NGRF - UK National Guidance Research Forum

The Equalities Review was set up to:

• provide an understanding of the long term and underlying causes of disadvantage that need to be addressed by public policy
• make practical recommendations on key policy priorities for: the Government and public sector; employers and trade unions; civic society and the voluntary sector
• inform both the modernisation of equality legislation, towards a Single Equality Act; and the development of the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights.

The Equalities Review has its own website which contains quite a wealth of information on aspects of inequality.  You can access a range of presentations that consider issues such as measures of inequality, discrimination law and the nature of the review itself.  In addition, there has been some research commissioned by the Equalities Review, which includes a Literature scoping review on reducing inequalities: International Comparisons and a Sexual Orienation Research Review. 

I heard Trevor Phillips interviewed on the Radio 4 Today programme earlier on today today in connection with the interim report which has just come out.  He seemed to be saying that one noticeable aspect of inequality is the extent to which it has become associated with very particular pockets of disadvantage.  So for example, it isn't necessarily helpful to talk in terms of race very broadly, but more useful to look at the specifics of under achieveing Caribbean boys.  He gave other examples, but sadly these weren't easy to find on the Review Website!  However, the website as a whole provides some fascinating insights into the nature of disadvantage, and struck me as being of great interest to those of us involved in careers guidance.