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Equality Strategy: Working together for Equality

Linking principles and practice: mainstreaming equality

Responses to the consultation document, Towards an Equality Strategy, supported the strategy of mainstreaming equality. The responses emphasised that the strategy must remain sensitive to the experiences of different groups and acknowledged the need for specialist expertise relevant to the range of groups.

After considering these responses, we propose to describe mainstreaming as:

"Mainstreaming equality is the systematic integration of an equality perspective into the everyday work of government, involving policy makers across all government departments, as well as equality specialists and external partners."

• it is a long term strategy that aims to make sure that policy making is fully sensitive to the diverse needs and experiences of people
• it leads to improved policy making through better information, greater transparency and openness in the policy process
• it involves groups and individuals who experience inequality and discrimination in informing policy making through effective consultation mechanisms
• it tackles the under-representation of disadvantaged and excluded groups through encouraging wider participation
• it tackles structures, behaviours and attitudes that contribute to or sustain inequality and discrimination
• it can avoid policies and programmes being adopted that continue existing inequalities or make them worse
• it complements lawful positive action that is designed to address long-term historic disadvantage experienced by specific groups as a result of discriminatory practices and structures

Mainstreaming aims to change organisational cultures so that an equalities perspective becomes an integral part. The Scottish Executive recognises that mainstreaming of equality requires:

• leadership and political commitment to the principles and processes of mainstreaming equality
• commitment and ownership across the organisation for the principles and processes of mainstreaming
• work on mainstreaming equality to be integrated with departmental work plans and policy objectives
• guidance, advice, training and support to help departments to develop mainstreaming
• appropriate data, information and research to inform the development of policy and programmes
• policy appraisal and impact assessment with ongoing monitoring, evaluation, audit and review
• networks and effective mechanisms of consultation with external bodies and interests
• an acknowledgement that mainstreaming is not a quick fix and requires time and resource

• A partnership approach

The consultation exercise pointed up the need for the Scottish Executive's overarching strategy
to be based firmly on a partnership approach. The Scottish Executive wants to implement its Equality Strategy in partnership with Parliament, public sector bodies and agencies, local authorities, statutory equality bodies, communities, educational institutions, voluntary sector, private sector, established forums and networks, academics and trade unions.

The strategy and its implementation will be kept under regular review. It will be updated to make sure that it continues to reflect and respond effectively to the commitment to equality of opportunity for all and to changing circumstances.

The Executive will work with organisations across the public, private, and voluntary sectors in taking forward the strategy of mainstreaming. It will also make sure that under-represented and disadvantaged groups have the opportunity to inform policy making.

It is important that effective ways of communicating and consulting with different groups and organisations, interests and providers are developed. We value the input of all the people who have contributed to the work of the Race Equality Advisory Forum and the Women in Scotland Consultative Forum. Valuable contributions were received during the consultation from disability groups and from people in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. We are particularly interested in the contributions from people who attended the grassroots consultations during the summer. We intend to draw on these and other contributions to inform proposals for developing an inclusive approach to consultation and communication.

The Executive will put in place systems and mechanisms for mainstreaming. All departments will be engaged, but detailed work to assist in developing effective systems and processes will be piloted in two policy areas -schools and housing.

These developments will take time to consolidate. Our action plan sets out when we intend to start and report on them.

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