A fairer Scotland for all: race equality action plan and highlight report 2017-2021

Highlight Report of our progress on implementing the Race Equality Framework - March 2016 - October 2017

The Scottish Government is determined to show leadership in advancing race equality, tackling racism and addressing the barriers that prevent people from minority ethnic communities from realising their potential. The Race Equality Framework for Scotland sets out how the Scottish Government aims to progress this ambition over a 15-year period from 2016 to 2030.

Introduction

Our Vision for a fairer Scotland is that by 2030 Scotland is a place where people are healthier, happier and treated with respect, and where opportunities, wealth and power are spread more equally. The Race Equality Framework ( REF) was launched last March to advance race equality and tackle racism and aims to ensure that this vision is achieved equally for people from all ethnicities, helping to build a Scotland where we all share a common sense of belonging.

This Highlight Report sets out progress made on implementing the Race Equality Framework from its publication in March 2016 to autumn 2017. Actions in the Framework will continue to be implemented in addition to those detailed in the Race Equality Action Plan for 2017-21. We will provide further updates on Framework actions alongside our reporting on progress towards achieving the Race Equality Action Plan actions.

Implementation

The Framework has now moved into the implementation and monitoring phase, building on the same participatory partnership approach used in developing the Framework. The work to progress the actions has been ongoing within Scottish Government and across our partner organisations throughout 2016 and 2017.

As a model of mainstreaming, implementation against the actions includes linking and engaging external delivery partners and policy areas across Scottish Government. We are doing this collaboratively with key stakeholders and published a summary of our approach to implementation on 23 February 2017. We have also taken forward new work around intersectionality and are carrying out a programme of engagement with both young people and minority ethnic women to make sure their voices are heard.

Engagement

The Scottish Government has an extensive range of race equality stakeholders in Scotland and we value their engagement with us. We will continue to work closely and collaboratively with them and the communities they represent.

On 21 March 2017 we held an event to mark a year since the launch of the Framework; to provide further opportunity for engagement with stakeholders, and to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

We have continued our commitment to ongoing engagement throughout the implementation of the Race Equality Framework.

Over the course of 2017 we organised a series of Themed Roundtables linked to REF themes involving policy officials with key experts from a range of statutory and third sector organisations and academia. Three Roundtables were held with the next series planned for 2018.

Race Equality Framework Adviser

As part of the 2016 Programme for Government, the appointment of Kaliani Lyle as an independent Race Equality Framework Adviser was announced in December 2016, to provide advice on our approach. Ms Lyle's report, which includes a number of recommended actions, has informed the development of the Race Equality Action Plan.

Wider Links

The REF connects with a range of Scottish Government programmes and activity.

For example, we are developing a new version of ' New Scots: our strategy for Integrating refugees into Scotland's communities' and that work informs and is informed by the ongoing implementation of the Race Equality Framework.

The Fairer Scotland Action Plan, published in October last year, set out our vision for a fairer Scotland and 50 concrete actions for this Parliamentary period. We have already made significant progress in delivering these actions, and our first progress report was made available in November.

The Disability Action Plan, launched in December 2016, and t he Delivery Plan for Equally Safe: Scotland's Strategy to Prevent and Eradicate Violence against Women and Girls also provide opportunities to enhance the embedding of race equality in these areas .

Public Sector Equality Duty

We have a powerful instrument for change in Scotland in the Public Sector Equality Duty. It can help organisations to advance equality, to avoid unequal and discriminatory practices and to make informed and inclusive policies and decisions.

For the first time this year, public authorities have had to publish their pay gap and occupational information on race and disability (previously only gender had to be reported). This will help to focus attention on the employment of minority ethnic communities across the public sector.

Funding

Despite the constraints on our budget, the Scottish Government has committed £20.3 million for equality work in 2017‑18. £2.6 million of this funding is allocated to organisations working to advance race equality.

Every individual and organisation in Scotland needs to play their role in creating a fair and equal Scotland that protects and includes people from all backgrounds, whatever their ethnicity may be. Working with our key delivery partners, there has been significant progress in our first year of implementation and we provide some highlights in the following sections of this report.