First Minister's National Advisory Council on Women and Girls First Phase Two Report: Scottish Government Response

Data and Lived Experience

We recognise the important issues raised by the NACWG on collecting robust and accurate gender inequality data to inform our policies. Currently, the Scottish Government updates its Gender Equality Index every three years to help measure and understand barriers to sex and gender equality. We also issued guidance to officials and public bodies on collecting equality data to help them design research, and analyse and present data.

On 25 April 2025, we published our new equality outcomes under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), setting the direction for the 2025–2029 reporting period.

These new outcomes focus on the enablers of system change and are centred around three key areas: (i) equality evidence, (ii) lived experience and participation, and (iii) equality and other relevant impact assessments.

To support these outcomes, we have outlined a series of short- and long-term actions that will guide our work and be regularly reviewed to ensure they remain responsive to Scotland’s evolving policy landscape.

Our current Equality Data Improvement Programme, which is focused on implementing a three-year programme of work as part of the Equality Evidence Strategy 2023-25, includes a focus on improving the collection and analysis of intersectional data across policy areas. Of the 45 Actions set out in the Strategy, 25 relate to improvements to sex or gender data collection, analysis or reporting, and 16 relate to intersectionality.

A key piece of work in this area includes publication of the Minority Ethnic Women’s Intersectional Evidence Review in December 2024, which sets out evidence related to Minority Ethnic women’s outcomes and experiences, whilst also recognising gaps and weaknesses in this evidence. The Evidence Review stresses the importance of drawing on qualitative, quantitative and lived experience data in order to build the strongest intersectional view. We will look at how to best disseminate and act upon the findings relating to Minority Ethnic women, as set out in the Evidence Review. Conclusions will also be drawn into future intersectional work.

We have also conducted a thematic review of the National Performance Framework, as recommended by the NACWG. The Scottish Government has committed to a period of reform of the National Performance Framework to support the development and implementation of a more strategic and impactful framework for Scotland.

While the Gender Index and Equality Data Improvement Programme are key steps to improve intersectional data and evidence, we know that there is more to do. We know that improving equality data will be an ongoing process that will evolve over time. We therefore welcome the NACWG’s Calls to Action for the Scottish Government to address intersectional gender-disaggregated data gaps and increase our investment in ethical lived experience work.

Calls to Action: Measurement framework on women’s equality/Action plan on data gaps

4. Scottish Government should publish a measurement framework to track progress on women’s equality in Scotland.

5. The measurement framework should be underpinned by an action plan to address intersectional gender-disaggregated data gaps and make better use of qualitative data from expert women’s and third sector organisations.

The Scottish Government accepts these Calls to Action.

The Gender Equality Index was specifically designed to be a framework to monitor gender equality in Scotland as set out in Call to Action 4 and we are working to address intersectional data gaps as set out in Call to Action 5 through our Equality Data Improvement Programme. From the NACWG report it is clear that we need to build on these important pieces of work and to more closely align work to address intersectional data gaps with the gender equality outcomes we are striving for. As mentioned previously, subject to this government being returned after the next Scottish Parliament election, we are committed to developing accountability mechanisms as part of our commitment to publish an equality strategy for women and girls. It is our intention that this suite of accountability mechanisms will include a measurement framework for the strategy to track our progress in delivering its aims. Until such accountability mechanisms are developed, we intend to update the Gender Equality Index in 2026 in the interim.

It is also our intention that any future accountability mechanisms will be developed in participation with gender equality stakeholders and those with lived experience, and during this collaboration we will identify the gaps in our data collection. Where intersectional data gaps are identified, these will be explored in the next iteration of the Equality Evidence Strategy, therefore supporting the evidence base required for the equality strategy for women and girls. This work will also be developed in collaboration with the Chief Designer, Chief Social Researcher and Chief Statistician.

Calls to Action: Investment in ethical lived experience work/coherent approach to lived experience engagement

6. There needs to be improved investment in ethical lived experience work, including community and third sector participatory work. Greater prominence must be given to this approach within wider data gathering work so that it has equal value with other data gathering methods.

7. Lived experience engagement and participatory policy-making efforts need to be supported by a coherent, Scottish Government-wide approach which has at its core accountability and power redistribution.

Scottish Government accepts the ambition of these Calls to Action.

We know the importance of ethical lived experience work, and community and third sector participatory work. It is through evidence from participatory approaches that we established Social Security Scotland, which was designed with its service users, and expanded our entitlement to fund early learning and childcare from 600 hours a year to 1,140. We have also worked with those affected by substance use through our National Collaborative to ensure better policy outcomes for people affected by drugs and alcohol.

A range of resources have been developed or are under development which will support staff to plan, commission and deliver work of this nature in an ethical and inclusive manner. These include the Participation Handbook, guidance on paying participant expenses and compensating participant time, the establishment of dedicated procurement routes (frameworks) for participatory work with children and young people and with adults, and the development of a set of training and upskilling resources for staff.

An internal Social Research Participation and Lived Experience working group was established in 2021. Among the options for this group’s future work is consideration of how insight from participatory processes can best be engaged with alongside information from other data gathering methods, and how ethical practices can best be maintained.

However, we acknowledge the NACWG’s call to strengthen our approach to collecting ethical lived experience data, including better use of community and third sector participatory work. We also note the NACWG’s call for lived experience engagement and participatory policy-making efforts to be supported by a coherent, Scottish Government-wide approach.

That is why we continue to work towards taking forward the recommendations from the Institutionalising Participatory and Deliberative Democracy (IPDD) working group, which includes establishing a Participation Team that would have the authority and capacity to co-ordinate lived experience and participatory policymaking efforts. The Participation Team will be guided by IPDD values, standards and principles which includes accountability and power redistribution. At present, resources have not been identified to support the establishment of this team, but it remains an ambition.

The establishment of the Participation Team would represent a step change in the Scottish Government’s capacity, authority and recognition for supporting ethical lived experience work. While ownership often sits with policy colleagues, where analytical support is required, Social Researchers and Service Designers are increasingly involved. Social Researchers are being provided with Scottish Community Development Centre-led training on participation and lived experience, increasing their skills and understanding of this approach – this will include a focus on ethics.

The Office of the Chief Designer, drawing on the advice of the National Care Service Social Covenant Steering Group (made up of members with lived experience of social care) along with many other organisations who have collaborated on co-design projects, has piloted a comprehensive approach to participation in policy and service design. This includes training and coaching in participation and co-design (including issues such as safeguarding, inclusion, trauma informed working and impact tracking and reporting) policy makers and service delivery teams, a support function established for lived experience participants, and a participatory approach to working with the third sector to reach communities who are often unheard in health and social care policy and service design. In 2026, new guidance on participatory co-design will be published in the Scottish Approach to Service Design playbook and promoted through training offers to policy makers and public service delivery teams in the wider Scottish Government and public sector.

As mentioned previously, we published the Mainstreaming Strategy in December 2025. It sets out a clear vision and framework for making change in how we develop policy, deliver services and allocate resources. We have developed the Strategy through extensive engagement with communities, organisations, and individuals, including those with lived experience of inequality and exclusion. The Strategy is structured around six key drivers for mainstreaming – one chapter of the Strategy is devoted to utilising evidence and experience. This chapter of the Strategy outlines our aim for actively and meaningfully involving those directly impacted in the design and implementation of policy. This means effective engagement with marginalised communities and outlines our commitments in relation to this.

Under regulation 4 of the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (the Scottish Specific Duties) the Scottish Government must publish Equality Outcomes every four years which it considers will enable it to enable better performance of the Public Sector Equality Duty. We set our most recent Equality Outcomes in April 2025, including one outcome focused on improving the use of lived experience and participation in government policy and decision-making. There are a number of actions being taken forward to meet this outcome, driven by policy leads across the organisation. For example, this year we will establish a procurement process to facilitate the commissioning of high-quality participatory work within the Scottish Government. We will establish a set of resources to support staff in designing or delivering participatory work. We have committed to providing regular and transparent updates on our progress against our Equality Outcomes, both through routine statutory reports and through the Mainstreaming Strategy and Action Plan.