We sometimes ask questions about characteristics such as:
- age
- disability
- ethnicity
- religion or belief
- sex
- sexual orientation
- gender identity
This is called equality monitoring.
You do not usually have to answer these questions. We ask them to help us understand who uses our services and whether people from different communities have equal access to them.
Why we ask equality monitoring questions
Equality monitoring helps us understand the needs and experiences of the people who use our services.
We use this information to:
- identify barriers that some groups may face when accessing our services
- understand whether our services meet the needs of different communities
- improve how we design and deliver services
- identify and reduce inequalities
- review policies and services
- meet our responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010
By collecting and analysing equality monitoring information, we can identify communities that may be underrepresented or less likely to use our services. This helps us understand why this may be happening and what we can do to improve access.
How equality monitoring information helps us
We use equality monitoring information to build a better understanding of the communities we serve.
This information helps us:
- understand how different groups experience our services
- identify gaps in service provision
- target engagement and consultation activities
- make evidence-based decisions about service improvements
- ensure services are accessible and inclusive
The information also helps us understand whether changes to services affect different groups in different ways.
How we use and protect your information
We handle personal information in line with data protection law.
Some equality monitoring information may be classed as special category personal data, which requires additional protection. We only collect information when we need it and use it for clear and lawful purposes.
Find out more about our privacy notice and why we collect personal data.