The public sector equality duty requires that equality considerations are integrated into all the functions and policies of Scottish Government Directorates and Agencies. It means that all staff, not just those who have traditionally worked on equality issues, will need to understand the requirements and implications, and share responsibility for the implementation.
We do recognise, however, that equality impact assessing all of our policies is a process and will take time to deliver. Directorates therefore will need to consider their approach and prioritise which policies should take precedence. Directorates may wish to consider their key policy areas, as well as new and emerging polices, first. Remaining policies can then be impact assessed for equality issues, although there may be a natural point for conducting an impact assessment, such as when a policy is up for review or significant changes are made to budgets.
The Equality Impact Assessment Tool is available to all staff via the Scottish Government's intranet. You can view a Word or Pdf version of the tool at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Equality/18507/EQIAtool/EQIA2.
Completed equality impact assessments are available to view at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Equality/18507/EQIASearch.