CashBack for Communities phase 6: equality impact assessment

5. Key findings

The EQIA process has provided reassurance that the CashBack programme is not discriminatory and aligns with the Scottish Government’s approach to equality and inclusion. The available evidence was sufficient to support the CashBack policy and demonstrated that there would be no negative impacts for any equality group. The Stage 2 process found potential positive benefits for all groups.

Some improvements were identified and implemented as outlined below:

• The scope of the Phase 5 evaluation (due to be completed by December 2023) will include greater analysis of the profile of participants, using the collection of equalities data by delivery partners.
• Learnings from the Phase 5 evaluation will be used more broadly to develop the scope for the Phase 6 evaluation and any potential phases in the future.
• The 29 organisations that secured Phase 6 funding will embed Equalities and Children’s Rights and Wellbeing in their CashBack projects. This includes reporting on participation levels for protected characteristic groups and completion of a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment.
• The EQIA process found some sensitivities relating to collection of data across all protected characteristic groups. Advice was taken from Equalities policy colleagues, the CashBack Fund Manager, Project leaders and CashBack participants. It was agreed that collection of data on five core areas would be proportionate:
  • Age
  • SIMD
  • Sex
  • Disability
  • Ethnicity

Individual projects will consider collection of equalities data on other protected characteristics. This will depend on the type of project and relationship with young people engaged in the project.

• Phase 6 organisations will report on how their CashBack project is contributing towards reducing child poverty. This includes steps they have taken to the support young parents under 25, as a priority group within the Scottish Government’s Best Start, Bright Futures Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan. This will also help future analysis of the impact of the CashBack programme on the pregnancy and maternity equality group.
• The EQIA process highlighted the need to maintain oversight of other policy and legislation, where changes have the potential to impact on young people and CashBack policy. For example, The Promise; Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-26; The Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill and The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.