Draft equality outcomes 2017 to 2021: seeking your views

The Scottish Government is developing a new set of equality outcomes for 2017 to 2021. These will update the current set of outcomes and will be used to make further progress towards addressing the significant inequalities that we know exist in Scottish society.

We have put together a set of draft outcomes and we would like to know what you think about these before they are finalised and published on 28 April 2017.

The new outcomes will be included in the Scottish Government's Equality Outcomes and Mainstreaming Report 2017.

Draft Scottish Government equality outcomes for 2017 to 2021

Participation in decision making

Opportunities for people with protected characteristics to participate in decision making are increased, including through Ministerial public appointments becoming more diverse and reflecting broadly the general population by 2021.

Employment

In the Scottish Government's role as an employer:

The Scottish Government has a diverse workforce that reflects the general Scottish working-age population by 2025.

The Scottish Government values difference and fosters an inclusive workforce culture where employees from all backgrounds are valued for their contribution.

In the Scottish Government's role as a policy maker:

We will identify and promote practice that works in reducing employment inequalities, discrimination and barriers for disabled people and minority ethnic people. In particular we will seek to reduce, by at least half, the employment gap between disabled people and the rest of the working age population.

Older people who want to keep working after they have reached state pension age will receive support to enable them to do so.

School education

Within the longer-term outcome that every child and young person should thrive and have the best opportunity to succeed regardless of their social circumstances or additional needs, there will be progress by 2021 in the educational experience of those for whom evidence indicates their success is impacted negatively due to a protected characteristic.

Hate crime

Understanding of hate crime and the actions which will be taken as a result of reporting it will increase.

Violence against women

Disabled women and girls who experience violence receive better services as a result of action taken through the Delivery Plan for Equally Safe: Scotland's Strategy for Preventing & Eradicating Violence against Women and Girls. We will engage with disabled people's organisations as part of this work.

Children affected by domestic abuse are increasingly recognised and supported in the justice system by 2021.

Access to justice

The needs of all who require publicly funded legal assistance to uphold and defend their rights, including ensuring access to information, will be considered in the forthcoming review of legal aid.

Social security

Equality is at the heart of the development and creation of a devolved social security system for Scotland and we will design this in partnership with the people of Scotland.

How we developed the new equality outcomes

Ministers have placed equality of opportunity at the heart of their Programme for Government which focuses on the themes of:

• an education system providing opportunities for all
• an economy with more jobs and fair work
• public services fit for the future
• empowering people and communities through strengthened local democracy

Our equality outcomes sit within this commitment.

When developing draft equality outcomes we:

• reviewed and built on work already undertaken – the Fairer Scotland Action Plan, the Race Equality Framework, the Disability Delivery Plan, the Labour Market Strategy, Equally Safe and other initiatives
• considered our current equality outcomes (2013 to 2017) and how they can shape our next set of outcomes, including whether they continue and any lessons learned
• had a series of meetings with equality organisations, involving Angela Constance, Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities

When developing the draft outcomes we have been adhering to the following principles:

• Scottish Government's equality outcomes must reflect the Government's functions – we should not set outcomes that are for local authorities or other partners to deliver
• our outcomes should be measurable

Current equality outcomes

We published our first set of equality outcomes covering the four year period from 2013-2017 in April 2013, and a progress report was published in April 2015.