Equality and diversity

diversityARB is subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty, which requires public bodies to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different people when carrying out their activities.

In order to fulfil that duty, it is important that we collect information relating to the diversity of those that are on the Register and those who we interact with. We currently hold Equality & Diversity information for about 35% of architects, and have a target to hold this information for 42% of the Register by the end of 2016. We also collect information from other key stakeholders, such as those bringing complaints about architects, so that we can ensure that our own procedures and decision making processes do not discriminate against any particular group.

There is little purpose on holding information unless it is acted upon, which is why the Board and its committees always consider Equality and Diversity implications before reaching decisions. We are genuinely committed to Equality and Diversity principles and in 2015 we reached out to a number of networks for under represented groups to encourage a diverse range of candidates to consider becoming Board Members. We also considered how our work impacts on the mental health of those using our services and initiated improvement projects.

A breakdown of the information held about those on the Register of Architects can be found in section six of this report.

Read more about our Registration Facts & Figures here.