The Scottish Government

1. Why do we need this resource?

1.1 What is the purpose of this guidance?

This resource has been designed to provide support and guidance on working with equalities groups. It is for people involved in the community learning and development (CLD) sector.

The guidance provides support in four main areas:

• Exploring the policy context and what is meant by ' equalities groups'.
• Setting out the law on equalities issues and how this relates to CLD activity.
• Providing guidance on ensuring that CLD activity meets the needs of equalities groups in your area.
• Giving examples of CLD activity in practice with a range of equalities groups.

This resource is intended to be simple and practical. It is strongly based on the experiences of people using and providing CLD services in Scotland. It includes lots of case studies, quotes and real life examples.

We know that you may be familiar with many of the issues covered. But we think that the resource will provide support and guidance in your work with equalities groups. We don't expect you to read it cover to cover, but hope you can dip into the resource to provide you with help and advice as you need it.

>> Section 1.2