New Scots implementation strategy: equality impact assessment 2024

Key Findings

Potential positive impacts of New Scots and the strategic approach were identified across all protected characteristics. In particular the inclusive mainstreaming approach, the commitment to lived experience and the fostering of a welcoming culture were seen as contributing to positive impacts.

Age:

Home Office statistics show that the number of people claiming asylum in the UK are predominantly 18 years old and over (80.5% in December 2023). There are also a significant number of children who are part of an asylum application (16,462 aged under 18 in December 2023 of which 62% were under the age of 14).

Positive impacts were raised around the commitments in the Strategy to ensuring that New Scots children will have their specific protection, welfare and integration needs met. The focus on Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) within the draft Strategy was also raised as having positive impacts as this will help to ensure that there are appropriate and accessible services and support for this age group. There is a commitment within the Strategy to support young people to navigate trafficking, asylum, welfare, criminal justice and age assessment processes.

There is no specific focus on older refugees, therefore there is a potential negative impact on older refugees and people seeking asylum if they are overlooked in service provision and support. While older age group refugees and people seeking asylum are not specifically mentioned, New Scots can be from all age groups.

There is a potential positive impact where the Strategy promotes understanding rights, responsibilities and entitlements such as building capabilities across Scotland so that more areas understand family reunion processes and can be prepared to support people who have recently arrived under family reunion routes to ensure they understand their rights and how to access support when preparing for family arriving in Scotland through UK visa routes.

Items needing further and continuing consideration are reserved legislation and policies such as the Nationality and Borders Act (NABA) 2022 and Illegal Migration Act (IMA) 2023. It was recognised that UK level policies and legislation can affect children, young people and older people and the impact of any such changes on delivery of the Strategy need to be taken into account. The Strategy promotes access to education and employment for all ages but there is a potential negative impact on older people if they are not targeted. There is a commitment within the Strategy to work with professionals to safeguard children.

The Strategy fosters welcoming and resilient communities. By promoting intercultural dialogue and understanding, the Strategy encourages local communities to embrace diversity. Because integration is seen as a multi-directional process, there is a positive impact enabling the promotion of intergenerational integration, encouraging dialogue and interaction between different age groups and the local communities.

Disability:

The results of the Scotland Census 2022 records that 10.8% of all people living in Scotland reported having a long term health condition or disability that limited their daily activities a lot, 13.3% reported that they were limited a little by their long term health condition or disability.

The inclusive mainstreaming approach was seen as likely having a positive impact as would helping to improve people’s knowledge and understanding of their rights to services. The Strategy acknowledges the additional challenges faced by refugees and people seeking asylum with physical and mental health problems. Strategy implementation promotes a trauma-informed and rights based approach as one of its principles. The Strategy promotes inclusive access to services for disabled people which is a positive impact to ensure that a lack of knowledge or understanding of rights is addressed. Community engagement on the strategy highlighted additional challenges for disabled refugees and specifically the provision of housing. The Strategy promotes partnership and collaboration which will have a positive impact for disabled refugees by ensuring that service providers work together to coordinate and plan effective support for refugee integration including disabled refugees. The Strategy also promotes improved social connections within society and across communities for New Scots. This will include fostering good relations among and between disabled and non-disabled people.

Sex:

Home Office statistics show that during 2023 there were 9,608 women and girls who were the main applicant for an asylum application to the UK and a further 6,551 women and girls who were dependents in an asylum application.

A positive impact is recognised as the Strategy promotes collaboration and partnership working which extends to working across policy areas, including where those areas recognise potential harm or wider issues e.g. human trafficking, female genital mutilation, violence against women and girls. This helps to address and mitigate risks of women who may be vulnerable to different types of exploitation. There is a potential negative impact if support services discount the needs of men as highlighted in feedback from community engagement. The Strategy’s trauma-informed and human rights based approach is a positive impact. The Strategy promotes understanding rights, responsibilities and entitlements ensuring that New Scots can pursue their ambitions through education, employment, culture and leisure activities in diverse communities. This is a positive impact on challenging gender discrimination. The Strategy promotes improved social connections within society and across communities for New Scots. This will include fostering good relations among and between men and women.

Gender reassignment:

There is a lack of any evidence relating to gender reassignment amongst refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland. The strategy is aimed at ensuring a rights based approach for all refugees and asylum seekers.

There were some potential gaps highlighted around gender reassignment relating to the visibility of gender reassignment amongst refugees and people seeking asylum in Scotland. The Strategy is seen as having positive impacts by taking a rights-based approach. It promotes inclusive service provision and taking a trauma-informed approach. It promotes inclusive communities, where everyone’s dignity is respected and everyone is able to build diverse relationships and healthy intercultural bonds. Inclusive service provision and access to opportunities will positively impact on trans people. A trauma-informed approach is also designed to be inclusive and sensitive to diverse needs which will also have a positive impact on trans people. The promotion of collaboration across sectors (that will have commitments to LGBTQI+ inclusion) means services are more likely to adopt inclusive practices including respect for gender identity.

The Strategy promotes improved social connections within society and across communities for New Scots. This will include fostering good relations among and between trans and cis people.

Sexual orientation:

UK Government statistics show that in 2022, 2% of asylum claims in the UK (1,334 claims) included sexual orientation as part of the basis for the claim (LGB asylum applications). There is no Scotland specific data available.

There are potential positive impacts for LGBTQI+ New Scots as the Strategy takes the position that integration support begins from day one of arrival, is rights based and trauma-informed. Community members highlighted the need for meaningful support upon arrival to Scotland and that trauma can impact on the processing of information upon arrival. An understanding of the experiences of LGBTQI+ New Scots and their experiences of homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, stigma, hate crime, violence and persecution and how this impacts on establishing trust was needed. The Strategy seeks to promote New Scots living in safe, welcoming and inclusive communities. This will be a positive impact on LGBTQI+ individuals who can face additional barriers. Points were raised around how increased understandings of rights to services and support networks, and of hate crime (including how to report these) were seen as having positive impacts. A focus on access to well-coordinated services, which recognise and meet New Scots' rights and needs are considered positive impacts to address the issues and challenges faced by LGBTQI+ New Scots. Inclusive service provision and access to opportunities will positively impact on trans people. A trauma-informed approach is also designed to be inclusive and sensitive to diverse needs which will also have a positive impact on LGBTQI+ people. The promotion of collaboration across sectors (that will have commitments to LGBTQI+ inclusion) means services are more likely to adopt inclusive practices.

The Strategy promotes improved social connections within society and across communities for New Scots. This will include fostering good relations among and between LGBTQI+ people.

Pregnancy and maternity:

The Strategy promotes access to well-coordinated services which recognises and meets New Scots’ rights and needs. There is no impact in relation to advancing equality of opportunity in terms of pregnancy and maternity.

Race:

Home Office statistics for asylum applications do not provide a breakdown of the grounds for an application, but the nationality of applicants is published. This cannot be seen as a direct indicator of race for asylum applicants but can be indicative of the diversity of racial background. Data shows that the top 5 nationalities receiving Section 95 support in Scotland at year end June 2024 were Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Eritrea.

The inclusive mainstreaming approach and the fostering of a welcoming culture were raised as having potentially positive impacts. Lived experience involvement in shaping, monitoring and implementing the Strategy was also raised as having positive impacts. Through the Strategy, there will be an opportunity to challenge racism from the experiences of refugees and people seeking asylum.

The Strategy aims for New Scots to be able to access well-coordinated services, which recognise and meet their rights and needs. This includes providing New Scots with access to information that allows them to understand the routes into employment based on their qualifications in identified sectors.

The Strategy implementation will provide an opportunity to address racial discrimination from the experiences of refugees. The Strategy seeks to address racial discrimination through its promoting of safe, welcoming and inclusive communities and promoting understanding of integration interculturally and respecting the diversity that New Scots bring and therefore is a positive impact. The Strategy also promotes partnership and collaboration. This ethos will help to address tensions in the context of scarce resource and pressures on public services. These are positive impacts.

Religion or belief:

The valuing of lived experience as a principle and the ‘inclusive mainstreaming’ approach with Scottish Government (SG) were seen as positives for the Strategy. Focusing on involving lived experience in the implementation of policies such as hate crime is a positive. The Strategy ensures that refugees and people seeking asylum of all faiths and beliefs have equal access to services and opportunities and that policies and decisions are shaped through New Scots’ participation and informed by their rights, needs and aspirations. There is an expectation that services will be delivered in ways that accommodate religious beliefs. This will positively impact on people of all faiths and beliefs.

The Strategy promotes integration through intercultural connections, respecting diversity and the strengths that New Scots bring. On this basis the Strategy encourages dialogue and understanding between individuals of different religious backgrounds within local communities.