Inclusive communication practices within Student Awards Agency Scotland: FOI release

Information requested

1. Do you track requests for inclusive communication support in your listed authority? This could include (but is not limited to) requests for communication support for meetings (online or in person) and for static resources, e.g. large print, telephone calls, email/digital correspondence, Easy Read, Braille, Moon, Guide-Communicator support, BSL or Deafblind Manual interpretation or translation, Electronic Note Takers, audio descriptions, captions.

2. How many requests for inclusive communication support were made to you in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024? Data in either a year-by-year breakdown, or as a single figure across 2020-2024 would be helpful; whichever is easiest.

3. How many of those requests for inclusive communication support made to you in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 were fulfilled? Data in either a year-by-year breakdown, or as a single figure across 2020-2024 would be helpful; whichever is easiest.

4. What types of inclusive communication support request were made to you in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024? This could include (but is not limited to) requests for large print, telephone calls, email/digital correspondence, Easy Read, Braille, Moon, Guide-Communicator support, BSL or Deafblind Manual interpretation or translation, Electronic Note Takers, audio descriptions, captions. Data in either a year-by-year breakdown, or as a single figure across 2020-2024 would be helpful; whichever is easiest.

5. How many complaints did you receive about a lack of inclusive communication in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024? Data in either a year-by year breakdown, or as a single figure across 2020-2024 would be helpful; whichever is easiest.

6. How many complaints about inclusive communication made in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 have been resolved? Data in either a year-by-year breakdown, or as a single figure across 2020-2024 would be helpful; whichever is easiest.

7. Do you offer your staff training on inclusive communication?

8. If you provide staff with training on inclusive communication, is this training open to all staff or to selected groups?

9. What percentage of your staff accessed inclusive communication training in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024? Data in either a year-by-year breakdown, or as a single figure would be helpful; whichever is easiest.

Response

1. Do you track requests for inclusive communication support in your listed authority? This could include (but is not limited to) requests for communication support for meetings (online or in person) and for static resources, e.g. large print, telephone calls, email/digital correspondence, Easy Read, Braille, Moon, Guide-Communicator support, British Sign Language (BSL) or Deafblind Manual interpretation or translation, Electronic Note Takers, audio descriptions, captions.

We do not track these requests however, as an Executive Agency of Scottish Government we are committed to being fully inclusive in all our communications and marketing, this includes both external comms to customers/stakeholders and internally to our staff. Our products offer alternative formats large print, Easy Read and alternative community languages. All our campaigns and the imagery we use are required to be reflective of a diverse and inclusive student audience.

Our websites follow WCAG 2.2 standards and in 2024 we completed a Cabinet Office Accessibility audit. Our videos have subtitles and BSL translations. Our SAAS Funding Awareness Outreach team offer BSL translators at their events on request. We work with Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) schools as part of our widening access commitment and we support vulnerable students like care experienced, estranged and disabled via our tailored funding packages.

2. How many requests for inclusive communication support were made to you in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024? Data in either a year-by-year breakdown, or as a single figure across 2020-2024 would be helpful; whichever is easiest.

Whilst our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) does not hold the information you have requested, therefore this is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Student Awards Agency Scotland does not have the information you have requested.

3. How many of those requests for inclusive communication support made to you in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 were fulfilled? Data in either a year-by-year breakdown, or as a single figure across 2020-2024 would be helpful; whichever is easiest.

Please see response to Question 2.

4. What types of inclusive communication support request were made to you in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024? This could include (but is not limited to) requests for large print, telephone calls, email/digital correspondence, Easy Read, Braille, Moon, Guide-Communicator support, BSL or Deafblind Manual interpretation or translation, Electronic Note Takers, audio descriptions, captions. Data in either a year-by-year breakdown, or as a single figure across 2020-2024 would be helpful; whichever is easiest.

Please see response to Question 2.

5. How many complaints did you receive about a lack of inclusive communication in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024? Data in either a year-by-year breakdown, or as a single figure across 2020- 2024 would be helpful; whichever is easiest.

We received two complaints during the period 2020 to June 2024, however, the information from July 2024 onwards is not in a format that provides us with a breakdown of this information.

6. How many complaints about inclusive communication made in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 have been resolved? Data in either a year-by-year breakdown, or as a single figure across 2020- 2024 would be helpful; whichever is easiest.

Two

7. Do you offer your staff training on inclusive communication?

Yes

8. If you provide staff with training on inclusive communication, is this training open to all staff or to selected groups?

We recently provided plain English training which was available to all of our staff which included understanding of plain English, writing for everyone, understanding how people read text in different formats and improving skills and techniques for inclusive communications.

Within SAAS we have an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) forum which is attended by members of staff from across our business. This group aims to educate our staff on a wide range of topics and we have recently offered Neurodiversity awareness learning. In SAAS we are committed to completing EQIAs for all projects and our People and Performance team launched the Employee Passport Scheme in 2023. There are a range of staff diversity networks across Scottish Government which are promoted and our members can join. We are supportive of different cultures and faiths and make adjustments for praying and festivities. We support Pride and the LGBTQ+ community and have worked with Stonewall as well as hosting several training sessions for staff as part of our SAAS annual EDI awareness week, SG also run diversity ally groups as part of their pledge, for which we are included within the wider SG family.

9. What percentage of your staff accessed inclusive communication training in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024? Data in either a year-by-year breakdown, or as a single figure would be helpful; whichever is easiest.

Please see response to Question 2.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.