A fairer Scotland for all: race equality action plan and highlight report 2017-2021
The race equality action plan sets out the key actions for the Scottish Government to drive positive change for minority ethnic communities.
Section 5: Poverty
Poverty blights lives, reduces opportunities and can have a devastating effect on health and wellbeing. Scotland is a dynamic, high performing 21st century nation, all of our people should be able to share in the benefits that brings us. We know that poverty is gendered, and we know that there is a particular impact on minority ethnic communities. As Kaliani Lyle notes in her report, minority ethnic women are paying the highest price for the UK Government's austerity agenda. The new Poverty and Inequality Commission, which Ms Lyle co-chairs, will have an important contribution to make in ensuring that we work towards eradicating poverty in Scotland and will have a specific race and poverty theme. In addition to the actions set out below, the Scottish Government will consider the advice provided by the Commission in due course and take action accordingly.
Over a third of people in minority ethnic groups were in poverty after housing costs were taken into account compared with 18% of people from the 'White: British' group.
Source: Households Below Average Income, DWP, 2013-14 - 2015-16.
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| Key Actions |
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Year 2 |
Year 3 |
| The Poverty and Inequality Commission will consider the issue of race and poverty as part of their work and we will consider and respond to the advice from the Commission when it is received. |
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| We will ensure that ethnicity is a consideration in the development of the Child Poverty Delivery Plan to be published by April 2018. |
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| The Child Poverty Measurement Framework, which is currently being revised in consultation with stakeholder groups, will give due consideration to the experiences and issues faced by minority ethnic groups living in poverty. |
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| We will be introducing a Financial Health Check service for families who have children or are expecting a child. We know that minority ethnic families on low incomes can face particular challenges in terms of accessing support, so we will ensure that we work with organisations who engage with minority ethnic populations at local level to raise awareness of the offer of a guaranteed Financial Health Check for those who will benefit most. |
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| We will ensure that the introduction of the new socio-economic duty on public bodies will align with the equality duties already placed on public authorities. We recognize the importance of intersectionality for example - low income minority ethnic women and minority ethnic disabled people. |
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| We will work with minority ethnic volunteers on Experience Panels to help shape the social security system, hearing directly from them about what works, what needs improved and what our new system can do to better support ethnic minorities in Scotland. |
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| We will develop a common reporting and evaluation framework as part of the Advice Services Review that will include monitoring of reach and impact in relation to ethnicity and other protected characteristics. |
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| We will work with minority ethnic communities over the course of this Parliamentary term in developing and implementing our new consumer and competition powers. |
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| Over the course of this Parliamentary term we will collaborate with Credit Unions to deliver an awareness raising campaign and will seek views from representatives of minority ethnic communities during the design and delivery of this campaign, ensuring its key messages are accessible to a diverse audience. |
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