Mainstreaming equality outcomes: consultation analysis
Analysis of responses to the public consultation on Social Security Scotland's first equality strategy which ran between 7 November 2019 to 6 February 2020.
Appendix C - signposting
Question 17 of the survey welcomed respondents to provide any information or evidence related to the specific inequalities participants wished to highlight that were relevant to the delivery of social security benefits. Participants were also welcome to signpost Social Security Scotland to further information also.
7 participants (6 organisations and 1 individual) provided evidence and signposted Social Security Scotland to further information. This information has been collated by topic and is presented below.
Topic |
Source |
Link and/or description |
|---|---|---|
Blind or partially sighted individuals |
Scottish Vision Strategy 2013 to 2018 |
https://www.rnib.org.uk/sites/default/files/Scot_Vision_Strategy_refresh.pdf |
Johan Slade and Rose Edwards (2015) My Voice 2015: The views and experiences of blind and partially sighted in the UK |
One organisation wished to highlight the reality of life as a blind or partially sighted person in the UK. Many blind and partially sighted people have needs which intersect with other issues such as unemployment and poverty and therefore relevant to the delivery of social security benefits. |
|
Carers |
Skills for Care (2012) Carers Matters - Everybody's business |
https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Document-library/Skills/Carers/Partone.pdf |
Carers UK (2014) Caring and Family Finances Inquiry: Carers struggling with alarming levels of hardship |
||
The National Carers Organisations (2013) Submission to the Expert Group on Welfare |
||
Carers UK (2014) Caring and Family Finances Inquiry: Carers struggling with alarming levels of hardship |
||
Close the Gap (2018) Close the Gap response to the Social Security Committee inquiry into social security and in-work poverty |
These documents relating to carers highlight the specific inequalities carers face, despite not being a protected group. A number of organisations highlighted that the needs of carers are particularly relevant to the delivery of social security. |
|
Disadvantage |
Lankelly Chas (2019), Hard Edges Scotland |
One organization wished to highlight the complexity of the lives of people facing multiple disadvantage. This report takes into account the lived experience of those experiencing inequalities, exclusion and multiple disadvantage. |
Human Rights |
Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) |
|
EHRC Public Sector Equality Duty guidance |
Participants were keen to signpost participants to the EHRC where measurable and specific outcomes can be seen. |
|
LGBT |
Stonewall Scotland |
https://www.stonewallscotland.org.uk/ Stonewall Scotland is a charity which supports the LGBT community and campaigns for LGBT rights everywhere including the workplace. It carries out research and provides a number of resources about the experiences and treatment of those who are LGBT. |
Welfare reform |
Fife Council (2019), Let's leave no one behind: poverty and protected characteristics in Fife |
Respondents felt that universal credit and welfare reform were major issues which were relevant to the delivery of social security benefits. This is because changes to welfare reform impacts many groups and severely impacts on black minority ethnic households, women, households with at least one disabled adult, and lone parents were among the groups most affected. |
Wider inequalities in society |
Crisis (2017) Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan |
This action plan provides recommendations on issues relating to homelessness and welfare |
Women's experience |
The Fawcett Society (2006) Who benefits? A gender analysis of the UK benefits and tax credit system
|
Several organisations highlighted the specific inequalities which women face - all which are directly relevant to the delivery of social security benefits. |
Close the Gap (2020) Gender pay gap statistics Close the Gap (2018) Response to the Social Security Committee inquiry into social security and in-work poverty contains further evidence on women's different experiences of social security |
https://www.closethegap.org.uk/content/resources/Close-the-Gap-response-to-Social-Secuirty-Committee---In-Work-Poverty-and-Social-Security.pdf | |
Engender (2016) Securing Women's Futures: Using Scotland's New Social Security Powers to Close the Gender Equality Gap Women's Budget Group (2016) The impact on women of the 2016 Budget: Women paying for the Chancellor's tax cuts, citing House of Commons Library Analysis for Kate Green MP, April 2016. Engender (2016) Gender Matters in Social Security: Individual Payments of Universal Credit Engender (2017) Parliamentary Briefing: Child Tax Credit and Child Element of Universal Credit |
https://www.engender.org.uk/content/publications/Gender-matters-in-social-security-individual-payments-of-universal-credit.pdf |
[Source: Rocket Science analysis of consultation data]
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