Mainstreaming equality effectively requires a culture at all levels of an organisation where the needs of people with protected characteristics are not an afterthought – they are integral to everything it does.

The Council’s ambition is for North Lanarkshire to be the place to live, learn, work, invest and visit for all people. Addressing the disadvantage and inequality that some groups of people experience because of societal constructs, prejudice, direct and indirect discrimination requires a strong, sustained strategic approach directly aligned to The Plan for North Lanarkshire and a commitment from all employees at all levels to understand the causes and consequences of inequality.

Equality Strategy 2019-24

In 2019 the council published its Equality Strategy 2019-2024 setting out how embracing the Equality Act 2010, and the Public Sector Equality Duties, and taking a human rights-based approach to its work, would ensure equality and human rights are mainstreamed into the everyday work of the Council. The strategy set out five key underpinning objectives for success and associated enablers to achieve this.

Objectives and Enablers

The following section details the five objectives for mainstreaming equality in our work and some examples of what we have been doing and achieving since we last reported in 2021. As well as objectives for delivering equality these objectives, and their enablers, work in the spirit of the PANEL principles for human rights – Participation, Accountability, Non-discrimination, Empowerment and Legality.

To know and understand all our communities

We gather information about our people through a variety of approaches including population surveys, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation data, Census information, and so on. However, this information is limited in that it doesn’t provide people’s lived experiences.

An exploration of the lived experience and future needs of North Lanarkshire’s Black, Asian and other Ethnic people

We have recently published research undertaken on our behalf by the University of the West of Scotland to understand the lived experiences of our BAME communities. This qualitative research was a follow up to a survey we undertook in 2021 and focused on: 

An ageing population – many of our BAME community members who came to settle in Scotland in the 50s and 60s are now older and their needs will require to be better understood. 

Digital skills and inclusion – we know that there is a digital skills shortage in some of our BAME communities. With a major shift to providing access to services on-line a further exploration of this will help us put in place measures to reduce digital exclusion and increase skills.    

Employment and skills –at the census of 2011 the unemployment rate in North Lanarkshire was highest for Black and Minority Ethnic people at 10.76%, however this jumped to 17.15% for Black Caribbean or African people. Caribbean or Black males experienced the worst at 29.68%.  For all white people the unemployment rate was 9.68%.  

Exploring our BAME peoples’ experiences of accessing and sustaining employment will allow an understanding of areas requiring positive action from the Council and our partners.  

Community Cohesion and Integration - findings from Phase 1 found that language barriers and lack of acknowledgement and celebration of different cultures is lacking in North Lanarkshire. This leads to feelings of isolation and poor integration for many BAME people. Understanding the dynamics of people’s experiences in community life will help our key community-based services to engage better with BAME people to improve assimilation and their sense of belonging. 

As well as the four topic areas the researchers were also asked to:  

• explore the lived experiences from a gendered perspective; and 
• using the Indicators of integration carry out a specific piece of research on the experiences of the Syrian Refugees who have now lived in North Lanarkshire for 5 years.

The final research report has provided a rich, deeper understanding of our BAME peoples lived experiences in relation to the asks of the research.  It also provides findings that are unique to specific ethnic groups. Quoting the words from the diverse participants has brought the research to life and gives us an opportunity to really listen to what we are being told. The published  research - Our Lives – an exploration of the lived experience and future needs of North Lanarkshire’s Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic people - has been considered by the Council’s Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Committee and to ensure a co-ordinated partnership approach is being taken forward by North Lanarkshire community planning partners - strategic leadership board.

The gypsy traveller strategic group has continued to make good progress against several key actions over the course of the last year, with new data collation methods implemented which helps capture the housing and support needs of gypsy travellers in North Lanarkshire in unauthorised encampments. Work is ongoing with Scottish Government and COSLA on the national action plan, to develop a housing need and demand toolkit for assessing the housing needs of Gypsy Travellers and on negotiated stopping. Our housing department is represented on the national groups and coordinates action at a local level through partnership arrangements.

To involve our communities effectively

Community Matters - A Framework for Working with Communities sets out the community planning partnership’s commitment to engaging with communities underpinned by a set of principles and approaches designed to deliver on a number of key priorities associated with working with communities which include the creation of 9 community boards.

The nine boards support community participation and provide a single coordinated approach to governance for local communities reflecting statutory and regulatory requirements and operate in a manner consistent with influencing and delivering the One Plan outcomes at local level. The boards play a role in terms of decision making within a locality and the involvement of local people is key.

• 2022 saw continued involvement of equalities groups in community board meetings, including Who Cares? Scotland, the Voice of Experience Forum that enables older people to put forward opinions on local services, NL Disability Access Forum, and Lanarkshire Muslim Women and Families Alliance and care experienced young people. Work continues with targeted engagement plans to increase the opportunities to ensure voices of equalities groups are heard.

A number of wider engagement opportunities where local people from equalities groups actively participate or lead engagement for example:

• ongoing work with the African Collaborative Group in Jerviston around use of LDP funding for play provision, development of their Community Asset Transfer for the community centre, etc;
• work with the mosque to deliver Recover NL projects and cost of living initiative;
• recover NL project and ongoing work to look at the premises for the Lanarkshire Deaf Club;
• recent work with parents from Motherwell area to look at accessible and specialised play equipment for children with complex needs; and
• ongoing work to support the Lanarkshire Muslim Welfare Society to identify and develop a proposals around appropriate accommodation for them (through engagement with wider population of Muslim women).

North Lanarkshire Disability Access Panel continues to provide the council with an engagement mechanism on access to the built environment and open spaces with disabled people. The Panel provides the council with lived experience to improve access for all.

Lanarkshire BSL Steering Group is a mechanism for the BSL community to engage with North and South Lanarkshire Councils and NHS Lanarkshire to improve service delivery to the Deaf and Deafblind BSL community and raise awareness. BSL user representatives from Deafblind Scotland, Deaf Services Lanarkshire, Lanarkshire Deaf Club and D.E.A.F South Lanarkshire all participate. A conference to chart progress in relation to the BSL Plans is being planned by the Steering Group for September 2023.

The Council’s Black Lives Matter Community Conference was held in 2022. Attended by over 130 people the conference aimed to engage with people on the work the council’s former Black Lives Matter Working Group had been undertaking to advance race equality and tackle discrimination in our workforce, community and schools’ environment. The conference was also used as an opportunity to hear from participants about what was important to them. A report from the conference has been published on the council’s website.

To demonstrate leadership in equalities and human rights, both within the council and amongst partners, and organisational commitment to excellence

The council’s chief executive leads the way in all matters of equality and human rights. His vison and expectations that the work we undertake as a public body is first and foremost to improve all people’s lives is articulated at all levels of the council as well as with our community planning partners.

Our elected member equality champion also ensures that equality and diversity issues are highlighted and progressed within the council and its communities. The past and present champions have been proactive in a number of areas including:

• promoting and ensuring cross-party support for Council initiatives, for example participation in the Gender Budgeting Project, and promoting the Elected Member Diversity Monitoring;
• participating in Council Working groups including Equally Safe at Work and Black Lives Matter; and
• chairing and providing welcome addresses at Council events and conferences including the Black Lives Matter Community Conference and the 16 Days of Action Conference.

Breastfeeding Friendly North Lanarkshire

The council in partnership with NHS Lanarkshire developed a framework for others to follow to become a Breastfeeding Friendly Authority. Launched in 2021 the aim is to drive a culture change with plans in place to improve breastfeeding rates by increasing breastfeeding facilities, making them more accessible and normalising breastfeeding.

Disability Confident Leader

The council was re-accredited for the 3rd time with the Disability Confident Leader employer accreditation in March 2023. Being a leader requires not only removing barriers to disabled people gaining and sustaining employment but also taking a pro-active approach to encouraging our suppliers and partner firms to also become disability confident. As well as attending employer events to promote the Disability Confident Scheme the Supported Employment team recently supported a local business ACS (Advance Clothing Solutions) on their disability confident journey which resulted in them achieving leadership status.

Equally Safe at Work

The council is one of only four Public Bodies in Scotland to be accredited as Bronze in the Equally Safe at Work employer accreditation programme.

Equally Safe at Work (ESAW) is a world leading employer accreditation programme which was launched in January 2019. It stems from Equally Safe, Scotland’s strategy for tackling violence against women and girls which recognises such violence as being inextricably linked to gender inequality. ESAW recognises the role the workplace has in tackling gender inequality and as such has a key role to play in tackling violence against women and girls. The Council was selected as one of only seven pilot authorities to participate in the accreditation at Bronze Standard. The accreditation requires meeting the criteria set out in 6 standards: Leadership, Data, Flexible Working, Occupational Segregation, Workplace Culture and Violence against women.

In 2021 our success at achieving Bronze Standard was announced along with three other Scottish Local Authorities. The council is now taking up the challenge to progress to Silver Standard.

Race at Work Charter

In 2022 the Council was the first Scottish Local Authority to sign up to the Business in the Community’s Race at Work Charter and in doing so appointed the Depute Chief Executive as our Executive Sponsor for Race. Having the Depute Chief Executive in this role is providing the visible leadership needed to drive key actions for advancing race equality in our workforce. Our Executive Sponsor is currently championing a campaign to increase BAME employees in our teaching workforce.

The Charters seven commitments are:

1. appoint an executive sponsor for race;
2. capture ethnicity data and publicise progress;
3. commit at board level to zero tolerance of harassment;
4. make equality, diversity and inclusion the responsibility of all leaders and managers;
5. rake action that supports Black, Asian, mixed race and other ethnically diverse employees’ career progression;
6. support race inclusion allies in the workplace; and
7. include Black, Asian, mixed race and other ethnically-led enterprise owners in supply chain.

Action Plans to advance the asks of all of these accreditation programmes have been developed to ensure delivery. Working Groups also exist to monitor and review progress and people with lived experience are central to the review and monitoring process.

To ensure that local public services are responsive to different needs and treat users with dignity and respect

Our approach to undertaking equality impact assessments means that decisions that require committee approval are included within the committee report being considered by Elected Members. This provides elected members with the comfort that equality considerations are embedded into the Council’s decision-making processes.

We have a quality control aspect to impact assessments that includes confirming that the author of the assessment has undertaken the equality impact assessment training. Recent assessments have included:

• the council’s 2023 budget savings exercise that will see over £75m worth of savings over the next three years
• the Strategic Housing Investment Plan;
• Garden Assistance Scheme;
• Millcroft Road, Compulsory Purchase Order
• Licensing of Sexual Entertainment Venues; and
• the Housing Domestic Abuse Policy

Trauma informed Practice

The Council in its delivery of frontline services is taking a trauma informed approach. We will be rolling out a mandatory module for all staff and Elected Members at the Informed level.  The Informed level is a basic level but gives all staff a foundation on which to build.  In addition to this, we are working with NHS National Education Service to create a flowchart to help people identify what level is appropriate for them.  Whilst everyone will be expected to undertake the Informed level training, there are groups of staff across the organisation who will need a higher level of input e.g. Social Workers, teachers, managers etc.  Where a higher level of input is required, we will identify the relevant solution for them and they will undertake that as well.  The plan is to roll it out from the start of the new financial year in 2023 and also promote during Learning at Work Week. 

In the creation of our community hubs, which are central to the Council’s future operating model, we are designing them with a trauma informed lens so as they are friendly, welcoming and accessible. Walkabouts in existing hubs with people with lived experiences are taking place and necessary changes being implemented.

Supporting women experiencing gender-based violence

• North Lanarkshire Housing Services have developed a new Housing Domestic Abuse Policy which was developed in conjunction with the Violence Against Women (VAW) Partnership, and shaped by women with lived experience of domestic abuse, putting victims and survivors at the heart of the service; Housing specific domestic abuse procedures, guidance and resources for staff support this along with implementation arrangements which ensure access and awareness of these resources is readily available.

• In the summer of 2021, the council was successful in obtaining funding for 2 years from the Delivering Equally Safe (DES) Funding to support the roll out across partners of Safe and Together, a child centred, survivor strength-based model which supports intervention in families impacted by domestic abuse and which centres around partnering with the non-abusing parent and addressing patterns of perpetrator behaviour. To date, across North Lanarkshire, 64 workers (Children, Families and Justice) have completed the core training, whilst across the partnership 325 have attended the overview course including 156 education staff along with others from housing, NHS, HSCP, Police Scotland, Women’s Aid, Aura and other specialist services; and

• During 2022 our housing service developed a partnership with Say Women to address the needs of young women impacted by homelessness who have been victims of sexual abuse/violence. The Say Women service is now well embedded in North Lanarkshire. It provides tenancy sustainment services to young women via the Homes First Team (who provide flexible intensive support and settled accommodation for people experiencing homelessness with multiple and complex needs). It is planned to extend the service which is currently funded until the end of March 2023 for a further year, and to fund a fulltime post to enable widening out the service to other localities in North Lanarkshire, via Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan funding.

To develop and sustain a skilled and committed workforce able to meet the needs of all local people

Training and Development

The Council’s Talent and Organisational (TOD) team provide a raft of training opportunities for employees to meet both their personal and professional development needs. The establishment of the on-line portal LearnNL gives all employees easy access to the whole menu of training and development opportunities both face to face and e-learning. 

We have ensured that equality and diversity training is accessible and has its own dedicated section in the LearnNL dashboard covering a multitude of aspects about equality and diversity. The broad range of training available also includes bespoke courses developed for our Council and service’ needs Our most recent additions to the catalogue includes:

• What is flexible working?;
• Trauma informed practice;
• Understanding unconscious bias;
• Sexual harassment;
• Producing Easy Read resources; and
• Menopause awareness.

We have developed a new one-day equality and diversity Champions course that aims to support employees become champions in their own workplaces – challenging prejudice and promoting equality at the same time. A pilot session is taking place on 18 April before being promoted in our learning catalogue. The training has been developed so it can be delivered both face to face and virtually on TEAMS.     

As part of our leadership development programme a session entitled: Anti-Racist Education: The School Leader’s Role has been incorporated. This interactive workshop explores a school leader’s role in fostering an anti-racist culture, enacting an anti-racist curriculum and building racial literacy and confidence in anti-racist leadership and education.  This session is facilitated by the Lead Specialist (Race Equality) in Education Scotland. 

The Education and Family service has also continued to promote Education Scotland’s Building Racial Literacy programme, with one colleague completing the pilot programme and another enrolled to start in the next cohort.

Action on Gender Equality Project

In 2022 the Council began a partnership with the Scottish Women’s Budget Group. The project aims to support greater use of gender budgeting tools in local decision making in Scotland to reduce inequalities. The Council’s participation in the project will:

• build the knowledge of key staff and elected members regarding the role of intersectional gender analysis within policy and budget decision making processes;
• ensure that the Council is making best use of data to reduce inequalities;
• Improve the quality of the Council’s equality impact assessments and budget decision making processes in terms of reducing inequalities; and
• assist the Council to meet its Public Sector Equality and Fairer Scotland Duties to advance equality and tackle socio-economic disadvantage.

To date the following has been achieved:

• 42 operational managers and 22 Elected Members have attended gender budgeting workshops and received resources; and
• Three Council projects receiving Shared Prosperity Funding have signed up to work with the Scottish Women’s Budget Group to ensure a gender budgeting approach is utilised as the project plans are developed.

The three projects are:

• The Active Travel Challenge Fund;
• People and Skills; and 
• Supporting Local Business.

In February 2023, 18 employees involved in these three projects attended an introductory workshop on gender budgeting and more detailed workshop sessions are being scheduled for Spring 2023 to take this forward.