The CRE has published a framework based on the general and specific duties for inspectorates (bodies that are responsible for auditing or inspecting public authorities). It encourages inspectorates to look for evidence that public authorities are meeting the duties. It also suggests various outcomes that should distinguish successful authorities.

We suggest that inspectorates adapt the framework to the criteria and measurements used for inspection including inspection models, methodologies, key lines of enquiry, evaluation schedules, and assessment and performance indicators.

This framework can be used flexibly but the aim should always be to ensure that inspections of the race equality duties on public authorities are part of the full range of mainstream inspection work.

The CRE's guidance, A Framework for Inspectorates, is available as a downloadable Adobe Acrobat (pdf) file from the right-hand column of this page. There are two versions - one for inspectorates in England and Wales (plus a Welsh language version), and one for Scottish inspectorates.

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The race equality duty and inspectorates - what we expect

As mentioned above, inspectorates are bodies that are responsible for auditing or inspecting public authorities. Examples of inspectorates include:

• The Audit Commission
• Ofsted (and Estyn in Wales)
• The Healthcare Commission
• The Commission for Social Care and Inspection
• HM Inspectorates of Police, Prisons and Probation
• The Magistrates Court Inspection Service
• The Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate
• Benefit Fraud Inspectorate
• The Accounts Commission in Scotland
• Audit Scotland

Inspectorate bodies, as listed public authorities, are subject to the general and specific duties.

This means, for example, that they must assess their functions and policies for relevance, monitor existing policies for adverse impact, and assess for potential adverse impact and consult on proposed relevant policies as well as meeting the other specific and the general duties.

Details of all the requirements of the specific duties can be found here:

• Specific duties

Inspectorates have a general duty to promote race equality. The CRE expects them to meet this duty by using those of their functions that are relevant to the duty.

The key functions of inspectorates are to improve and report upon performance in their sectors. In some cases, there are differences between racial groups (for example in levels of access to services, housing allocations, deprivation, health inequalities, educational attainment and exclusions). When this happens, we expect inspectorates to use their inspection and auditing processes to promote race equality by ensuring that public authorities are meeting the requirements of the race equality duties (and thereby are seeking to identify and address existing inequalities such as those referred to above).

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