Know your risks
Find gaps in compliance with the Equality Act 2010 and, for public bodies, the Public Sector Equality Duty, before a complaint, tribunal or challenge does.
Equality audits
Independent equality audits that show you where you really stand
Most organisations have equality policies. Fewer know whether those policies work in practice. A DiverseCT equality audit looks at what you say, what you do and what your data shows, then gives you a clear, prioritised plan to close the gaps.
What is an equality audit?
An equality audit is an independent, structured review of how well your organisation meets its equality, diversity and inclusion commitments and legal duties. It covers your policies and frameworks, your workforce and service data, how you assess the impact of decisions, and what your staff actually experience. The result is evidence you can act on, not a generic set of recommendations.
Why organisations commission an audit
Prove progress
Show your board, regulators, funders or inspectors where you are and what you're doing about it.
Focus your effort
Put time and budget into the changes that will make the biggest difference, rather than doing a little of everything.
How our equality audit works
- 1
Scoping
We agree the scope, priorities, timescale and who we'll speak to, and confirm how data will be handled confidentially.
- 2
Policy and framework review
We review your equality policies, strategies, objectives, HR procedures and any existing equality frameworks, and, for public bodies, your published PSED information.
- 3
Data analysis
We analyse relevant workforce and service data, such as recruitment, progression, pay, disciplinary and grievance, complaints and service-user profiles, to identify where outcomes differ between groups.
- 4
EIA review
We sample your Equality Impact Assessments to test whether equality is genuinely considered before decisions are made.
- 5
Staff and stakeholder engagement
We interview staff and managers and, where agreed, run focus groups with staff networks or a short survey, to understand day-to-day experience.
- 6
Report and action plan
You receive a written report with clear findings rated by priority, a practical action plan with owners and timescales, and a presentation of the findings to your leadership team.
Audit options
Full organisational audit
Everything above, across the whole organisation.
Focused audit
One area, such as recruitment and selection, a specific service, your policy suite or your EIA process.
PSED compliance check
A targeted review of how a public body meets its general and specific equality duties.
Equality framework development
We design an equality auditing framework your own team can use for ongoing self-assessment.
Benchmarked against recognised standards
We assess you against the Equality Act 2010, the Public Sector Equality Duty and Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance, and, where relevant to your sector, frameworks such as the Equality Framework for Local Government, the NHS Equality Delivery System and the NHS Workforce Race and Disability Equality Standards.
Who it's for
Any organisation that wants an honest picture of its equality practice: councils and public bodies, NHS organisations, schools, colleges and universities, housing associations, charities, and private sector employers of any size.
After the audit
We can also help you deliver the action plan through tailored training, EIA reviews and ongoing consultancy, and run a follow-up review to measure progress.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
An independent review of your policies, data, decision-making and staff experience, showing how well you meet your equality commitments and legal duties, with a prioritised action plan.
No. But public bodies must meet the Public Sector Equality Duty, and all employers can be liable for discrimination. An audit is one of the most reliable ways to find and fix gaps before they become complaints or claims.
It depends on the size of your organisation and the scope we agree. We'll confirm the timescale at the scoping stage.
Every audit is scoped to your organisation and priorities, so we provide a tailored quote after an initial conversation.
Yes. We agree data handling at the start, work with anonymised data wherever possible, and report interview findings as themes, not attributed comments.
An Equality Impact Assessment looks at one decision or policy. An equality audit looks at your organisation as a whole, including how well your EIAs are working.
Yes, through training, EIA reviews, ongoing consultancy and a follow-up review.
Request a quote
Tell us a little about your organisation and what you'd like to look at. We'll come back to you to arrange a short, no-obligation conversation.