Publication - FOI/EIR release

Equally Safe Strategy creation and consultation: FOI release

Published: 15 January 2024
Directorate: Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights Directorate
Topic: Public sector
FOI reference: 202200309055
Date received: 1 July 2022
Date responded: 5 August 2022

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Information requested

Any public consultation paper(s) related to/informing the creation of the Equally Safe Scotland strategy in 2014. (By public, is meant, consultation of the public, as opposed to published).
Any analysis of responses following public consultation related to/informing the creation of the Equally Safe Scotland strategy in 2014; essentially, any equivalent to Equally Safe draft delivery plan consultation 2017-2021: response analysis (even if not externally published) in respect of the strategy produced in 2014.
Confirmation that there was no public consultation prior to the updating of the Equally Safe Scotland strategy in 2016, as you have only provided consultation papers concerning the Equally Safe Delivery Plan from 2017, in response to a previous request (1 June).
Any internal assessment framework, scoring guide or similar that was used to evaluate allocation of funding for the Equally Safe (Violence Against Women and Girls) Fund 2017 – 2021 (everything available may already have been provided).
Any summary reports to date such as are mentioned on p.1 of the Delivering Equally Safe Guidance Notes: Progress Reporting Form (Document (h) provided previously on 30 June), which states that “Inspiring Scotland will produce a summary report for The Scottish Government that highlights the impact that Delivering Equally Safe funding has had during the relevant six-month period. This report will include analysis of funded activity and where it has taken place, information on work with specific groups or in key thematic areas, and examples of the impact funding has had.”
Any equivalent summary reports prepared in respect of the Equally Safe (Violence Against Women and Girls) Fund 2017 – 2021.

Response

We enclose a copy of most of the information you requested in the form you asked for.

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exemptions under section 29(1)(a) (policy formulation). The reasons why the exemptions apply are explained in Annex A to this letter.

We have attached a copy of the consultation questions for the Equally Safe Strategy 2014 (Annex B). We have additionally attached the FAQ document which was sent out alongside the consultation questions (Annex C).
Section 29(1)(a) applied to this question; please see Annex A.
There was no formal public consultation on the 2016 Equally Safe Strategy.
Please see attached Annex D.
Section 29(1)(a) applies to this question; please see Annex A. It may be helpful to note, that there will be a publicly available 6-month report on the DES Fund available in the next 12 weeks.
Please see the link to the final Equally Safe (Violence Against Women and Girls) Fund 2016-2017. ES(VAWG) and RCSF End of Fund Summary Report (canva.com).

About FOI

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