PSO 2800 - Inside Time

PSO 2800 Annexes – Page 23CHAPTER 10 – MANAGEMENT OF RACE EQUALITY ABOVE ESTABLISHMENT LEVEL10.1 The Prison Service publishes a Race Equality Scheme, an associate scheme of the HomeOffice Race Equality Scheme, setting out the way in which it seeks to comply with theRR(A)A 2000. This document is published every three years and an update on progress ispublished annually.National Level10.2 Overall responsibility for the management of race equality rests with the Director Generaland the Prison Service Management Board. The Race and Equalities Advisor providesadvice to the Director General and the PSMB on the general direction and progress on raceequality. The PSMB holds a quarterly meeting specifically focused on the management ofrace equality, at which progress on the Prison Service Race Equality Action Plan ismonitored.10.3 The Race Equality Programme Management Board is chaired by the Director of Financeand meets every six weeks to oversee progress on the Race Equality Action Plan and theprojects derived from it.Area Level10.4 Area Managers oversee the management of race equality by Governors and SeniorManagement Teams in establishments, receiving quarterly reports on progress on the RaceEquality Action Plan. They use this, together with Key Performance Target and QuarterlyQuestionnaire data, to hold Governors to account for their performance in this area.Race Equality Action Group10.5 REAG takes the lead on race equality policy for the Prison Service and aims to:maintain the focus on race and the Race Equality Action Plan;provide practical assistance and advice to establishments and to policy leads;develop links with communities.10.6 REAG has policy responsibility for the following areas:For PrisonersRace Equality IssuesFor Prisoners and StaffRace Relations KPTs and guidance10.7 It is important to note that policy responsibility for all other prisoner diversity issues rests inthe National Offender Management Service (NOMS) in the Offender Policy and Rights Unit.The NOMS Chaplaincy holds responsibility for all religion and belief issues for prisoners.Policy responsibility for race and diversity issues for staff is held by Personnel ManagementGroup.10.8 REAG consists of four teams:The Programmes and Communication Team – develops and administers the PrisonService Race Equality Action Plan, manages the business support needs of the Group,handles all briefing requests, and has responsibility for the Group‟s communicationsstrategy;Issue No. 264 issue date 25/09/06