Disability equality plan

3. Disability competence

Disability competence refers to the skills, knowledge and understanding needed for a workforce to identify matters that have the potential to impact on disabled people, positively or negatively. A disability competent Scottish Government can ensure the policies, systems, and services we put in place are designed to respond appropriately to disabled people’s needs. Disability competence has the potential to promote trust between disabled people and policy makers, and create an environment where disabled people can collaborate on policy development. Ultimately, this will make sure disabled people are empowered and protected by the policies put in place.

Improving the disability competence of the Scottish Government will equip policy makers and leaders with the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to ensure policies and practices have a positive impact on disabled people’s lives. To effectively lead Scotland towards our shared vision of disability equality, we need leaders who truly understand the intersecting, often compounding, challenges facing disabled people today.

We will work with our DPO partners in an intensive development period in the coming months to produce a disability competence learning programme. The first phase of the programme will be delivered later this year with those directly involved in delivery of the actions outlined in this plan. We will work across the Scottish Government to share best practice and embed expertise in teams and policy areas. This growing policy community will in time be skilled up to deliver learning on disability competence to more teams and policy areas beyond those involved in the first phase.

Inspired by the success of the annual Scottish Youth Parliament takeover, an inaugural disabled people’s takeover will be held during the first phase of the programme, and annually thereafter. DPOs and disabled people will have the opportunity to speak directly with Scottish Ministers. It will also be a public forum where Ministers can be held to account on the progress of delivery of the plan.

After the first year of the disability competence learning programme, a collaborative evaluation will assess the extent to which the programme has achieved its objectives, and highlight any areas for improvement or if a change in approach is needed. This will enable evidence-based decisions to be taken for the second phase of delivery.

Actions

7. We will develop, resource, and implement a plan to strengthen disability competence within the Scottish Government, in collaboration with our DPO partners. Our approach will be led by the lived experience of disabled people and framed by the social model of disability. This will enhance our policy making processes to maximise positive impact on the lives of disabled people in Scotland.

8. We will establish and facilitate a disabled people’s annual Cabinet takeover to provide a forum for disabled people and representative organisations to speak directly to Ministers about the issues that affect them. This is aimed at improving disability competence and leadership, and will provide additional accountability at Ministerial level.