Equality and human rights mainstreaming: equality impact assessment
This equality impact assessment (EQIA) results report provides a summary of the key findings from the detailed work undertaken to assess potential equality impacts of the equality and human rights mainstreaming strategy, action plan and toolkit.
Recommendations and Conclusion
The Strategy has been shaped by the EQIA process to ensure it fully addresses the diverse needs of all protected groups. As a result of the EQIA process:
- Specific actions have been carried out regarding the format, in order to enhance accessibility for people with disabilities.
- Intersectionality has been embedded to ensure that people with multiple protected characteristics are considered.
- Emphasis on tailored approaches has been strengthened to encourage accommodation for age-specific needs, religious practices, and cultural differences.
- All six key drivers have been refined to address the three needs of the PSED.
- The toolkit represents a deliberate effort to remove barriers to participation and help ensure that the Strategy’s resources are available to everyone, regardless of their ability.
Findings from the consultation and stakeholders have shaped our response to potential preventative issues. The toolkit has helped to mitigate the cost for government and public bodies as it will be free to use at point of use.
Although the Strategy is designed to reduce inequalities, we recognise that any policy can have unintended effects, particularly if some groups are underrepresented. To manage this, we will continue to engage with affected communities, improve the quality of equality data, and monitor the impact of these outcomes in practice. If issues arise, we will adjust our approach to ensure the outcomes remain inclusive and effective.
Several factors could hinder the achievement of the desired outcomes including:
- Insufficient resources and capacity within public bodies to effectively implement the Strategy.
- Lack of clarity or alignment with other key legislative changes, such as the proposed Human Rights Bill or the reform of PSED. It is worth noting that the PSED is in UK legislation which the Scottish Government Cannot amend.
- Lack of specific, measurable outcomes or insufficient monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
- A persistent gap between high-level strategic goals and frontline delivery.