Inclusion & Diversity
Our Commitment
SCRA is committed to eliminating discrimination, promoting inclusion and encouraging diversity amongst our workforce and through everything that we do – for children, families, partners and our people. We oppose all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination to ensure that we provide a fair, equitable and inclusive service for all.
SCRA is working to embed an ethos and practice of equality, diversity and inclusion in all its service delivery, practices, processes and policies. SCRA strives to ensure that it employs a workforce that is diverse and equipped with the right mix of skills and experience to deliver a sensitive service to children and families. We aspire to being an organisation that embraces our differences, acknowledges our strengths and is representative of all sections of society; promoting equality and respect so that everyone is able to achieve their potential.
Being inclusive not only makes SCRA a great place to work and keep our people engaged and motivated, it ensures that we are continually improving and delivering the best possible service to children and their families – a service that is accessible to all, meets individual needs and upholds their rights.
Our Equality Outcomes 2020-2023 are:
Children, young people and their families are treated fairly and with dignity and respect. They understand and are able to access our services in ways that suit their individual needs.
- Our staff will continue to treat all children, young people and their families with dignity and respect.
- Our services will be procured, designed, shaped and delivered to meet the needs of children, young people and their families.
We will build an inclusive culture which values and develops our people, providing them with the tools and support they need to be skilled, confident, valued respected and cared for to maximise their potential.
- Our leaders will foster a culture where our people feel included, valued, respected and cared for.
- Our staff will feel supported, respected and cared for.
We will actively tackle under-representation and create a workforce that better reflects the diversity of the communities we serve.
- We will make our workforce more diverse through our recruitment and selection processes.
- SCRA aspires to be an industry leader in our behaviours and attitudes to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Key Equalities and Inclusion publications
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Mainstreaming Report 2022/23
SCRA's British Sign Language (BSL) Action Plan
SCRA’s
Employee Statistics
SCRA is covered by general and specific equality duties arising from the Equality Act (2010) and is committed to ensuring it not only complies with equalities legislation and best practice, but mainstreams equalities into every aspect of its core business. The Scottish Specific Duties Regulations came into force on 27 May 2012.
These regulations have been amended twice – in 2015 and again in 2016. All three sets of Regulations must be read together. This general equality duty requires public authorities, in the exercise of their functions, to have due regard to the need to:
1. Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited under the Act
2. Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not share it
3. Foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.
SCRA recognises that human rights underpin and provide the foundation for all equality, inclusion and diversity legislation and policy. For further information please visit the ECHR and UNCRC websites.
Our Equality Outcomes and Mainstreaming Progress Report has been published (31 March 2021). You can see our previous reports published March 2020, March 2019 and March 2017.
We published our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Strategy 2020-2023 which sets out our plans for the next three years. You can also access our previous Equalities & Inclusion Strategy and Outcomes for 2018-21
SCRA is committed to the aims of the Equality Act 2010 and the principle of Equal Pay for all employees. SCRA will publish statements in line with The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 as amended.
You can view our latest Gender Pay Gap Report up to 31 March 2022. Our Equal Pay Statement (March 2022) is available and is still current. SCRA’s detailed Equal Pay Audit Statement (March 2015) is also still current. The statement shows that there are no unexplainable or significant equal pay gaps in SCRA.
New March 2023 – SCRA’s Employee Statistics for 2022 are now available. Statistics from 2021 and 2020 are also available.
SCRA provides extensive statistics on children and young people we work with – visit the resource section of our website.
Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessments (EHRIAs) are a recognised way of improving policy development and service delivery. By assessing equality and human rights impact of our policies and practices, we proactively consider the needs of the children, young people and their families whom we serve, our staff and our stakeholders, identify potential steps to advance equality and foster good relations, and ensure that we do not discriminate unlawfully.
SCRA has a statutory duty to publish EHRIAs. Here is our most recent ones to be published:
Audit Services Procurement Strategy
Children (Scotland) Act 2020 EHRIA
Corporate Procurement Strategy EHRIA
Electronic Paper Transmission EHRIA
Equalities and Inclusion Mainstream Report and Outcomes EHRIA
Interim Child Protection Policy EHRIA
Mental Health and Wellbeing EHRIA
Recruitment Selection Policy EHRIA
Shortened Reports for Hearings
SCRA is also a member of the NDPB Equality Group whose primary purpose is to share information and best practice on equalities across the public sector which will help enable each NDPB to meet the requirements of the equality legislation.
SCRA is also a member of the Justice Board Equality and Diversity sub-group.
The Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Act 2018 sets a gender representation objective for boards of listed Scottish public authorities, of which SCRA is one, that 50% of Board Members are women, and it requires public authorities to take certain steps towards achieving that objective by no later than December 2022. SCRA must report on the gender representation of its Board every 2 years. Our report for 2020/21 is available here.
Women in Leadership
SCRA recognises and is committed to reducing its gender pay gap as outlined in our Gender Pay Gap Report. In 2018, SCRA launched its Women into Leadership Network to support female staff across the organisation, irrespective of role or grade, to develop and progress in their careers. SCRA is proud to have such inspirational women as part of its workforce and playing such a pivotal role in its leadership.
To help inspire others, a number of colleagues have shared their leadership journeys in SCRA. Read their case studies to find out more: Case study 1 – Indiya, Case study 2 – Collette, Case study 3 – Myrian, Case study 4 – Sophie, Case study 5 – Michelle, Case study 6 – Lynne.
If you are interested in hearing more about the work of our Women into Leadership Network, you can read this Spotlight piece.
More information/questions
If you would like more information, or if you have any questions, comments or suggestions about equality and inclusion matters relating to SCRA, please email Indiya Kurlus, our Inclusion & Diversity Manager via the Equalities Mailbox.
