Ukraine - A Warm Scots Future: equality impact assessment

Stage 1: Framing

Results of framing exercise

Qualitative evidence

This is a high level policy position paper that sets the strategic direction of Scotland’s Ukraine response rather than setting out specific actions to be taken forward. However, this EQIA will consider the impact that the policy position could have on protected characteristics as set out in the Equality Act 2010.

The EQIA is informed by the stakeholder engagement undertaken in the drafting of the paper. This has involved both internal and external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders include Scottish Government colleagues across the Ukrainian Resettlement Directorate and wider Scottish Government with policy expertise in Safeguarding, Housing, Homelessness, New Scots, Refugee and Asylum Integration and Migration. Analytical colleagues from the Performance, Delivery and Resilience Directorate, as well as colleagues with expertise in user research in the Digital Directorate, have also provided input.

External stakeholders includes Scottish Local Authorities, third sector organisations and charities including the Scottish Refugee Council (SRC), the Ukrainian Consul in Edinburgh, and the Ukraine Stakeholder Reference Group which is co-Chaired by Scottish Ministers, COSLA and SRC. These stakeholders possess lived experience representation of displaced people from Ukraine. The paper has also been presented to the Scottish Government Safeguarding group which includes external stakeholders consisting of numerous local authorities, COSLA, SRC, Police Scotland, the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland, Disclosure Scotland, Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland, Social Work Scotland and representatives from the Scottish Government’s Safeguarding, Child Protection and Adult Support and Protection units. These stakeholders collectively offer a significant insight into the experiences of displaced people from Ukraine.

The paper has also been developed with consideration of the evidence provided by the Ukrainian Consul at a number of Parliamentary Committee meetings. This has provided lived-experience insight into the issues faced by those displaced from Ukraine in Scotland. The Consul raised examples of displaced people being unable to access nurseries and schools within their communities, issues with accessing healthcare, lack of access to ESOL, housing issues and employability barriers.

Quantitative evidence

In addition to this qualitative evidence, quantitative data and evidence used for this assessment is outlined below.

Visa data is published weekly on the UK Government’s website: Visa data by country, upper and lower tier local authority. In addition, Home Office and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) publish visa data by age and sex of applicant for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland every quarter. Moreover, analysis of Ukrainian nationals entering employment in the UK by age, gender and region has been released by DLUHC and HM Revenue & Custons (HMRC): Analysis of Ukrainian nationals entering employment in the UK.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released experimental statistics on sponsors’ experiences of Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme. These cover hosting arrangements, sponsor characteristics, support provided, sponsor intentions and challenges. ONS have also published experimental statistics on experiences of visa holders entering the UK under the Ukraine Humanitarian Schemes to fill knowledge gaps on priority areas, and how best to support displaced people from Ukraine in the UK.

The Scottish Government also publishes a regular quarterly release of experimental statistics on Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme in Scotland (this was a monthly release until July 2023 but is now published quarterly).

Scottish Government analysts are working closely with the Home Office, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and Scottish local authorities to continue trustworthy, quality and valuable release of data.

In respect of the wider contribution of displaced people from Ukraine in Scotland, the Scottish Government’s Office of the Chief Economic Adviser published a discussion paper called Ukrainian displaced people - economic impact of migration which provides an overview of the characteristics and lived experiences of Ukrainian displaced people seeking employment in Scotland, and contains illustrative modelling of the long term contribution that they could make to the Scottish economy.

Specifically, the Warm Scots Future policy position paper outlines the strategic priorities for the medium to long-term response that aims to support the integration of displaced Ukrainian people in Scotland for as long as they wish to remain here. This will involve ensuring that access to housing, employment, education and health services are available to all when implementing policies as a result of this paper.

Extent/Level of EQIA required

This is a high-level, overarching EQIA that should be used as a tool when implementing future policy actions in line with the strategic aims outlined in the paper. It should be noted that EQIAs will be undertaken separately to understand the impact and assess future policies developed as a result of this paper. This document, and the evidence included, sets a framework for conducting EQIAs in future, to ensure that equality and human rights considerations continue to shape the implementation of Ukraine policies and programmes.

The EQIAs that are to be developed will seek to build on the evidence in this impact assessment, including through engagement with stakeholders and people with lived experience. It will also be essential to review and update EQIAs as policies are implemented and additional data are gathered, so that the potential impacts of policies and actions on people with protected characteristics – both positive and negative – can be fully explored and appropriate mitigating activity taken.