The Art of Communication: - Derry City Council

ForewordWe are very pleased to co-write theforeword for this report, as the hard workthat underpins this piece of research wasvery much grounded in the true spiritand full application of partnership. Thisreport is the culmination of two yearsof effort and is a testament to the sheerbreadth, depth and quality of what can beachieved when public, private and voluntaryorganisations synthesise their efforts fora common purpose. In this instance thebinding common purpose is the desire tocommunicate more effectively. Not aneasy task, particularly when set against thelandscape of regulatory service delivery toEthnic Minority Businesses (EMBs) who facevery real language and social barriers.District council Environmental Healthdepartments must take account of theparticular needs of EMBs, as must theyalso take account of the needs of theirstaff who are expected to deliver a qualityand equitable service on an ongoing basiswithin this arena. A well-established legalframework now exists in Northern Irelandto ensure public authorities actively focuson the Equality and Good Relations agenda.In essence, Equality and Good Relationspractice should be seamlessly mainstreamedthroughout the work of EnvironmentalHealth departments. In practice, this mayrequire changes in organisational culture andindividual attitudes, as well as the creationof tailored processes and the focusing ofsupporting resources.Chinese catering establishments are anexample of EMBs with which EnvironmentalHealth Officers (EHOs) have contact. WhenChinese employers and EHOs engage aspart of the regulatory process it is essentialthat shared communications are effective.Results of this study demonstrate that animprovement in face-to-face communicationsis deemed by both parties to be the keypriority. Qualitative data revealed that,in the main, goodwill existed betweenEHOs and Chinese employers across thefive participating council areas. It is veryheartening to have uncovered innovativepractice and individual endeavour. However,frustration with current forms of sharedcommunication was also clearly evident, withmany examples of ineffective communicationinteractions provided. Overall, it isconcluded that the majority of EnvironmentalHealth departments involved are attemptingto communicate with Chinese employerslargely in the same manner as they wouldwith any other type of duty holder. This is amatter that requires improvement.The Art of Communication: A landscape shared between regulator and ethnic employer 3