SCVO
Equalities Briefing August
2002
What
is mainstreaming?
Mainstreaming
equality is the systematic consideration of the
particular effects of all policies, at the point
of planning, implementation and evaluation, on
disadvantaged groups. Equality is the goal.
Mainstreaming is a process that aims to achieve
the goal.
Mainstreaming
should bring consideration of equality issues
right into the core of all policy work,
so that they are central to all activities -
policy development, research, advocacy,
dialogue, legislation, resource allocation, the
planning, implementation and monitoring of
programmes and projects etc. This
should come not only from ‘equality
specialists’ but should involve everyone
working in any aspect of policy.
What
do we mean by equality?
Equality
in its wider sense, as in the definition of
equal opportunities in the Scotland Act 1998,
encompasses gender, race, disability, sexual
orientation and also individuals and groups
facing discrimination on the grounds of age,
language or social origin, or of other personal
attributes, including beliefs or opinions, such
as religious belief or political opinion.
Mainstreaming equality should ensure that all
opportunities are genuinely available and
accessible to all potential participants and
that current initiatives do not have a negative
impact on any disadvantaged groups.
Who
is mainstreaming equality?
Mainstreaming,
championed in the UK by the Equal Opportunities
Commission, is
in its early stages of development. Practice is
evolving in health boards, local authorities,
the Scottish Executive and Parliament and the
voluntary sector. Much of the mainstreaming work
in these early stages has focussed in particular
on gender equality.
Local
Government
Local
authorities are increasingly working to Best
Value – a framework for planning and
developing their services. They have the
opportunity to incorporate mainstreaming into
Best Value, setting equality performance
indicators and targets into performance review
and service planning. COSLA are developing their
guidance on equalities and the new duties on
Best Value and the power of well being contained
within the Local Government in Scotland Bill.
The guidance under development includes
recommendations that councils
ensure equalities issues are reflected in their
strategic objectives and highlighted within
service plans and that they ensure there is
top-level commitment at both elected member and
officer level to mainstreaming equalities.
The
Scottish Executive
Following consultation, the Scottish Executive
published ‘Working Together for Equality’ in
November 2000. This strategy depends in its
delivery upon partnership working with a wide
range of bodies and sectors, including the
voluntary sector. The Executive gives the
Parliament an annual progress report on its
implementation. Scottish
Executive bills submitted to the Scottish
Parliament are required to detail Equal
Opportunities considerations. The Executive
acknowledges that mainstreaming is its early
stages of development and again early focus has
been on gender equality.
Scottish
Parliament
The Consultative Steering Group, in
laying down the founding principles of the
Scottish Parliament, were very clear that
mainstreaming equality must be integral to its
infrastructure, procedures and policies, and
must be the responsibility of each MSP and each
member of every committee. The Scottish
Parliament Equal Opportunities Committee are
running an inquiry into how equality can best be
mainstreamed across all committees. When they
have consulted on and finalised their
mainstreaming guidelines, they will encourage
their use and ensure training is provided for
other committees.
SCVO
The Policy Committee of SCVO has consistently
highlighted the promotion of equality as a
priority for SCVO and the sector as a whole. The
vision of a voluntary sector that is accessible,
relevant and dynamic in meeting the needs of a
diverse population and an expanding workforce
drives our policy work, internally and in
relation to wider society. We
are involved in raising awareness of equality
issues and the benefits of implementing equality
policies
and
in encouraging mainstreaming of equality
policies and practice across the voluntary
sector.
SCVO
are establishing a
Highlands and Islands Equality Forum that will
audit equality practices in the region and
formulate training programmes according to
assessed needs.
Mainstreaming
and the Voluntary Sector
Consultation
As
public sector organisations move towards
mainstreaming equalities across all their
departments, they will need to consult with
equality groups as to how policies will impact
upon their communities. The voluntary sector can
expect increased opportunity to contribute their
knowledge and expertise at all stages of policy
development, formulation, implementation and
monitoring, ensuring consideration of the issues
of their particular groups.
Mainstreaming
within voluntary organisations
The
voluntary sector is also looking at its own
mainstreaming needs. SCVO and others are
encouraging and supporting voluntary sector
organisations to hold equalities considerations
at the core of all their services and employment
practices.
Voluntary
organisations are frequently centred on the
interests of different equality groups so it is
hoped that mainstreaming equalities will be
advanced throughout the sector. Around 68
percent of paid staff and 60 percent of
volunteers are female, so practices concerning
gender equality should also be of paramount
concern to the sector as a whole.
Campaigning
The
voluntary sector needs to be engaged not only in
mainstreaming within their own organisations but
also in challenging the status quo where it
leads to inequality and creates barriers to
progress.
Key
Questions
How does
Mainstreaming relate to other equality measures?
Policies on equality have previously focused on
legal rights and specialist equality measures,
such as an equality unit or women’s forum. The
starting point was a specific problem requiring
a specific solution. Progress has been made
through these measures, but inequality and
discrimination still exist and equality groups
remain at a disadvantage in many areas of
economic, social and public life. The
starting point for mainstreaming is a policy
that already exists, to ensure that people
involved in developing policies take an equality
perspective into account from the outset.
Mainstreaming
should not replace specialist equality measures,
but complement and work in
tandem with them. Mainstreaming is most
effective when coupled with a powerful
co-ordinating body.
What
are the benefits of mainstreaming?
Mainstreaming should ensure that equality
considerations are "built in"
from the beginning, rather than "bolted
on" at the end. With careful and considered
implementation, it can be a strategy for
transformation, with the potential to achieve
sustainable change. Mainstreaming is a way for
equalities groups to move beyond being on the
agenda and start setting the agenda.
Mainstreaming
benefits everyone – eg mainstreaming in
employment practices may introduce more flexible
working practices to avoid discriminate against
women with family responsibilities. These can
benefit the whole workforce, reducing
absenteeism and lowering staff turnover.
Mainstreaming can help improve methods of
working by increasing an organisation’s
accountability, responsiveness to need, and
relations with the community. It can bring added
value at many levels.
What are the problems with mainstreaming?
Without the backing of political will,
mainstreaming is likely to fail. If it is to be
effective it requires high level commitment, an
enabling policy environment, broad-based support
and the close involvement of communities of
interest.
There are dangers if
mainstreaming is used to replace specialist
equality measures. Without empowered specialist
equality groups, mainstreaming is dependent on
the particular skills and interests of current
personnel, who may or may not have a commitment
to or understanding of mainstreaming and
equality.
Mainstreaming needs to be
backed up by effective performance indicators,
monitoring and review. If allowed to lose
impetus it could degenerate into tokenism, where
public commitment is given but little is
actually done.
What
is the relevant legislation?
Effective
mainstreaming will go beyond complying with
legislation, and involve thorough and systematic
consideration of equalities, whether or not
legislated for, to avoid any kind of
discrimination. Legislation to be aware of
however, includes the Sex Discrimination Acts of
1975 and 1986, Disability Discrimination Act
1995; the
Human Rights Act 1998;the
Scotland Act 1998 and Race Relations Amendment
Act 2000. Age, religion and sexual orientation
are not covered by legislation as yet, but will
be in future.
What
should we be doing now?
· Define your functions:
define what you do, and what you can do.
Identify by gender, ethnicity and other relevant
criteria, who you are doing it for.
- Consultation:
Talk with all stakeholders – employers,
service users, funders, partners etc. Listen
to their concerns and their perceptions of
your organisation’s stand on equality
issues and incorporate them into
organisational functions.
- Monitoring:
set up systems to monitor work force and the
outcomes of policies and practices on both
employment and service delivery and
evaluation.
- Assessment:
examine the impact of all your policies and
practices and ask whether all equality
groups are being fairly treated.
- Change:
Where evidence from monitoring shows unequal
outcomes between different equality groups,
consider what changes are needed and take
action to prevent direct or indirect
discrimination and to promote greater
equality.
· Implementation:
where your organisation already has good
practice policies on equality, make sure they
are understood and put into practice at every
level within the organisation. The policies
should also be reinforced through staff
performance appraisals and disciplinary
procedures.
Where to go for further Information
Websites
Commission
for Racial Equality www.cre.gov.uk
Disability Rights Commission www.drc-gb.org
Equal Opportunities Commission www.eoc.org.uk
Women’s National Commission www.thewnc.org.uk
SCVO
equalities website
www.scvo.org.uk/equalities
Scottish
Executive Equality Strategy
www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/social/wtem-00.asp
Scottish
Executive Sources of Equality Data
www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/egds-00.asp
Publications
Equality
Update newsletter
Kate
Henderson, GCVS, Tel:
0141 332 2444
Commission for Racial
Equality (1999) Equal
Opportunities is Your Business Too: a good
practice guide on race, sex and disability for
small firms.
www.cre.gov.uk/publs/cat_employ.html
McOwan,
Fiona (1996) Equal
Opportunities
- a guide to good practice, VSEI,
Fife Tel:
01383 730608.
Employment
Service, 2000 Closing the Gap: a Self-assessment
Pack for New Deal Partnerships. Irvan Arif, New
Deal Team, Jobcentre Plus-Office For Scotland
Tel: 0131-221-4174
Training
Social
Justice in a Changing World certificate. A
collaboration between the Equality and
Discrimination Centre, Strathclyde University,
the Law Department, Glasgow University and the
Social Studies Department at Caledonian
University. Tina Clarke Tel:
0141 950 3734, tina.Clarke@strath.ac.uk
or www.strath.ac.uk/Departments/PDU/equality.socialjustice.htm
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