The Art of Communication: - Derry City Council

1. The working group should devise an overarching ‘engagement strategy’ aimedat improving mutual understanding between EHOs and Chinese employers. Thestrategy should include the development of the most appropriate innovativesuggestions for joint working made during Chinese and EHO focus groups.Funding streams (e.g. Community Relations funding) that can support theimplementation of such innovative approaches should be actively sought by theworking group;2. The working group should produce a best practice register of all relevant policiesand procedures currently in place within councils in NI that relate to Chineseemployers/EMBs/ethnic minorities. Following this the working group shouldconduct a gap analysis to determine any further policies and procedures that arerequired to effectively support an improvement in communications with Chineseemployers/EMBs;3. Community Relations and Equality Officers should be invited to attend adepartmental meeting within each Environmental Health department inorder to meet EHOs and provide information on their work to help facilitatethe establishment of mutually beneficial proactive working relationships.Environmental Health departments should offer their EHOs the opportunity tospend some time shadowing their Community Relations and Equality colleagues(and vice versa), in order to develop understanding of the relevance of each role.Such collaborations should be reported to the working group to help promotegood practice and inform future policy development in this area.7.5 Partnerships and ResourcesThis research has shown that EHOs value the existing relationship with Sai Pak andappreciate the value that such partnerships with representatives of the Chinese communitycan bring. The recommendations outlined under Leadership and Policy and Strategy willassist with external and internal partnership development.To help further support partnership working, the following overarching recommendation ismade.1. The working group should ensure that its aims/objectives are referenced back insupport of the aims/objectives of its member organisations.40The Art of Communication: A landscape shared between regulator and ethnic employer