Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Cancellation of Registration) Order 2026: equality impact assessment

The Scope of the EQIA

Groups and Areas Assessed (Protected Characteristics and the Three PSED Needs)

The EQIA considered the policy’s potential impacts across all nine protected characteristics defined in the Equality Act 2010: Age, Disability, Sex, Pregnancy and Maternity, Gender Reassignment, Sexual Orientation, Race, Religion or Belief, Marriage and Civil Partnership.

In line with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), the assessment explored how the policy may affect the duty to:

1. Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
2. Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
3. Foster good relations between people with different characteristics

This EQIA is an assessment of the potential impacts of a new power for the Care Inspectorate on people across the spectrum of protected characteristics. It has sought to highlight gaps in the evidence and outline actions to be undertaken to address those gaps. However, the extent and nature of the impacts and potential mitigations cannot be fully known until the implementation of the policy. Hence, a revised assessment will be undertaken as necessary if any issues are identified.

The policy was systematically reviewed against these three needs for each protected characteristic, drawing on available quantitative evidence and sector engagement, and the Care Inspectorate’s operational context.

Approach and Methods Used to Assess Impact

The EQIA drew on a multi‑stage methodology combining quantitative analysis, qualitative evidence and targeted engagement.

A comprehensive review of existing data sources was undertaken, including quantitative data: National Records of Scotland; Public Health Scotland social care statistics; Care Inspectorate service datasets; Scottish Social Services Council Workforce Data Report; Scotland’s Census, Care Home Census, Scottish Health Survey.

This ensured the assessment captured the characteristics and needs of both service users and the social care workforce, and identified data gaps (e.g., limited qualitative evidence regarding race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender reassignment).

Qualitative analysis included narrative evidence from: the 2021 National Care Service consultation, stakeholder submissions and input via Targeted Consultation on the SSI (Nov–Dec 2025). This qualitative evidence helped identify risks and lived‑experience concerns that may not be evident in quantitative datasets.

The policy was assessed against likely direct and indirect impacts, possible differential effects on specific groups, opportunities to mitigate negative impacts, opportunities to strengthen equality of access or outcomes. This included reviewing implementation pathways (improvement notice decisions, cancellation timelines, CI operational procedures) to identify where vulnerabilities may arise for protected groups.