Setting robust Equality Outcomes

 

Partners to a CRD should set robust investment-specific equality outcomes to maximise its chances of delivering Inclusive Growth for the benefit of all groups of people in the regional economy. As above the duty falls on individual partners covered by the relevant duty but this can be just as easily conducted collectively by all partners, or by one on behalf of the others.

An equality outcome is a result which your CRD aims to achieve to further one or more of the needs in the general equality duty: eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and/or foster good relations.

Equality outcomes should not be confused with outputs.

Outputs are what gets done, what an organisation or service produces or delivers, such as training events or an improved evidence base.

Outcomes are the changes that result for individuals, communities, organisations or society as a consequence of the actions taken. Outcomes can include short- term benefits such as improved service delivery or service uptake, or changes in knowledge, skills and attitudes, as well as longer-term benefits such as changes in behaviours, decision-making, or social and environmental conditions.

The success of CRDs can be measured by the extent to which they increase employment opportunities and access to the economic benefits of the investment for your most deprived communities, women, disabled people and ethnic minorities. As evidence shows women are often clustered in middle management in some sectors or poorly represented in others (for example engineering, digital, and bio-science). Ethnic minorities in Scotland are twice as likely to live in poverty and unemployment. Disabled people not only also face higher levels of unemployment but also experience higher household costs.

See the Scottish Government’s Equality Evidence Finder here

Your investment-specific equality outcomes should be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

This means asking questions such as:

S – who benefits, and in what way?

M – how many will benefit, where will the benefit be seen?

A – is this under or over stretching?

R – is your equality outcome focused on the problem you want to change?

T – have you set a period by which you wish to see the change achieved?

Examples of an investment-specific equality outcome might be:
Increasing women’s employment in construction in Greater Glasgow by 5%, by 2022.
Increasing disabled peoples’ use of leisure facilities in Highland by 3% by 2022.
Increasing ethnic minority young people’s take up of higher skilled apprenticeships across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire by 2% by 2022.

The CRD areas you may wish to cover in setting your equalities outcomes could be:

• Employment

• Income

• Access to services

• Housing

• Education, skills and training

The EHRC has more detailed guidance on the setting of equality outcomes and the specific equality duty for public authorities in Scotland.