DISABILITY WORKING GROUP
Note of Core Group meeting, 19 July 2005
Present:
Yvonne Strachan (Chair), Scottish Executive Equality Unit
Joyce Wilson, SENSE Scotland
Lionel Long, Update
Adam Gaines, Disability Rights Commission
Maggie Williams, RNID Scotland
Sally Witcher, Independent Consultant
David Thomson, Scottish Executive Equality Unit
Graeme Bryce, Scottish Executive Equality Unit
Apologies/unable to attend:
Alasdair McCallum, Barnardos
Fiona Duncan, Capability Scotland
Bill Campbell, Inclusion Scotland
Gordon MacRae, Leonard Cheshire Scotland
Kate Wallace, SAMH
Lilian Lawson, Scottish Council on Deafness
Ron Skinner, Scottish Disability Equality Forum
Iain Montgomery, STUC
Mike Holmes, Enable
Jack Moodie, Orkney Disability Forum
Gordon Matheson, RNIB Scotland
Scott Skinner, Scottish Enterprise
Welcome and Introductions
1. Yvonne welcomed the group and set out the purpose of the meeting - to ensure that core group members were informed of satellite group progress, to identify and consider any issues of concern, and to plan future meetings.
2. Only a small number of core group members were present and there was some discussion about whether to proceed. Members were present from all 4 satellite groups so it was agreed that the meeting should proceed and that other core group members would be invited to comment on the draft minutes in due course.
Satellite Group Updates
Group 1 - employment
3. David provided an update on progress. The group had gathered a great deal of information and discussed issues relating to engaging with employers including different ways of engaging, the benefits of engaging and information available to employers.
4. Sally asked whether the group had begun to look at what the Executive needed to do to improve engagement and David commented that this had not yet been discussed but would be as recommendations began to take shape.
5. Adam was interested in whether the group was looking both a getting into employment and at what happens to disabled people already in employment. David explained that this had not been discussed but he expected it would be as the group's work progressed.
6. Both Maggie and Joyce noted that business was often fearful of disability and that messages needed to get across which would dispel this. Yvonne commented that there was a role for the Scottish Executive generally to look at what could be done to support equality and provide information about equality issues to small businesses.
7. Maggie noted that the group hadn't appeared to pick up on transitions from school to employment and wondered if perhaps this was being looked at by other group. It was agreed that both groups 1 and 3 had an interest in this (see below, para 24).
Group 2 - mainstreaming and the public sector duty
8. Joyce provided an update on Group 2's work. The group wanted to help public bodies to prioritise activities in preparation for the new duty to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people and were keen to look at how to ensure that disabled people were involved. To help this, they wanted to find out what public authorities were already doing on disability, perhaps through some kind of disability audit. They also considered that it was particularly important that senior figures within public bodies were engaged and that inspection bodies such as Audit Scotland were engaged.
9. Joyce commented that there had been some uncertainty at one meeting about whether all public bodies could be audited on the duty or whether this was only the case if they had an accountable officer. Yvonne clarified that the disability equality duty will apply to all public bodies and all public bodies would have to comply with it. It was recognised that the confusion may have come from the position regarding the auditing of the duty of best value.
10. Group 2 had also concluded that disabled people themselves don't know enough about the duty and what it will mean for them as individuals.
11. Sally suggested that the group might focus on what the Scottish Executive should do in relation to the duty. Yvonne commented that the Executive had not yet developed its strategy for responding to the duty but that this would build on work already done for the race equality duty.
12. Adam informed the group that the DRC was developing a Code of Practice and a number of pieces of guidance on the duty. Someone from the DRC would attend the next meeting of satellite group 2 to talk about the DRC's work.
13. The Executive agreed to provide satellite group 2 with a timetable of what public authorities needed to do in relation to the duty and by when.
Group 3 - communication and consultation, education and training, citizenship and public attitudes
14. Lionel provided an update on group 3. The group had initially had some concern about the breadth of issues it had been tasked to consider and whether it could do them justice in the time available. The group had considered that some issues were cross cutting for all the satellite groups and might need to be looked at by all groups from their own perspective - for example disability equality training.
15. Citizenship had been discussed and a useful background paper provided. The group had felt that citizenship underpinned its work (and perhaps the work of all satellite groups) and had decided to test all its recommendations against concepts of citizenship - the background paper had provided a clear framework for this.
16. After a good deal of discussion of the broad range of issues the group had begun to focus in on identifying actions. It had agreed a process for doing this whereby all members of the group would complete a table setting out the key issues as they saw them and suggesting what needed to be done, by whom and how. This would then be returned to the Executive to fill in against each action point what was already happening from a Government policy point of view. This table would then form the basis of discussion at future meetings and allow issues to be identified and prioritised with a view to making recommendations.
17. Maggie asked how the group had interpreted 'communication' and Lionel confirmed that it had taken a very broad interpretation of this.
Group 4 - poverty, social inclusion, independent living, direct payments
18. Sally reported back on group 4 which had just met that morning. The breadth and complexity of the issues was daunting but the group had made a start by focusing on financial aspects of disability, in particular on benefits and grants.
19. It was noted that the UK Government, through its work on individualized budgets, was looking at improving how disabled people access benefits, grants and financial advice. The group had sought more information on this. It was noted that the Scottish Executive was not obliged to follow what the UK Government was doing but there was merit in looking at it.
20. A range of different issues had been identified where it might be possible to address financial difficulties that disabled people face - for example: prescription charges, promoting healthy eating, extending free personal care for disabled people. The Executive agreed to explore what the current position was in relation to these.
21. It was noted that Age Concern had a scheme which helped older people access cheaper electricity and gas. Although this was not something for the Executive this was something that the group wanted to explore further.
22. The group was some way off developing recommendations but issue around improving information and co-ordinating resources were beginning to emerge.
23. Yvonne commented that group 4 was grappling with some very significant issue for disabled people. But although the issues were big this did not mean that they could not be changed. Given the short life of the Disability Working Group it might not be possible to come up with all the solutions, but issues could still be flagged up for further consideration, particularly in relation to the 2008 spending round (which would look at and set future Government spending).
Issue Emerging
24. The core group considered that there were a number of overlapping issues emerging that needed to be watched as follows:
- Transitions from school to employment. It was important to ensure that this was looked at and did not fall in the gap between groups 1 and 3.
- Disability equality training was an issue for all groups.
- Public attitudes to disability was an issue for all groups.
25. The core group agreed that it was fine for a number of satellite groups, or even all 4, to look at the same issue - for example, disability equality training or attitudes - as they would do so from their own perspective and so bring a range of views forward which would help to form a more rounded picture of what might need to be done.
Other Business
26. Chairing arrangements for satellite groups were discussed briefly. The core group had originally suggested that each should be chaired by a disability organisation and by a member of the core group. However, in practice this had not been possible. It was noted though that all satellite groups were content with chairing arrangements and the core group also voiced its content.
27. David commented that sports and arts organisations were interested in finding out more about the group. This might best be achieved by them attending a core group meeting. The core group was content with this and the Equality Unit agreed to explore whether the Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Disability Sport and Sport Scotland might attend the next core group meeting in September. If they were to attend this would focus on how they could work together with the Disability Working Group.
28. It was also agreed it would be useful for these arts, sport and transport organisations to provide a paper in advance of the next meeting which could form the basis of discussion.
29. Finally, David informed the core group that the website would be up and running within the next few weeks and all papers produced for the Disability Working Group and the satellite groups would be available through this.
Date of next meetings
30. The dates of the next meetings of the core group were 14 September and 9 November, both in the afternoon at Victoria Quay. However, none of those attending the 19 July meeting were available on 14 September so it was agreed that this meeting would be rescheduled for either 12, 15 or 16 September.
Scottish Executive
Equality Unit
July 2005
Action Points
1. Executive to circulate the note of the meeting quickly and invited core group members who were not present to feed back with any comments.
2. Executive to rearrange the September meeting and invite SAC, Sport Scotland and Scottish Disability Sport to attend.