Disability Working Group
Satellite Group 2 Meeting Note 27 September 2005
Group 2 - Public sector duty to promote disability equality; mainstreaming disability equality; corporate responsibility; engaging public authorities
Present:
David Thomson, Scottish Executive Equality Unit (Chair)
Bill Campbell, Inclusion Scotland
Carol Chamberlain, Scottish Human Services Trust
Lynn Waddell, Fair for All
Heather Fiskin, Disability Rights Commission
Sheila Williams, Capability Scotland
Graeme Bryce, Scottish Executive Equality Unit
Charlotte McHaffie, Scottish Executive Equality Unit (note taker)
Apologies from/unable to attend:
Lewis Morrison, West Dunbartonshire Council
Sandra MacDougall, SAMH
Maggie Williams, RNID Scotland
Gordon MacRae, Leonard Cheshire
Joyce Wilson, Sense Scotland
Iain Montgomery, STUC
Kim Hartley, Communication Impairment Action Group
Karen Martin, Scottish Executive: Civic Participation
Elaine Sosinka, Scottish Executive: Public Service Performance
Welcome and Introductions
1. David welcomed the group to the meeting.
Note of last meeting
2. The note of the last meeting was agreed.
3. Action points - Information on research project from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister had not yet been received.
Background Papers
4. The group received background papers and information on the following:
- Mainstreaming Equality;
- Engaging Disabled People in Scottish Executive Policymaking;
- Potential Recommendations; and
- Recommendations Proforma.
5. The mainstreaming paper includes examples of toolkits and Lynn Waddell highlighted that the Scottish Executive Health Department had produced an Equality and Diversity Impact Assessment Toolkit for the Health Service. Toolkit available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/health/eqdiat-00.asp.
Mainstreaming
6. The group discussed toolkits and the following points were raised:
- Until the Disability Discrimination Act regulations are produced it is difficult to assess whether Impact Assessment Toolkits already available will address all relevant aspects.
- Concerns whether toolkits are tackling the issues properly and developed with the correct resources.
- Difficult to recommend an impact assessment toolkit because don't know how effective they are.
- The value of toolkits depends on the people using them and on the training they've had. As part of their toolkit the SE Health Department have tried to address this by providing training.
7. Institutional Audits - At previous meetings the idea of organisations undertaking an audit before they write their disability equality scheme was discussed. The group considered whether this might be one of their recommendations. Issues raised included:
- useful for an organisation to assess itself before compiling a disability equality scheme;
- no legislative requirement for organisations to undertake one;
- concerns about what value an audit would add to the process as the Scottish Regulations and DRC Code of Practice would be published before the Disability Working Group reports;
- no capacity for supporting organisations to do this.
8. The group recognised that by the time this group reports that the Regulations and Code of Practice for the Disability Equality Duty will likely have been published and it was therefore agreed for organisational audits not to be one of the recommendations.
Involving Disabled People
9. David took the group through Sally Witcher's paper on Engaging Disabled People in Scottish Executive Policymaking.
10. To inform discussions Bill provided an overview of the UK Improving Life Chances of Disabled People Report proposals for an Office of Disability Issues and a UK National Forum and the recent consultation event in Scotland.
11. The group discussed a number of points on involving disabled people including:
- Need to think of innovative ways to engage disabled people to ensure involvement of hard to reach groups.
- Need to ensure inclusion of those with Mental Health problems, Learning disabilities and those who don't consider themselves disabled.
- Information/communication needs to be clear and accessible.
- Should there be a Scottish National Forum or should the UK one cover Scotland as well? And if there was a Scottish forum how would it relate to the UK forum?
- A number of organisations already have mechanisms to involve disabled people in policymaking such as Inclusion Scotland, could these existing structures by used/developed?
- Expand/develop the Disability Working Group to continue as an interim mechanism.
- Should take into account the voices of not only disabled people but those affected by disability such as partners, children and parents.
12. Group to consider a recommendation on this further at their final meeting.
Potential recommendations
13. The group considered the paper on emerging themes and recommendations.
Information and assistance to public authorities, in general and in drawing up their disability equality action plans
14. The DRC are commissioning a project to work with 12 Local Authorities (at least one in Scotland) to support them to produce disability equality plans. The lessons learnt will help the DRC develop guidance for other public authorities. The DRC are also producing guidance for Scotland specifically for schools, Local Authorities etc. plus five major conferences over the next year and production of the Code of Practice. With DRC doing all this what else needs to be done?
15. Group agreed needs to be a multi-pronged partnership approach DRC, Executive, disabled people, disability organisations, voluntary sector.
Disabled People, Capacity, Information and Consultation Fatigue
16. Concerns were raised over the capacity of disabled people to respond to consultation/requests for involvement from public sector. The capacity for disabled people to be involved needs to be developed and then used. For example Scottish Human Services Trust ran 3 development programmes to help develop people's capacity to be involved in policy making and those who participated could be used. Carol to provide participants contact details for Equality Unit consultation list.
17. Need to map what capacity is already out there, where the gaps are and to develop appropriate structures for involving disable people.
18. The group agreed that from their discussions there were three potential draft recommendations. These are:
- That there should be guidance for public authorities on involving and engaging disabled people;
- That research should be undertaken to map the disability sector and understand the capacity of disability organisations;
- That work should be undertaken to build the capacity of disabled people and support their involvement in the implementation of the disability equality duty.
19. The group agreed to consider these draft recommendations further at its next meeting. It also wished to spend time considering how to get high level engagement and commitment.
Any other business
20. David informed the group that this would be his last meeting as he has a new post within the Executive leading the Children's Hearings and Integrated Services Bill Team. The group thanked David for his input and wished him well in his new post.
21. Heather Fiskin asked for the next meeting to be extended by half an hour to 14.00 to 16.30.
Date of Next Meeting
22. Thursday 27 October from 14.00 to 16.30 in conference room 5 Victoria Quay, Edinburgh.
Scottish Executive, Equality Unit, October 2005
Action Points
1. Equality Unit to pull together from discussions a set of draft recommendations for consideration on 27 October.
2. Extend next meeting by half an hour to 14.00 to 16.30.