Equally Safe draft delivery plan consultation 2017-2021: response analysis

How the experiences and views of the women, children and young people were included in organisations' consultation responses

Q26. In responding to this consultation, how are you drawing on the experiences and views of the women, children and young people who access your organisation?

Respondents were asked how they had drawn on the experience and views of the women, children and young people who access their organisation in their consultation response. By far the most common response was to say that their response was based on their expertise in the field and reflected the views of those they worked with, which included service users, service providers, workers and partnership organisations (39). Others had used research, evaluation, case studies, information on evidence based practice, and professional learning to inform their answers (11). A small number of respondents, who were all trade union/representative bodies for professionals, mentioned that the work of their equalities committee had informed their response, and one respondent said that the person completing the consultation had received training on gender equality and violence against women (see table A17 in Annex 1).

A number of respondents said that their direct experience of working with women and children on a daily basis, and what the women and children told them, informed their response to the consultation. Some organisations stated that they did not have capacity to do engagement work with women and children around this consultation, however they had a wealth of knowledge based on their front line experience of working with women and children. Some organisations said that regular feedback from clients and workers informed the development of their services and that the views of users was being taken into account on an ongoing basis.

Organisations who did not offer front line services, tended to say that feedback from partners and organisations who did provide such services was fed into their response.

Some examples of how the voices of women and children influenced organisations' consultation responses are given below.

"Our response is informed by our experience of working with women survivors of gender based violence, based on the issues they raise with us and the feedback they provide and by partnership working with other agencies working in this field."

- Third Sector

"In responding to this consultation, we held a discussion session for [our] members. They were able to draw on the experiences, stories and views of the women, children and young people that they are working with (and have worked with in the past). Staff were able to share anonymised examples of where women, children and young people are currently being failed and where actions could be undertaken to help address some of the issues."

- Third Sector

"Our policy positions are informed by LGBT young people through consultation, direct service delivery, and research. After initial research with LGBT young people, we consulted with them on their policy priorities for the current government to create our current manifesto: Improving the Lives of LGBTI Young People in Scotland: LGBT Youth Scotland's Manifesto 2016-2021."

- Third Sector

"[Our organisation] draws on the expertise and experience of staff working directly with individuals affected by violence against women. Regular service-user feedback and involvement ensures that our services and staff are always informed by the needs and views of service-users."

- Third Sector

"[Our organisation] has established an advisory panel, made up of people who have personal experiences of domestic abuse who meet regularly to provide focused and specialist input to our strategy and development."

- Third Sector

Some respondents used research, either that they had carried out themselves, or published research to inform their response. Research, including evaluations, and case studies, evidence based practice, including international best practice and professional learning fed into some responses. In some cases a combination of lived experience and more formal research were presented together within consultation responses.

"Additionally we have drawn on our annual Girls' Attitudes Survey which collects the views of girls across the UK aged 7-21 who are both members and non-members."

– Third Sector

"Our large hate crime project was developed with self-advocacy organisations, disabled people's organisations and people with learning disabilities themselves. We have generated evidence in participation with people with learning disabilities."

- Academic/research

"We have also based our consultation response on SCLD publications and a range of existing evidence and research."

- Third Sector

"In responding to this consultation have drawn on evaluations of the specific services we have funded which support women, children and young people survivors of domestic abuse. These evaluations draw on the lived experience of Women, Children, Young People and families."

- Third Sector

"We have also drawn on evidence based best practice from national and international sources."

- Third Sector