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Disability Equality Scheme Annual Report 2007

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Strategic Objective - Greener

Improve Scotland's natural and built environment and the sustainable use and enjoyment of it.

Key policy areas for advancing equality of opportunity for disabled people

Policy

Action

By whom

By when

Outcome expected

Progress and Measure

Sustainable Development

Influence and coordinate the implementation of "Choosing our Future" (Scotland's Sustainable Development Strategy) commitments and reporting regularly to the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Sustainable Scotland.

Greener Scotland Directorate

Ongoing

Seeks social outcomes as part of approach.

Social outcomes in Wealthier and Fairer, Smarter, Safer and Stronger, to deliver Greener Objectives as well as indicators work to drive performance of the Scottish Government and Partners e.g. indicator on strong resilient communities.

Environmental volunteering

Advise service providers to ensure that disabled people can participate fully.

Greener Scotland Directorate

Ongoing

Facilities open to disabled people. Increase in numbers of disabled people volunteering.

Continuing via the annual review of the Scottish Government ( SG) Volunteering Strategy conducted by SG and the sector. Increasing the volunteering opportunities for disabled people under the heading of "Inclusive Volunteering" Also the Environmental Volunteering Implementation Group set up to advise SG on how to support environmental volunteering considered the subject of access by various groups, including disabled people and discussed areas in which they could make a valued contribution.

Delivery of grants

Ensure accessible documentation and application etc., processes.

All Directorates

Ongoing

Opportunity for all to apply for grants and funding

Will review grant schemes to ensure that they are accessible to disabled people.

Animal Health and Welfare

Implementation of new animal health and welfare legislation.

Rural Directorate

Ongoing

Secondary legislation which takes account of the needs of people who are blind or deaf and other people who use "assistance" dogs.

Draft codes and consultation papers have been sent to both gender and disability equality groups.

Access Scottish Historic Environmental Policy ( SHEP)

Evidence: Access to a variety of public services, including leisure activities, raised through Get Involved.

Creation of policy on providing equality of access, where reasonable.

Historic Scotland: Policy Unit

March 2007

Better communicated policy on equality of access to the Properties in Care. External involvement with appropriate groups.

HS is currently developing its equality policy to include equality of access where reasonable. This part of policy development aims to involve the views of the public and as such we are currently looking at methods to gather this information.

Arrangements for delivering the general duty to promote disability equality

Action

By whom

By when

Expected Outcome

Progress and measure

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?

Establish expert equality forum (including disabled interests) to give strategic advice to ERADDMB on ongoing implementation of duties.

Develop more detailed action plans for each of the Department's 10 outcomes (in 2007-8).

Rural and Environment ( RAE) Directors

March 2007

March 2007

Policy development and delivery fully informed by expert advice.

All relevant policies, procedures and practices consider and take into account the needs of disabled people.

Due to the organisational restructure of the Scottish Government following the Scottish election it was decided that a formal ERAD expert equality forum was no longer appropriate and it has not been possible to develop more detailed action plans at this stage. However, we are committed to continuing to engage with equality groups to inform our policy development and delivery.

The first meeting has taken place between a RAE Director and a Disability Interest Group. We will monitor the frequency of these meetings.

Historic Scotland:

Communications channels and mechanisms to be made fully accessible.

All HR policies and procedures will undergo an equality impact assessment.

Complete a programme of access audits for all 345 Properties in Care ( PIC) to assess their accessibility.

Full consideration of the DDA incorporated into the design of all new build projects at PICs

Historic Scotland: HR/Communications

Historic Scotland: HR

Historic Scotland: PIC via appointment of consultants Buro Happold, and involving disabled people.

Historic Scotland: PIC

December 2006

Ongoing

Access audits of 75 staffed properties completed in 2005. 270 non-staffed properties completed by March 2007.

Ongoing

Accessible communications.

Non-discriminatory policies, procedures and practices.

Identify and agreed actions to improve physical and intellectual access to each PIC. Integration of access-enabling works into existing PIC work programmes.

All new build works at PICs fully compliant with access legislation (and full justifications provided where full access cannot be afforded for reasons of conservation).

Ongoing

Each new policy will be subject to EIA, with time all HR policies will be reviewed using the EIA process

Ongoing

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?

Establish expert equality forum (including disabled interests) to give strategic advice to ERADDMB on ongoing implementation of duties.

Develop more detailed action plans for each of the Department's 10 outcomes (in 2007-8).

Rural and Environment Analytical Services will assist divisions in gathering evidence and monitoring policies, and will review our existing gathering data exercises to assess whether we can broaden our database to capture equality information.

RAE Directors

Ongoing

Policy development and delivery fully informed by expert advice.

.

Due to the organisational restructure of the Scottish Government following the Scottish election it was decided that a formal ERAD expert equality forum was no longer appropriate and it has not been possible to develop more detailed action plans at this stage. However, we are committed to continuing to engage with equality groups to inform our policy development and delivery.

The first meeting has taken place between a RAE Director and a Disability Interest Group. We will monitor the frequency of these meetings.

To assist in the development of EQIA's across the RAE portfolio, Rural and Environment AS are in the process of reviewing the current availability of equality data relevant to the Greener Objective.

Historic Scotland:

HR policies and procedures will undergo an equality impact assessment , and we will monitor the various policies to determine take-up by disabled people.

Encourage and support disabled employees to participate in schemes designed to promote the advancement of disabled people, for example the Civil Service Bursary Scheme for Disabled employees. We will also support the necessary adjustments for disabled people to carry out all types of roles across Historic Scotland.

Staff will undertake disability awareness training, and we will provide an Access Guide to the PICs involving disabled people.

Historic Scotland: HR

Historic Scotland: HR/training

Historic Scotland training unit/ PIC

Ongoing

Ongoing

Ongoing 2007/08

Ensure our policies and practices are non-discriminatory, identifying areas which need to be improved.

Development opportunities for disabled employees.

Non discriminatory treatment of PICs customers, with an Access guide available in a range of formats.

Each new policy will be subject to EIA, with time all HR policies will be reviewed using the EIA process

We will be conducting an internal survey in early 08 which will enable the agency to deliver a better service and identify areas of further development.

Ongoing, will be supported through the external questionnaire to take place in 08. Will also be subject to EIA for every new policy and policy's under review.

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?

Establish expert equality forum (including disabled interests) to give strategic advice to ERADDMB on ongoing implementation of duties.

Develop more detailed action plans for each of the Department's 10 outcomes (in 2007-8).

Rural and Environment AS will assist divisions in gathering evidence and monitoring policies, and we will review our existing gathering data exercises to assess whether we can broaden our database to capture equality information.

RAE Directors

Ongoing

Policy development and delivery fully informed by expert advice.

All relevant policies, procedures and practices consider and take into account the needs of disabled people.

Due to the organisational restructure of the Scottish Government following the Scottish election it was decided that a formal ERAD expert equality forum was no longer appropriate and it has not been possible to develop more detailed action plans at this stage. However, we are committed to continuing to engage with equality groups to inform our policy development and delivery.

The first meeting has taken place between a RAE Director and a Disability Interest Group. We will monitor the frequency of these meetings.

To assist in the development of EQIA's across the RAE portfolio, Rural and Environment AS are in the process of reviewing the current availability of equality data relevant to the Greener Objective.

Historic Scotland:

Staff will undertake disability awareness training

Historic Scotland: Training Unit and Managers.

Ongoing

Non discriminatory treatment of Properties in Care customers

Ongoing, will be supported through the external questionnaire to take place in 08. Will also be subject to EIA for every new policy and policy's under review.

4. What arrangements will you put in place to promote positive attitudes towards disabled people?

Establish expert equality forum (including disabled interests) to give strategic advice to ERADDMB on ongoing implementation of duties.

Develop more detailed action plans for each of the Department's 10 outcomes (in 2007-8).

Rural and Environment AS will assist divisions in gathering evidence and monitoring policies.

We will draw from corporate awareness raising processes to promote awareness in our own staff.

RAE Directors

Ongoing

Staff that have a positive attitude towards disabled people.

Due to the organisational restructure of the Scottish Government following the Scottish election it was decided that a formal ERAD expert equality forum was no longer appropriate and it has not been possible to develop more detailed action plans at this stage. However, we are committed to continuing to engage with equality groups to inform our policy development and delivery.

The first meeting has taken place between a RAE Director and a Disability Interest Group. We will monitor the frequency of these meetings.

To assist in the development of EQIA's across the RAE portfolio, Rural and Environment AS are in the process of reviewing the current availability of equality data relevant to the Greener Objective.

Historic Scotland:

Train all staff in HR in disability equality.

Continue the work of the Monument Access Group established within PIC.

Historic Scotland HR/Training

Historic Scotland: Properties in Care

March 2007

Ongoing

Better customer care and awareness

Develop information systems, share best practice and develop a holistic approach to disabled access provision across the PICs and services. Provide advice and guidance on disability issues to PIC colleagues. Promote consultation with local access forums.

Through both the internal and external survey the agency will identify areas necessary for development and training. This will be throughout 2008

5. What action will you take to encourage the participation of disabled people in public life?

Establish expert equality forum (including disabled interests) to give strategic advice to ERADDMB on ongoing implementation of duties, including to help us develop a better understanding of any barriers to participating in public life that arise from our processes.

We will build on the existing opportunities available through implementation of our sustainable development strategy and environmental volunteering work.

RAE Directors

Ongoing

Disabled people are encouraged to participate in public life.

Due to the organisational restructure of the Scottish Government following the Scottish election it was decided that a formal ERAD expert equality forum was no longer appropriate and it has not been possible to develop more detailed action plans at this stage. However, we are committed to continuing to engage with equality groups to inform our policy development and delivery.

The first meeting has taken place between a RAE Director and a Disability Interest Group. We will monitor the frequency of these meetings.

Historic Scotland:

Ensure that our job adverts encourage applications from disabled people; Advertise jobs in places where they can be accessed by disabled people; and encourage our volunteer partner, Project Scotland, to place disabled volunteers.

Historic Scotland: HR

Ongoing

More disabled applicants and volunteers.

Ongoing investigations

6. How will you ensure that disabled people are involved in the development of your department's policies and activities?

We intend to establish expert equality forum which would advise the ERAD Departmental Management Board on how best to involve disabled people in our different policy activities.

Rural and Environment AS will assist divisions in gathering evidence and monitoring policies, to identify any gaps in stakeholder engagement.

RAE Directors

Ongoing

Disabled people are involved in the development of Portfolio policies and activities.

Due to the organisational restructure of the Scottish Government following the Scottish election it was decided that a formal ERAD expert equality forum was no longer appropriate and it has not been possible to develop more detailed action plans at this stage. However, we are committed to continuing to engage with equality groups to inform our policy development and delivery.

The first meeting has taken place between a RAE Director and a Disability Interest Group. We will monitor the frequency of these meetings.

To assist in the development of EQIA's across the RAE portfolio, Rural and Environment AS are in the process of reviewing the current availability of equality data relevant to the Greener Objective.

Historic Scotland:

Encourage, facilitate and monitor disabled employees participation in the development of HR policies, procedures and practices.

Monument Access Group will promote involvement with relevant national and local disabled people and groups.

Historic Scotland: HR

Historic Scotland: PIC.

Ongoing

Ongoing

More effective policies, procedures and practices.

More effective engagement with relevant groups.

Through both the internal and external surveys to take place in 2008 people will be actively involved in informing the development of HS policy.

7. What arrangements will you put in place to ensure that we are able to report on progress on an annual basis?

We will reflect the commitments in this template in our Departmental and Divisional Business plans, the former being monitored on a quarterly basis, and will reflect progress in a report on delivery at the end of the business.

RAE Directors

Ongoing

Progress on delivery of action plan is reviewed and reported annually.

Due to the organisational restructure of the Scottish Government following the Scottish election we are currently considering the best way to embed our disability equality scheme action plan into our new business processes.

Historic Scotland:

Monitor all relevant HR activities, including recruitment, training and development.

Properties in Care to agree all equality actions as part of annual planning process and allocate staff and funding resources, as required. Review projects related to access for all.

Historic Scotland: HR

Historic Scotland: Properties in Care

Ongoing -

Submit an annual report

Ongoing

Evidential basis for future planning.

Evidential basis for future planning.

Reporting system to be developed in 2008.

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Page updated: Friday, November 30, 2007