Equality Data Improvement Programme (EDIP) meeting -highlight report: October 2021

Highlight report

Project name: Equality Data Improvement Programme (EDIP)
Senior Responsible Officer: Head of Communities Analysis Division
Project Manager: Jon Hunter, Maisy Best
Next project meeting: 27 October 2021

Period covering: 30 August 2021 to 20 October 2021 
Report date: 20 October 2021 

RAG last period: green

RAG this period: amber

Summary of overall progress 

The overall status of the project is Amber as we have made progress on a number of key actions, but there are three actions that were planned but not achieved. The most significant achievements in this period were: the disability analytical gathering, the progression of the Equality Data Audit and the commencement of the NPF project.

Project achievements for this period

Project governance and administration

• published the Communications and Engagement Strategy as a working document

Projects

• held the second in a series of analytical gatherings on 14 October, this gathering focussed on disability data, including presentations on recommended question wording, question development in the Census, and qualitative research with families with a disabled adult or child

• the draft guidance on disability questions is now finalised and an EQIA is currently being undertaken data collection and publication guidance on sex, gender identity and trans status was published on 22 September

• commenced the NPF project, which aims to ensure that all indicators have published breakdowns by all protected characteristics and, where this is not possible, a statement setting out why, this will be taken forward over the next three months jointly by a B1 statistician in the Equality Analysts Team and a PhD intern in the NPF team
• the Equality Data Audit is progressing, with returns received from analytical areas on 15 October

Communications and engagement

• published a post on Scottish Government statistics blog
• developed a proposal to participate in the Evidence in Holyrood week in December 2021, which should help MSPs and their staff gain a better understanding of the barriers and challenges to collecting, analysing and reporting equality data, and the role of the EDIP
• presented at the Non-Binary Working Group meeting on 16 September on the EDIP and attended the follow-up sub-group meeting on data collection on 19 October
• attended the Inclusive Data Taskforce Report Launch on 28 September, and published a note on Yammer to increase SG staff awareness of the EDIP and Taskforce
• received written feedback on the EDIP as part of stakeholder consultation on the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)

Milestones and tasks planned but not achieved

• development of the Communications and Engagement Strategy, following discussion at the last Project Board meeting
• commencement of work to identify where intersectionality data breakdowns are currently provided, and scope to increase the publication of intersectional data breakdowns from the population surveys, this work will be taken forward by an PhD intern who is starting with us on 1 November
• completion of draft report for intersectionality literature review, this project is running behind schedule so the timetable has been revised

Plans for next period

• complete draft report for intersectionality literature review, and commence the work on intersectional data reporting
• the Equality Analysis team will meet with analysts from each ASD to discuss their Equality Data Audit return during November
• analytical gathering on the collection of data on sex, gender identity and trans status – date to be confirmed
• develop scope for lived experience commission
• progress NPF project, starting with a systematically review of the protected characteristic breakdowns currently published for each NPF indicator
• presentation at the Strategic Scrutiny Group meeting on 16 November

Key risks

Risk number one: Equality Data Audit returns are incomplete or less accurate than anticipated, Severity (one to five): four
Probability (one to five): two

Action:

• established an internal network to support with the Equality Data Audit, the Equality Analysis Team will meet with lead analysts from each analytical area in November to discuss returns

Risk number two: lack of statistician support (vacant B2 post) prevents us from progressing as fast as we would like

Severity (one to five): three
Probability (one to five): three

Action:

• SGSSS intern has been recruited (start date: 1 November), vacancy flagged in next round of recruitment but unlikely to be filled until Summer 2022

Risk number three: the contract for the lived experience commission is not awarded in time meaning budget is lost

Severity (one to five): four
Probability (one to five): three

Action:

• we will prioritise the commissioning of this work, including identifying potential contractors in advance and contacting them to scope their capacity to undertake the work

Project RAG status key
Red: some risks/issues require immediate attention from the Programme Manager/Challenge Owner/Lead
Amber: some risks/issues are self contained within tolerances
Green: project is proceeding on schedule