The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) Act 2014 introduced a positive duty on public bodies to have due regard to human rights and equality issues.
The Department provides ongoing supports and learning programmes for staff to create awareness in relation to equality for the benefit of staff and customers.
All new staff undertake a mandatory three-day Induction and Orientation course, one day of which is focused on best customer service practice and addresses issues of equality and diversity, discrimination and unconscious bias to underpin the significance of these matters.
The Department’s learning and development unit has developed unconscious bias modules as part of its customer service, people management, and team building training.
In addition, a number of eLearning modules include elements of unconscious bias:
• the business of the Department
• decision making & natural justice
• revised decisions and their date of effect
• role and responsibilities of a deciding officer
• social welfare inspector – an introduction to employer investigations.
The Department has developed a suite of accredited learning programmes in collaboration with the National College of Ireland (NCI). These programmes include topics such as decision making and bias as well as ethics, equality and diversity. An unconscious bias module is taught on these programmes.
An external provider, Insights Training, delivered a webinar on unconscious bias to staff in March 2021 at a cost of €500; attendance was voluntary.
