The Finance and Central Services Department ( FCSD) supports the Finance and Public Service Reform ( FPSR) Ministerial portfolio and is wide-ranging in the areas it covers including:
The Finance and Central Services Department also manages the Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland and the Scottish Public Pensions Agency ( SPPA).
To ensure that, as a Department, we are doing all we can to involve disabled people in the development of our policies and to encourage the participation of disabled people in public life.
Key policy areas where the department is or will take forward disability equality. |
|---|
Policy | Action | By whom | By when | Expected outcome |
|---|
Best Value in Public Services ( BVPS). Refreshed guidance was issued in May 2006 to public service organisations, which explains Best Value and what bodies need to do to achieve it. The duty of Best Value includes having regard to equal opportunities requirements. | Awareness-raising of BVPS using telephone survey and possible event for senior officials in public service organisations to highlight the 9 characteristics of Best Value (including the one on equalities). The telephone survey may indicate that training is required on BVPS. Any training for representatives of public service organisations on the equalities characteristic would be taken forward in consultation with the Scottish Executive Equality Unit. | Best Value & Performance Team | March 2007 | High level buy-in and commitment from leaders of public service organisations to Best Value which includes disability equality under the equalities characteristic. |
Public Bodies Policy | Update guidance to Sponsor Teams on Non-Departmental Public Bodies ( NDPBs) equality duties. This forms part of a wider review of sponsorship guidance. We will engage with relevant internal and external contacts to ensure appropriate coverage of disability equality issues. | Public Bodies Policy Team | Early 2007 | Ensure Executive sponsor teams communicate consistent information to NDPBs about their equality responsibilities. |
Public Appointments | Work with the Commissioner for Public Appointments to develop and implement her Equality Strategy. The detail of the Strategy is the statutory responsibility of the Commissioner, but the primary focus is likely to be on increasing participation rates (although current participation rates exceed the proportions of disabled people in the general population). | Public Appointments Team | Mid-2007 [Exact timescale a matter for Commissioner] | Agreed strategy for promoting equality in public appointments. |
Public Service Reform "Transforming Public Services - the next phase of reform" | The values underpinning our commitment to reform of public services are that reformed services must all promote social justice and equality and build for the future. We will ensure, hen taking forward reform, hat these values are central to the redesigned delivery of public services. | Public Service Reform team | Ongoing | Public services which are high quality, innovative, efficient, productive, joined up, accountable and user focused and which are organised around the needs and aspirations of service users and citizens, not the convenience of the service provider. |
Marketing/Advertising | We will make commissioning Departments aware of the Department of Work and Pensions guidance (published in 2004) that 1 in 5 images of people in advertising/marketing campaigns feature or depict disabled people. | Marketing | Ongoing | Recent campaigns of such action are Children's hearings and domestic abuse. |
Inspection of Prosecution in Scotland | To include monitoring of compliance with statutory duties in inspection work. The Chief Inspector attends equality in audit and inspection meetings, information cascaded to team. | Inspectorate Team | Per Inspection Timetable | Reports published. |
Scottish Public Pensions Agency | Administration of National Health Scheme and Scottish Teachers Superannuation Scheme Pensions | SPPA | Ongoing | Equal access for all. In house facilities available for disabled customers (access, text phone, loop hearing system). Ensure Web page remains user friendly. |
Arrangements for delivering the general duty to promote disability equality. |
|---|
Policy | Action | By whom | By when | Expected outcome |
|---|
1. What arrangements will you put in place to ensure that the policies you develop and/or the services you provide pay due regard to the need to eliminate any unlawful discrimination against disabled people? | Ensure that all staff understand their responsibilities towards disabled colleagues, stakeholders and customers and the implications for policies/services. | Cascading through Group and Division Heads. | December 2006 | Policies/services take account of disabled people. |
We will give a link to the disability equality scheme on the FCSD Intranet site. | Business Management team | December 2006 |
Ensure that website information is fully accessible to all (the SE website has an international A rating and meets UK accessibility standards). | Media and Communications team | Ongoing |
2. What arrangements will you put in place to ensure that the policies you develop and/or the services you provide are able to pay due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity between disabled and non-disabled persons? | The FCSD Departmental Business plan commits the Department to "Delivering professional policy". This includes ensuring that policy development, and the Spending Review, complies with SE equality policies and supports the delivery of policy using the 'policy cycle' toolkit - including impact assessing all new policy proposals - and including a question about disability impact in all relevant consultations. The FCSD Departmental Business plan commits the Department to "Putting the People of Scotland First". This applies to all stakeholders, included disabled people. We aim to: - understand what stakeholders are trying to achieve;
- understand constraints facing stakeholders;
- involve stakeholders at an early stage in developing policy;
- share information openly;
- keep stakeholders informed about how thinking is developing.
| Division Heads and team leaders | Ongoing | Policies/services take account of the needs, views and experiences of disabled people. |
3. What arrangements will you put in place to ensure that the policies you develop and/or the services you provide are able to pay due regard to the need to eliminate any harassment of disabled people, related to their disability? | By working with departments commissioning marketing and public information awareness campaigns. | Marketing in conjunction with relevant Executive department. | Ongoing | Better public awareness. |
4. What arrangements will you put in place to promote positive attitudes towards disabled people? | Ensure Department is fully aware of the need for disability equality. | Learning and Development sub-group of the Departmental Management Board. | April 2007 | Supported staff. |
We will make commissioning Departments aware of the Department of Work and Pensions guidance (published in 2004) that 1 in 5 images of people in advertising/ marketing campaigns feature or depict disability. | Media and Communications team. | Ongoing |
5. What action will you take to encourage the participation of disabled people in public life? | We will support flexible working within the Department. | Division Heads and team leaders | Ongoing | Supported staff. |
We will work with the Commissioner for Public Appointments to develop and implement her Equality Strategy. The detail of the Strategy is the statutory responsibility of the Commissioner, but the primary focus is likely to be on increasing participation rates (although current participation rates exceed the proportions of people with disability in the general population). | Public Appointments Team | Mid 2007 | Agreed strategy for promoting diversity in public appointments. |
Through advising on campaigns such as Children's hearings and the councillor recruitment campaign which are open to all to apply, including disabled people. | Marketing with commissioning department | Ongoing | Better public awareness of opportunities for participation in public life. |
We will include a question about equality impact in all relevant consultations. | Division Heads and team leaders. | December 2006 | Policies/services take account of disabled people. |
6. How will you ensure that disabled people are involved in the development of your department's policies and activities? | The Department does not provide direct services but develops policy to be implemented by local authorities and other public bodies. Policy development will be taken forward in consultation with partners e.g. Convention of Scottish Local Authorities ( COSLA), Society of Local Authority Chief Executives, Community Planning Partnerships, public bodies, the Improvement Service and relevant Eexecutive policy divisions, e.g. the Equalities Unit. | Best Value team | On-going | Policies/services take account of disabled people. |
SPPA plans to form an internal disability forum. | SPPA | April 2007 | Promote the SPPA's support of disabled staff. |
7. What arrangements will you put in place to ensure that we are able to report on progress on an annual basis? | This will be through an annual report to the FCSD Departmental Management Board. | Group Heads and Divisional Heads. | April 2007 | Evidence of improved services/policies/processes which take account of disabled people. |