CDS News

A three-year action plan to deliver equality and diversity objectives is well on the road to success with 30 out of 65 actions completed already.

LSC Chief Executive Carolyn Regan said: “We agreed a bold and ambitious action plan when we launched our Single Equality Scheme in August 2008.

“Good progress has been made and this is set out in our first annual report, which has now been published.

Stakeholder engagement

“We’re particularly pleased at how well we’ve done with stakeholder engagement and involvement.

“One example is Community Legal Advice, which has developed information and advice in British Sign Language and innovative methods of delivery.

“The Equality and Diversity team has established a Client Diversity Group whose members are busy producing a legal aid dictionary in EasyRead. This is to promote easier access to legal services.”

Successes

The report highlights work from a number of LSC teams to support the Government’s agenda to promote mainstreaming of equality into LSC decision-making and policy setting agenda.

Among successes in these areas are:

• Aspire, our mentoring programme working with schools to encourage the next generation of legal professionals
• working with the Law Society and Bar Council on Quality Assurance for Advocates
• sponsoring the Minority Lawyers’ Conference

Thank you for your support for this important agenda. We look forward to continued success in the year ahead.

For more information

Single Equalities Scheme Annual Report 2009

LSC Website: Specialised publications