The Scottish Government has published a Mainstreaming Toolkit, consolidating more than 100 resources for the first time to help public sector organisations embed equality and human rights into everyday operations.
This Toolkit is part of a wider suite of publications, including a new Equality and Human Rights Mainstreaming Strategy and an Action Plan, fulfilling a commitment outlined in the 2023–24 Programme for Government.
‘Mainstreaming’ means integrating equality and human rights into all aspects of policy development, programmes, and practices to increase fairness, tackle inequality, and remove societal and cultural disadvantages.
The Toolkit provides:
- Training materials for staff development
- Practical examples of successful mainstreaming
- Guidance to build, sustain, and expand equality and human rights practices
The accompanying Action Plan brings together, for the first time, the full range of actions being taken across government to mainstream equality and human rights.
Kaukab Stewart, Scottish Minister for Equalities, said:
“At a time in which protected characteristics are being scrutinised and inequality persists, effectively mainstreaming equality and human rights throughout everything we do has never been so crucial.
“The documents and toolkit will help ensure every decision we take – within the core Scottish Government and the wider public sector – is fully considerate of the impacts on people, and that our systems and processes are fair and help those who need it most.
“The Action Plan focuses on Scottish Government actions, so we can lead by example and demonstrate how a systematic approach to mainstreaming can drive change across government and society.”
Additionally, the Scottish Government is publishing proposals to strengthen the Public Sector Equality Duty. These include measures to improve understanding of the duty and foster stronger relationships with local communities. Work on these proposals will continue over the next four years.
This initiative aims to ensure equality and human rights are embedded across all areas of public service delivery, driving systemic change and improving outcomes for communities across Scotland.
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