Equality Data Improvement Programme project board minutes September 2021: paper - summary project plan

Summary project plan – January 2021 to December 2022

Action 1: develop ‘standard 8’ of the Digital Scotland Service Standard to ensure that the revised version covers diversity monitoring to see that the data collection of this information is built into all digital services from the start

Status: complete
Dates undertaken: April 2021 – September 2021

Action 2: analyse individual or household based NPF indicators to identify the extent to which equality breakdowns are available and for each indicator set out a plan to either allow analysis of the existing indicator by protected characteristic or to identify an alternative means to provide evidence

Status: not yet active
Dates undertaken: October 2021 – September 2022

Action 3: commission the production of case studies to showcase good practice in equality data collection in the public sector, based on findings from the recently concluded Public sector – understanding equality data collection commission

Status: active
Dates undertaken: April 2021 – December 2021

Action 4: update guidance on data collection and question wording to be used for collecting equality data
Status: paused
Dates undertaken: April 2021 – December 2021 

Action 5: commission independent research with people with lived experience of holding different and intersecting protected characteristics to explore response issues, to investigate fears and to understand what positive messaging would help reduce fears and encourage participation in surveys etc. Will probably require a research budget because this work would best be undertaken by representative stakeholder bodies
Status: not yet active 
Dates undertaken: January 2021 – September 2022

Action 6: develop best practice guidance to help public sector data collectors to improve their response rate
Status: not yet active 
Dates undertaken: July 2021 – December 2022

Action 7: run workshops to discuss best practice in analysing protected characteristics for public sector analysts
Status: active 
Dates undertaken: July 2021 – December 2022

Action 8: undertake an intersectionalities project which will include literature review of what is meant by intersectionalities and how the concept of overlapping/interconnected protected characteristics can be utilised when analysing data
Status: active
Dates undertaken: July 2021 – December 2021

Action 9: commission external research identify key structural intersectionalities and ways in which evidence gaps can be captured through both qualitative and quantitative data
Status: not yet active 
Dates undertaken: October 2021 – June 2022

Action 10: continue to update the Equality Evidence Finder (EEF) and liaise with users to ensure the EEF meets needs as demand for equality data increases and seek ongoing improvements
Status: active
Dates undertaken: April 2021 – December 2022

Action 11: run workshops to discuss and showcase good practice approaches and accessible presentation methods of equality data
Status: not yet active 
Dates undertaken: January 2022 – June 2022

Action 12: identify and develop case studies of how improved equality data has led to changes in service outcomes from across the public sector
Status: not yet active 
Dates undertaken: timings TBC

Action 13: working with Equality Budget Advisory Group ensure that equality data on impact is built into budget processes and develop approaches to ensure relevant officials have the evidence and skills needed to do this
Status: active
Dates undertaken: April 2021 – December 2022

Action 14: ongoing engagement with Cross Justice Working Group on Race Data and Evidence, which has been established with a range of key partners and stakeholders to drive improvements for that domain
Status: active 
Dates undertaken: April 2021 – December 2022

Action 15: as a result of COVID-19, the expert reference group on COVID-19 and ethnicity was established. This group focussed mainly on health data and provided recommendations in November 2020. This is ongoing work led by the Health Improvement Team
Status: active 
Dates undertaken: April 2021 – December 2022

Action 16: as part of Housing to 2040, analysts will look across the housing system at current data gaps and improvements
Status: not yet active 
Dates undertaken: October 2021 – December 2022

Action 17: participate in ONS’ Diversity and Inclusion Task Force to seek improved collection and reporting of equality data in UK administrative data such as that from DWP and HMRC. Also to ensure that we are learning from and considering best practice at UK level and from the other devolved governments
Status: active 
Dates undertaken: April 2021 – December 2022

Action 18: produce an equalities dataset through the secure linkage of data from Scottish public bodies on protected characteristics from the 2010 Equality Act to understand the effect of services on different people with different protected characteristics. The aims of this project is to develop as complete a picture of the protected characteristics across the Scottish population as possible using existing administrative and census data. The equalities dataset would be available in the National Data Safe Haven
Status: active 
Dates undertaken: April 2021 – December 2022

Action 19: carry out an Equality Data Audit to gather insight into the protected characteristic data collected and published from ‘key’ datasets in each analytical area across the Scottish Government
Active: active
Dates undertaken: July 2021 – December 2021

Action 20: work with Scottish Government analysts in each analytical area to develop an equality data improvement plan based on gaps identified through the Equality Data Audit
Status: not yet active
Dates undertaken: October 2021 – March 2022

Action 21: the Equality Evidence Strategy is due for review in 2021 and the next iteration will cover the years 2022-25. Our aim is that the new Equality Evidence Strategy will re-examine key aspects, such as the vision and purpose, but this time will be accompanied by an Equality Data Improvement Plan which sets out key milestones and priorities to filling equality gaps rather than just identifying them
Status: not yet active
Dates undertaken: April 2021 – December 2022

Produced 27 August 2021