Whole Family Support Third Sector Delivery Fund: Equality Impact Assessment

Key Findings

The evidence demonstrates that age, disability, race, sex, pregnancy and maternity are strongly associated with elevated risks of child poverty. As a result, the Fund is expected to have positive impacts for many people sharing these protected characteristics.

The strongest positive impacts are expected for:

• Younger mothers.
• Families with disabled adults or children.
• Minority ethnic families.
• Women, particularly lone mothers.
• Families with babies under one.
• Children living in poverty.

Eliminating discrimination

The Fund supports organisations that work directly with families facing structural barriers to accessing support. By requiring applicants to demonstrate how funded activity will benefit priority family groups and by supporting trusted third sector organisations embedded within communities, the Fund is expected to reduce barriers to accessing services and assistance.

Advancing equality of opportunity

Advancing equality of opportunity is the area in which the Fund is expected to have the greatest impact. The Fund is expected to support third sector partners to increase access to financial, practical and emotional support, improve links to services, help maximise incomes, support wellbeing and strengthen opportunities for families experiencing disadvantage. Assessment criteria specifically prioritised organisations capable of reaching families at greatest risk of poverty and those facing multiple barriers.

Fostering good relations

Positive impacts may arise where funded organisations deliver community-based activities that increase participation, build social connections and strengthen relationships within communities and between different groups.

Human rights and intersectionality

The assessment identified strong links between poverty and human rights outcomes, including adequate living standards, access to support services, participation and wellbeing.

The evidence also highlighted significant intersectional impacts. Families may experience multiple disadvantages simultaneously, for example:

• Disabled lone parents.
• Minority ethnic women.
• Younger mothers from minority ethnic backgrounds.
• Families experiencing a combination of disability, ethnicity, gender and low income.

The Fund's focus on holistic whole family support is intended to address these overlapping disadvantages rather than treating individual needs separately.

Evidence gaps and limitations

The EQIA identified evidence limitations relating to:

• Gender reassignment.
• Sexual orientation.
• Intersectional experiences of poverty.
• More recent evidence relating to younger mothers.
• Some religion and belief datasets.

While available evidence suggests these groups may experience socioeconomic disadvantage, data remains limited. To address these gaps, the Scottish Government will work with funded organisations to strengthen equality monitoring, gather qualitative evidence and improve understanding of outcomes for protected groups during delivery.

The evidence demonstrates that child poverty disproportionately affects several protected characteristic groups, particularly younger mothers, disabled families, minority ethnic families and families with babies under one. The evidence also highlights the importance of addressing intersecting forms of disadvantage and improving access to trusted, community-based support services, while recognising ongoing evidence gaps for some equality groups.

The evidence demonstrates that poverty is experienced across protected characteristics, with significant overlap between age, disability, race, sex and pregnancy and maternity. Families experiencing multiple forms of disadvantage, such as disabled lone parents, younger mothers, and minority ethnic families with additional support needs, may face compounded barriers to employment, income and access to services. This reinforces the importance of a holistic whole family support approach that recognises and responds to multiple and interacting experiences of disadvantage.