National Care Service Bill: equality impact assessment - easy read

National Care Service Bill – Equalities Impact Assessment

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The Scottish Government does an Equalities Impact Assessment when a new policy or law is being introduced.

It helps us to make sure the new policy treats people fairly and does not discriminate against anyone who belongs to one of the following protected characteristics:

• age
• disability
• sex
• gender reassignment
• sexual orientation
• pregnancy and maternity
• marriage or civil partnership
• race
• religion or belief

You can find out more about protected characteristics in this Easy Read document.

The assessment has found that the National Care Service Bill will affect people with protected characteristics in a good way.

This is because it will:

• make sure health and social care services work in a person-centred way and protect people’s human rights

  

• improve the quality of social work and social care services in Scotland and make sure they are services that people can depend on

  

The National Care Service wants to:

• have more have better prevention and early intervention services which try to stop problems from happening or stop things from getting worse

  

• make sure decisions about services are made locally and can change to give people in different parts of Scotland what they need

  

The Scottish Government will develop and plan the National Care Service with people who get and give social work and social care support, and with other organisations.

This will include:

• a Charter of Rights
• a way for people to complain about services
• an electronic social care and health record

  

The National Care Service will enable local care boards to work with organisations representing people with protected characteristics.

This will help them to find new ways to work with people and to make sure a mix of people are represented.

You can find out more about protected characteristics in this Easy Read document.

The National Care Service Charter will make it clear what people can expect from the National Care Service.

It will give people information about how to get their rights, including how to complain.

The National Care Service will be good for the social work and social care workforce.

It will make sure all staff can get training and development wherever in Scotland they are working.

The National Social Work Agency will give leadership and support to social workers.

Many carers belong to one of the protected characteristic groups.

The National Care Service Bill will make sure unpaid carers have a right to short breaks away from caring.

The assessment also found some things that could affect people in a bad way.

Having information only online will not work well for some groups.

It is important that we plan and design the National Care Service work with:

• people who get and give social care support
• groups representing people with protected characteristics

Some people who identify as LGBT might want to get National Care support and services through community groups for LGBT people instead.

Policies must be discussed with the people they affect most.