Race Equality Advisory Forum Report Making it Real A Race Equality Strategy for Scotland Contents 1 Foreword by Jackie Baillie 1 2 Foreword by the Forum 2 3 Introduction 3 3.1 Remit 3 3.2 Composition 3 3.3 How the Forum Worked 4 3.4 Achievements 4 3.5 The Language of the Report 4 4 The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 5 4.1 New positive duty to promote race equality 5 4.2 Specific duties 6 5 Fundamentals for a Fairer Future 7 6 Areas for Action 8 6.1 Mainstreaming Race Equality into Planning, Policy Design, Service Delivery 8 6.2 Race Equality Training 8 6.3 Public Appointments 9 6.4 Employment in the Public sector 9 6.5 Improved Research, Information and Statistics 10 6.6 Reporting on the Promotion of Race Equality 12 6.7 Translation and Interpreting 12 6.8 Multi-agency working – Measures to Address and Prevent Racial Harassment 12 7 Consultation with Minority Ethnic Communities 14 7.1 Introduction 14 7.2 When? 14 7.3 How? 15 7.4 Language 15 7.5 Who? 15 7.6 After Consultation: Feedback 16 7.7 Recommendations for Improved Consultation 16 8 Next Steps 18 Action Plans 20 1 Education 21 2 Enterprise and Lifelong Learning 37 3 Health and Social Care 47 4 Housing 55 5 Local Government 59 6 Planning 65 7 Social Inclusion 67 8 Voluntary Sector Issues 71 Appendices 75 Appendix A Biographical Details of Members 76 Appendix B Lawrence Steering Group Members 77 Appendix C Developing a Scottish Ethnic Minorities Research Programme 78 Appendix D Summary of Recommendations 80 Appendix E Recommendations on Public Appointments 82 Appendix F Contributions to the REAF Action Plans 83 Appendix G Census Classification 98 Appendix H Other Sources of Information 99 1 Foreword by Jackie Baillie, MSP Jackie Baillie, MSP Minister for Social Justice and Chair of the Forum I am pleased to present the report of the I would like to thank all those in We were all saddened by the untimely Race Equality Advisory Forum. communities and in the public and death of our friend and colleague Subhash The publication of this report marks a voluntary sectors who gave of their time Joshi, CA, OBE. He brought to our work, significant step forward in the development and energy by participating in one of especially on the Enterprise and Lifelong of a comprehensive race equality strategy these seminars, or by meeting with Forum Learning action plan, wise counsel, as for Scotland. The overarching report and members or by providing written well as the professional and business eight action plans give the public sector in comments on the Forum’s plans. I would insight which he had demonstrated as Scotland a clear insight into the key issues also like to thank the colleagues and the President of Glasgow Chamber of of concern to Scotland’s minority ethnic families of the Forum members. Without Commerce and as a board member of the communities. The plans will also be your support, Forum members would not Glasgow and Edinburgh Ethnic Minority invaluable as the public sector begins to have been able to devote so much time Enterprise Centres. He dedicated prepare the race equality schemes required and effort to this important task. Finally, I considerable time and energy to many under the Race Relations (Amendment) would like to thank the members of the varied voluntary commitments including Act 2000. Forum themselves. Their energy and their as Chair of both Positive Action in Housing commitment made this report possible, and of the Ministerial Crimestoppers In 1999, I invited Forum members to bring while their humour and vitality made Campaign. Our thoughts remain with his to this work their own experiences and Chairing the Forum a pleasure. family, friends and colleagues who too knowledge both of the different minority must miss his warm and wise support. ethnic and faith communities and of The Forum and I are in no doubt of the different sectors. Their drive and challenges ahead. Not least there must be commitment has been enhanced by their an ongoing push to ensure that racism of success in involving a wide range of any sort, be it institutional racism, racial people from different communities and discrimination or racial harassment, has no from the different sectors covered by the place in Scotland. Politicians, institutions, action plans. By building on existing organisations and individuals will have to networks, working with relevant make a sincere and sustained commitment organisations and through the four to delivering worthwhile, lasting change. consultative seminars held in summer and Only in this way can race equality become autumn 2000, the Forum was able to a reality for all of Scotland’s people. Subhash Joshi CA OBE draw on a huge breadth of expertise and 30 June 1953 – 8 May 2001 experience. 1 Foreword by Jackie Baillie 2 Foreword by the Forum It has been a privilege to have been able Members unanimously agreed on limiting partnership working with minority ethnic to contribute to the development of a race the group’s lifespan. By doing this we communities. We encourage communities equality strategy for Scotland, although ensured that the Forum, while tackling to maintain their confidence in the we acknowledge at the outset that what issues of institutional racism, did not itself willingness of the public, private and we have done is only the beginning. become institutionalised. It is now for voluntary sectors to ask, listen and take This report contains our findings and our others to take the implementation of our action. Finally we hope that communities recommendations for action. recommendations forward and mainstream will want to be active partners, supporting race equality. others in developing programmes for We have sought to build on and develop change and demonstrating improved channels of communication with We believe that there is now a climate for accountability. communities. In this we recognise that change in race equality. Devolution has one of the biggest challenges has been to given us a context in which to pursue an develop our own and others capacity to agenda on race equality close to the champion change. We hope that we have needs of communities in Scotland. The done this successfully. We could not have commitment of the Scottish Parliament to got this far without the support and input equal opportunities and the new duty on of communities, the Scottish Executive the public sector in the Race Relations and those members of the public and (Amendment) Act 2000 offer real voluntary sectors who contributed so opportunities to promote race equality. positively to our consultative events and This report contains our recommendations other dialogue. on how those opportunities can be taken and progress can be made. Our remit offered us significant opportunities to work across different We wish to thank Jackie Baillie and her sectors and to lay the foundations for Ministerial colleagues Louise Donnelly, future work. It will be for others in the Rhona Carr and Alastair Crerar for being Scottish Executive and the public, private our Secretariat and officials for their and voluntary sectors to take forward support, encouragement, vision and what is presented here and to deliver the commitment to action. We look to the change so desperately sought. leadership and drive of Scottish Executive Ministers to establish, reinforce and sustain October 2001 Foreword by the Forum 2 3 Introduction On 20 July 1999 Jackie Baillie, MSP, then Finally, the Forum was created at a time Deputy Minister for Communities in the Institutional racism is “the collective when the Scottish Executive was Scottish Executive, announced the failure of an organisation to provide an developing its own Equality Strategy for establishment of a Race Equality Advisory appropriate and professional service to Scotland. By providing the Executive with Forum. A list of Members of the Forum is people because of their colour, culture or independent advice on the promotion of in Appendix A. ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in race equality and on consultation with processes, attitudes and behaviour which minority ethnic communities, the Forum 3.1 Remit amount to discrimination through has worked to make a contribution to The Forum’s remit was to: unwitting prejudice, ignorance, progress in these specific areas but also thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping across the whole range of equality issues advise the Scottish Executive on the which disadvantage minority ethnic and interests which the Equality Strategy preparation of a race equality strategy; people”. has sought to address. develop detailed action plans to tackle Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report, 1999, 3.2 Composition institutional racism and promote race paragraph 6.34, p.28 equality; and Individuals from a range of communities, The Forum is concerned that public backgrounds and areas of interest were advise the Scottish Executive on sector organisations have at times invited by Jackie Baillie to join the Forum consultation with, and for, minority seemed to react very defensively to any which she was to Chair. These individuals ethnic communities. discussion of institutional racism. As the were chosen following consultation with above definition makes clear, institutional relevant statutory and voluntary The Forum was established to work in racism can by its very nature be organisations, including organisations parallel with the Steering Group set up to unintentional and unconscious. It is also a representing the interests of minority oversee implementation of the Scottish characteristic of organisations rather than ethnic communities in a number of different Executive’s Action Plan in response to the individuals. Accusations and admissions of spheres such as housing and health. Inquiry chaired by Sir William Macpherson institutional racism do not reflect badly on into the murder of Stephen Lawrence.