The Scottish Government

Quick Links - guide to using this resource

This guidance is for anyone involved in the Community Learning and Development (CLD) sector. But we realise that the issues you are interested in will be different depending on your individual circumstances - including geographical location, your position within your organisation, and the experience you have in the fields of CLD and equality. We have developed this 'Quick Links' section to help you find the parts of this resource which are most useful to you.

If you want a quick summary of the main points in this guide, please go to:

• The quick guide to involving equalities groups - this will also point you in the direction of other useful sections of the resource.

If you are quite new to the field of CLD, the following links provide a little bit more background:

• The history of CLD in Scotland
• What are the national priorities for CLD?
• Where can I get more information on CLD activity in Scotland?

If you want a bit of background on what we mean by 'equalities groups', the following sections should help:

• What do we mean by equalities groups?
• What terminology should we use?

If you want more information about the importance of work with equalities groups, including the law, best practice and your responsibilities in promoting equality, please go to the following links:

• The basics - what laws affect CLD and equality?
• Best practice - what should we be aiming for in our work with equalities groups?
• How do these responsibilities link with other guidance?
• What different approaches to equality are there?

If you want to find out about the needs and experiences of equalities groups in your area:

• Some important issues to think about.
• How do we gather the information we need to assess needs?
• How can we make sure that equalities groups are involved?
• How can we work jointly with local equalities organisations?
• How do we analyse the information that we gather?
• The vital link - providing feedback.

If you work with or are planning to begin working with equalities groups on a regular basis, the following sections may be useful:

• How can I involve communities in developing services?
• How can we create a welcoming atmosphere for all?
• How can staff engage effectively with equalities groups?
• What practical support can we offer to encourage participation?
• How can we promote our activities effectively to equalities groups?

If you manage a team of CLD staff and volunteers, you may find the following quick links useful:

• Planning service delivery - at a strategic level.
• Planning service delivery - at an operational level.
• Embedding equality within your organisation.
• Training - how can I use this resource to train my team?

If you want to learn from the experiences of others who have worked with equalities groups, you may find these case study links helpful:

• Case study: Strategic planning activity with equalities groups in Aberdeen
• Case study: Awareness raising for staff in Inverclyde
• Case study: Developing a joint equalities monitoring system in Glasgow
• Case study: assessing needs of people with additional support needs in Kintyre
• Case study: building the capacity of equalities groups in Fife
• Case study: developing a 'themed' CLD action plan in Glasgow.
• Case study: attracting equalities groups to mainstream services in Edinburgh.
• Case study: involving women from minority ethnic communities in Glasgow.
• Case study: involving young LGBT people in planning youth services in Dumfries.
• Case study: developing older people's skills for participation and research.

These case studies are intended to give you examples of how organisations in other areas have worked with equalities groups. They are not intended to showcase 'best practice'. They simply let you know how other organisations have tried to work effectively with equalities groups in their area.