Child Protection Improvement Programme: equality impact assessment record

Record of assessments of the Child Protection Improvement Programme, testing how the programme would affect our aims for equality.


Stage 3: Assessing the impacts and identifying opportunities to promote equality

Having considered the data and evidence you have gathered, this section requires you to consider the potential impacts – negative and positive – that your policy might have on each of the protected characteristics. It is important to remember the duty is also a positive one – that we must explore whether the policy offers the opportunity to promote equality and/or foster good relations.

Do you think that the policy impacts on people because of their age?

Age

Positive

Negative

None

Reasons for your decision

Eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation

Yes

The Programme has been designed, inter alia, to promote and disseminate improved practice responses from both children's and universal services professionals to the adverse circumstances experienced by children and young people in relation to neglect. Further, the Programme seeks to improve the quality of the management information derived from extant data and evidence and the inspections process to improve learning and feedback within the system and to efficiently manage the allocation of resources in order that we achieve the most positive impacts and outcomes for children and young people in respect of the wellbeing indicators.

Advancing equality of opportunity

Yes

The Programme's core objective is strategically aligned to the delivery of national performance indicators designed to promote equality of opportunity, diminish the effects of inequalities and progressively remove structural inequality from Scottish society.

Promoting good relations among and between different age groups

Yes

The Programme has a distinct focus on the promotion of child wellbeing and on the alignment of practice responses to meeting the individual needs children experiencing wellbeing and/or child protection concerns.

Do you think that the policy impacts disabled people?

Do you think that the policy impacts on men and women in different ways?

Disability

Positive

Negative

None

Reasons for your decision

Eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation

Yes

The Programme is predicated explicitly on embedding a culture of continuous improvement and on driving the dissemination of promising practice in relation to neglect (and by extension, abuse and harm). Scotland's vision for a child protection system is located within the GIRFEC national policy umbrella that seeks to promote the wellbeing needs of all children, including those living with a physiological or psychological disability, or learning impairment.

Extensive improvement work will be delivered in the context of the neglect improvement pilot to identify how and where service delivery can be tailored to individual contexts. Rapid analysis of existing responses and neglect toolkits will include consideration of how specifically to address the neglect experienced by children living with disabilities as a result of their more complex needs.

Advancing equality of opportunity

Yes

As above

Promoting good relations among and between disabled and non-disabled people

Yes

Sex

Positive

Negative

None

Reasons for your decision

Eliminating unlawful discrimination

Yes

In the context of the Programme, consideration will consistently be given to the need to prioritise service responses that are tailored to the individual wellbeing needs of the children involved.

In relation to the revision of existing legislation on child cruelty, attention has been paid to the potentially disproportionate impact of that legislation on mothers, as opposed to the fathers of neglected or abused children, particularly in the context of homes characterised by the experience of domestic abuse.

Consideration will be given in the leadership and workforce development aspects of the programme to ensure that activities to promote empowerment of the workforce and the authoritative exercise of clinical judgement do not have adverse impacts in relation to sex or gender identity.

Advancing equality of opportunity

Yes

As above.

Promoting good relations between men and women

Yes

Do you think that the policy impacts on women because of pregnancy and maternity?

Pregnancy and Maternity

Positive

Negative

None

Reasons for your decision

Eliminating unlawful discrimination

Yes

The aim of the Programme is to deliver consistently good service responses to children experiencing wellbeing needs/child protection concerns, irrespective of their pregnancy status.

Advancing equality of opportunity

Yes

Promoting good relations

Yes

Do you think your policy impacts on transsexual people?

Gender reassignment

Positive

Negative

None

Reasons for your decision

Eliminating unlawful discrimination

Yes

As above, the aim of the Programme is to deliver consistently good service responses to children experiencing wellbeing needs/child protection concerns, irrespective of their LGBTI status.

Advancing equality of opportunity

Yes

As above

Promoting good relations

Yes

Do you think that the policy impacts on people because of their sexual orientation?

Sexual orientation

Positive

Negative

None

Reasons for your decision

Eliminating unlawful discrimination

Yes

As above, the aim of the Programme is to deliver consistently good service responses to children and families, irrespective of the LGBTI status of either the child or young person, or their parent/carer.

Advancing equality of opportunity

Yes

As above

Promoting good relations

Yes

Do you think the policy impacts on people on the grounds of their race?

Race

Positive

Negative

None

Reasons for your decision

Eliminating unlawful discrimination

Yes

Our aim is to promote equality of access to high quality support and services irrespective of race.

Advancing equality of opportunity

Yes

Promoting good race relations

Yes

Do you think the policy impacts on people because of their religion or belief?

Religion or belief

Positive

Negative

None

Reasons for your decision

Eliminating unlawful discrimination

Yes

The programme aims to promote the delivery of effective high quality support services irrespective of religion or belief. It is recognised that children and young people from minority ethnic communities can have specific vulnerabilities associated with their culture which create barriers to disclosing or reporting abuse, for example, blackmail connected with shame and dishonour can be used to control victims. Cultural sensitivities can lead to an unwillingness to discuss or recognise abuse, neglect and harm. The Programme will consider the interface between universal and children's services activity, including relevant thresholds for intervention in the context of neglect. Attention will be paid to how responses are driven by mechanisms for identifying the prevalence of neglect and professionals' assessments of children in need.

Advancing equality of opportunity

Yes

As above

Promoting good relations

Yes

Do you think the policy impacts on people because of their marriage or civil partnership?

Marriage and Civil Partnership [5]

Positive

Negative

None

Reasons for your decision

Eliminating unlawful discrimination

N/A

Contact

Email: Francois Roos, Child_Protection@gov.scot

Phone: 0300 244 4000 – Central Enquiry Unit

The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

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