Scottish Government Consultation: Equality and Human Rights Mainstreaming Strategy

What is it?

The Scottish Government’s Equality and Human Rights Mainstreaming Strategy aims to embed equality and human rights across the public sector – it will be accompanied by an action plan and toolkit for public sector organisations to use.

As stated in the consultation paper: “The Strategy will provide the framework so that the Scottish Government and the wider public sector can apply a consistent focus on equality and human rights in policy and service delivery. It will guide the Scottish Government, the wider public sector, and our partners to improve embedding equality and human rights into all that we do. This will include an overall shared vision, a set of drivers and how we will achieve these to improve mainstreaming.”

The Mainstreaming Strategy is centred around activity in Scottish Government and the wider public sector which will impact on service delivery and decision-making processes.

The Mainstreaming Strategy is focused around six key drivers:

• Strengthening leadership
• Developing accountability and transparency
• Ensuring effective regulatory and policy environment
• Utilising evidence and experience
• Enhancing capability and culture
• Improving capacity

These drivers have been highlighted as consistent themes that have emerged from previous consultations on human rights and equalities; engagement with stakeholders and other feedback.

Why should I respond?

From the Mainstreaming Strategy, Scottish Government will develop an action plan and toolkit that public sector organisations will take forward to inform their human rights and equalities development.

This is likely to inform a wide range of processes such as approaches to how public services are created, delivered and reviewed; how and what monitoring and evaluation exercises are carried out and how those with lived experience are involved in decision-making.

Third sector organisations have a wide range of experience and expertise from engaging with the public sector. For example, supporting access to services, delivering services on behalf of the public sector or advocating for better policy making and service design.

We would encourage you to consider your experiences with engaging with the public sector – were they working in line with equality and human rights standards? What worked well? What could’ve made the experience better?

You may also wish to bring in other experiences of working within equality and human rights standards which you think could translate to the public sector.

You can refer to the FREDA principles when thinking about human rights and equalities – Fairness, Respect, Equality, Dignity and Autonomy.

Questions you may want to focus on:

There is no requirement to answer every question in the consultation – if you prefer to, you can focus on the questions most relevant to your organisation or experience and leave the others blank or with ‘N/A.’

We’ve highlighted a few questions that you may wish to focus on:

9. What actions would you recommend to ensure greater accountability and transparency contributes to mainstreaming?
10. What actions would you recommend to ensure that utilising evidence and experience as outline above will contribute to the achievement of mainstreaming?
11. What actions would you recommend to ensure that enhancing capability and culture as outlined above will contribute to the achievement of mainstreaming?
12. Do you agree that this Strategy will provide a foundation to influence a culture of mainstreaming equality and human rights within Scottish Government and the wider public sector?
13. What actions would you recommend to ensure that improving capacity will contribute to the achievement of mainstreaming?
14. What practical steps would you include to make the toolkit an effective resource?

If you have experience of engaging with services, engaging with public bodies or even in mainstreaming human rights and equalities in your own organisation its likely that you will have useful expertise or knowledge to contribute to the above questions.

Next steps:

• Access the consultation paper here
• Respond to the consultation here

If you’d like to get in touch regarding this consultation or if you have any human rights and equalities questions, you can email the THRE team at THRE@gcvs.org.uk.

Closing date: Wednesday 5^th February 2025 at midnight