legal advice and advocacy organisations, voluntary sector organisations and other experts. We also have a short survey to gather evidence from older and disabled adults and unpaid adult carers across England and Wales, as well as any friends or family members who want to share information with us.


Complete our survey [link removed]


Want to know more about our inquiry?


On Tuesday 3 August at 2.30pm we're hosting a webinar for anyone interested in finding out more about our inquiry into challenging decisions about adult social care. Our Deputy Chair Caroline Waters will be joined by Helena Herklots (Older People's Commissioner for Wales), Fazilet Hadi (Head of Policy at Disability Rights UK) and Jackie Killeen (EHRC's Director of Compliance) to discuss why we are carrying out this inquiry and the evidence we need.


Book your place [link removed]


Employers must act to protect their staff from harassment at work


Last week the Government responded to its recent consultation on sexual harassment in the workplace [link removed] by announcing it would introduce a mandatory duty on employers to protect their staff from harassment. As workplaces get busier after the lifting of restrictions, business leader and EHRC Commissioner Helen Mahy says now is the time for employers to reconsider how they can protect their staff from harassment, whatever their working environment.


Read Helen's blog [link removed]


Protecting disabled people's right to live independently


Disabled people’s right to live independently as part of the community is enshrined in Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). At its heart it is about ensuring that disabled people have the same choice and control over their lives as non-disabled people. Join us on Tuesday 3 August at 3.30pm for a free webinar to find out more about our work to promote and protect the right to independent living.


Book your place [link removed]


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Government publishes National Disability Strategy


The UK Government has this week published its National Disability Strategy which sets out the actions the government will take to improve the everyday lives of all disabled people. Reacting to the strategy's publication, our Chair Baroness Falkner said:


"Disabled people often feel marginalised by society and overlooked in decision making. The Government's National Disability Strategy is a welcome opportunity to strengthen the rights of disabled people and their ability to participate in society.


“We are pleased to see that it includes our recommendations for a commitment to improve engagement with disabled people and ongoing action to support independent living.


“It is essential that the strategy is now successfully implemented with the full involvement of disabled people and their representative organisations, and we stand ready to support the government with this important task.”


Read the strategy [link removed]


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Ann Francke, Chief Executive of the Chartered Management Institute explains why employers with 250 or more employees should report their gender pay gap information before the October deadline. Watch now >> [link removed]


Researching the future of work


We are looking for suitably qualified bidders to conduct research into the future world of work. This research will explore the risks and opportunities facing different groups and the equality and human rights challenges that lie ahead.


Find out more [link removed]


New CEO for the EHRC and developing our next strategic plan


We are delighted to announce that our new Chief Executive will be Marcial Boo. Marcial is the current CEO of the UK Public Health Register and formerly CEO of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. He will join the EHRC full time in September.


We are in the final year of our current Strategic Plan [link removed]  and soon will be sharing our proposals for our next plan for public consultation. We expect to launch this consultation next month - keep an eye on our social media channels for information on how you can get involved or find out more in next month's bulletin.


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Equality and Human Rights Commission
Fleetbank House, 2-6 Salisbury Square, EC4Y 8JX


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