EQIA: Policy 41 - Use of ILF Scotland Funding

In completing this EQIA you should be ensuring the needs of diverse groups of people are thought about when developing and implementing a new policy, procedure or service or a change to existing ones. Please consider the protected groups in line with the Equality Act 2010 and other diverse groups who may be impacted.

Name of Activity: Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) for Policy 41 - Use of ILF Scotland Funding
Name of person completing EQIA: Linda Scott, Director, Policy, Improvement and Engagement
Date EQIA completed: 18 November 2024

What type of activity are you planning?

Change to procedure: No
Event: No
Office Plan / Budget: No
Project: No
Policy: Yes
Service: No

1. Describe the main aim or purpose of what it is you are planning to do?

Policy 41 allows recipients to request permission to use any unspent ILF funds for flexible purposes to meet existing independent living outcomes.

It is proposed that rather than only those recipients who have unspent ILF funds being able to apply for flexible funding, that this benefit would be open to all ILF recipients.

2. Who is likely to be affected by this policy, service or charge?

ILF Scotland recipients.

3. Do you have enough information to know what the potential impact might be on diverse groups and what that might look like?

The protected characteristics to consider are: Age, Disability, Sex, Race, Religion or Belief, Gender Reassignment, Sexual Orientation, Marriage and Civil Partnership, Pregnancy and Maternity. It will also be helpful to consider these groups more widely in relation to their socio-economic status that includes such factors as educational attainment, occupation, income, wealth and social deprivation.

Please mark as Yes or No. If yes use the Comments column to describe what the potential impact is. What are your sources of evidence?

(Try to think about both positive and negative impacts. There are lots of sources of data to help answer this question. Diversity Networks, the Diversity Report or Diversity & Inclusion team may offer some useful information. Previously completed EQIAs may also offer answers to questions you may have).

Age: No
Comments:

Disability: Yes
Comments: Evaluation of flexible funding and unspent monies has been carried out to ensure that there is no adverse impact to any group.

Gender Reassignment: No
Comments:

Marriage and Civil Partnership: No
Comments:

Pregnancy and Maternity: No
Comments:

Race: No
Comments:

Sex: No
Comments:

Sexual Orientation: No
Comments:

Is there evidence of any impact on other groups not covered by the protected characteristics? If yes use the Comments column to describe what the potential impact is, what you could do to remove / reduce any negative impact and what you could do to benefit from any positive impact.

(For example, carer status, single parent, economic exclusion. It is important not to limit your thinking to just the protected characteristics listed above. The question is broadening the EQIA out to be more inclusive. The impact might be a negative one (e.g. making that decision could decrease the opportunity for some people to participate) or it could be a positive one (e.g. by making that decision, more people are able to take part in the activity).)

None

4. Have you consulted with the relevant groups (these could be internal and / or external) or gathered evidence for you to know the potential impact on these different groups affected? What sources have you used to gather information?

If there are any gaps in information that make it difficult or impossible to form an opinion on how your policy, service or change might affect different groups of people, please take the time to gather information to help you make an informed answer (for example, review statistics, survey results, complaints analysis, consultation documents, customer feedback, existing briefings submissions or business reports, comparative policies from external sources and other Government Departments etc).

The proposed change to the policy was circulated both internally to all ILF Scotland staff and externally to members of ILF Scotland’s Northern Ireland Stakeholder Group and the Scotland Advisory Board for their comment.

5. Having analysed the relevant sources of information, what does the evidence tell you? Is there any evidence that the proposed changes will have an adverse equality impact on any of these different groups of people?

Age: No
Disability: The changes will not have any adverse effect on recipients.
Gender Reassignment: No
Marriage and Civil Partnership: No
Pregnancy and Maternity: No
Race: No
Religion or Belief: No
Sexual Orientation: No

6. Please provide details of who the proposals affect, the adverse impacts and explain how you will minimise or remove the adverse impact.

There are no negative impacts of this proposed change.

7. Is there any evidence that the proposed changes will have a positive impact on any of these different groups of people and / or promote equality of opportunity? Please provide details of which group / groups benefits from the positive impacts. and how this will be promoted / evaluated.

Age: No
Disability: The proposed change is intended to make a positive impact for all those Independent Living Fund recipients (existing 2015 fund and the re-opened fund) who are not currently eligible to apply for flexible funding as they do not have any unspent ILF funds
Gender Reassignment: No
Marriage and Civil Partnership: No
Pregnancy and Maternity: No
Race: No
Religion or Belief: No
Sexual Orientation: No

8. Provide a final summary of the commitments / actions you will take as a result of completing this EQIA. Who will you consult with on your action plan and how will you do this to ensure the relevant stakeholders understand the equality impact?

We will continue to inform Recipients / Award Managers of this policy via our website, and contact with our Assessors and Specialist Caseworkers, Scottish Advisory Group and NI Stakeholder Group.

9. Have you a plan in place to review your actions? Please provide a summary. Will plan require sign off and from where?

Ongoing monitoring and review of policy impact on Recipients and their Award Manager via feedback from Assessors and Specialist Caseworkers, Management Team, and Senior Management Team. Policy will be signed off by Linda Scott, Director of Policy, Improvement and Engagement