Consultation on the Pregnancy and Parenthood in Young People Strategy: Analysis of Responses

8. Equality Considerations

The Scottish Government is committed to promoting equality. The Strategy proposals are being developed to ensure that any equality impacts for people with a protected characteristic (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) are identified, that young people’s rights become a reality in Scotland and that the wellbeing of young people is promoted. The Scottish Government is undertaking an Equality Impact Assessment and a Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment of the Strategy.

Question 18: What issues or opportunities do the proposed changes raise for people with protected characteristics?

Two main themes dominated the 29 responses to this question.

Young people in faith-based schools

Ten respondents raised as a problem the delivery of consistent messages across the entire local authority school sector, when some denominational schools may not deliver the information and support outlined in the Strategy due to religion or belief. Two (Third, Prof Rep) suggested that such schools required support to enable them to deliver information in such a manner that it is in line with their beliefs and moral viewpoint.

Two further respondents (LA, NHS) commented that the Strategy needs to take account of cultures where parenthood at a young age is valued.

Young people with disabilities

Ten respondents raised potential issues for young people with disabilities. Several considered that the Strategy needs to set out more targeted action for young people with learning disabilities. One respondent (Prof Rep) called for support for the parents of such young people.

Young people with complex needs outwith conurbations were identified as particularly problematic in terms of specialist service provision and access to support.

Two respondents (Joint, Prof Rep) recommended that the Strategy address more comprehensively the requirements of children with additional support needs.

Other issues raised

Four respondents from three sectors highlighted what they perceived to be the need to include LGBT young people in the Strategy including making RSHPE relevant to their needs. Addressing the needs of those in forced marriages; those with female genital mutilation; gypsy and travelling young people; and young pregnant people not identifying as female or heterosexual was recommended each by one respondent respectively.

One view (Third) was that the language in the draft tends to assume that young, pregnant women have partners, and needs to take more account of different patterns of parenting such as lone parenting, co-parenting and co-habiting.

Opportunities raised

Six respondents highlighted what they identified as opportunities emerging in the draft Strategy for those with protected characteristics. It was felt that, as a result of the Strategy, support staff will be better trained, informed and non-judgmental (Ind). Two respondents (NHS, Joint) considered that in general the Strategy presents the opportunity to ensure that the needs of young people are fully considered. Two respondents (NHS, LA) envisaged the Strategy resulting in improved support for young men.

Question 19: If the proposed measures are likely to have a substantial negative implication for equality, how might this be minimised or avoided?

Twenty-two respondents addressed this question. Three referred to their previous answers and one considered it too early to say. The following main themes emerged from the remaining responses:

• Ongoing consultation and engagement will be required with different groups though formal and informal communication channels and through their representative bodies, to find out how to tailor the measures to meet their needs (5 mentions).
• Strategy to include more detail and guidance on specific groups and tailored measures relating to these (fathers were amongst the groups mentioned in this regard) (5 mentions).
• Ongoing staff training required to make staff aware of the issues and help them (particularly frontline staff) deliver measures appropriately (4 mentions).
• Additional resourcing should be available for tailored measures such as interpreters, e.g. more capacity for the FNP (2 mentions).
• Information to be produced in a range of formats including easy read, with materials assessed for their impact (2 mentions).
• National policy to be consistently applied across all educational establishments regardless of schools’ religious beliefs (1 mention).

Question 20: Do you have any other comments or suggestions relevant to the proposal in regard to equality considerations?

Twelve respondents addressed this question. Key omissions from the draft Strategy were identified as: same sex couples aged under 26 years (NHS); gypsy traveler young people (Third); and implications for looked after children and young carers (Joint).

Calls were made for more emphasis on targeted, preventative work with marginalised groups (Joint); and greater allocation of resources in areas of the highest socio-economic deprivation (Prof Rep).

One respondent (Joint) recommended that the Equality and Human Rights Commission provide a guidance document on strategy and interconnected equality implications of the Strategy, particularly for organisations such as the employability agencies who may already provide services to small numbers of pregnant young people and need to accommodate their own policy and the draft Strategy.

Two individual respondents expressed apparently contrasting views, one stating that the Strategy must take into account religious and cultural beliefs, whilst the other recommended that public health issues should take priority over religious beliefs.

One NHS respondent acknowledged that the draft Strategy pays some attention to wider inequalities, but argued that it would benefit from more explicit consideration of the social, economic and environmental determinants that impact on the inequalities experienced by young people. In their view, this would reinforce the strategic and operational responses required, which in turn would help the proposed accountability within CPPs. According to this respondent, aligning the actions more to the determinants and stressors in young people’s lives would help the Strategy to become more ambitious.