Equality
‘Equality’ is about not discriminating against people and groups because of who they are. Your community group may be formed for the very purpose of campaigning around equality issues. But even if equality isn’t a key focus, it is important to think about how your group is inclusive and promotes equality in its decisions and activities.
When thinking about equality it is useful to be familiar with ‘protected characteristics’, which are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
We have collated a range of resources and links to organisations which can support you to think about how to promote equality and reduce barriers for people with proteced characteristics. See below.
Further information
See our involving everyone section for a list of organisations and resources focused on equality.
For resources and information related to inequality see our Inequality page.
Human rights is another area related to both equality and inequality. See our dedicated human rights page.
Below you can find a collection of useful resources related to equality.
JustRight Scotland provides legal advice to people who would otherwise struggle to access justice.
We’ve complied a list of useful resources and guides to help you to ensure that your events and information are as accessible as possible.
A membership organisation which represents the views of disabled people and disability groups/organisations, as well as the umbrella organisation for disability Access Panels in Scotland, which are groups of disabled volunteers who work together to improve physical access and wider social inclusion in their local communities.
Making Rights Real is a grassroots human rights organisation that supports communities to name and claim their rights.
The Social Impact Pledge is about simple ways that public bodies can make a difference to communities. Here are some pledges made by public bodies that make commitments to promote equality and human rights.
LGBT Health and Wellbeing (LGBT Healthy Living Centre) was set up in 2003 to promote the health, wellbeing and equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Scotland. It provides support, services and information to improve health and wellbeing, reduce social isolation and stimulate community development and volunteering.
The National Standards are a set of guiding principles for improving the engagement of public bodies with communities. They are useful for communities who want to gauge how well public agencies are engaging locally, and also to community groups and organisations who want to engage with people locally. Accessible and easy read versions of the Standards are also available.
VOiCE stands for Visioning Outcomes in Community Engagement, and is an online tool which helps you to plan, conduct and reflect on community engagement.
Homeless Network Scotland aims to bring together the different sectors, organisations and individuals that want to put an end to homelessness and to retain a long-term overview.
ALISS (A Local Information System for Scotland) helps signpost people to useful community support in relation to health and wellbeing. It will enable you to search for relevant organisations in your local area and around Scotland.
Getting on Board supports people to become charity trustees, particularly those who are currently under-represented on trustee boards. They have a range of resources that could be useful for ensuring your community group represents your wider community.
The Poverty Alliance works alongside people experiencing poverty to influence policies at local and national level that will have an impact on poverty.
The Equality Network is a leading national charity working for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) equality and human rights in Scotland
Equally Ours (previously the Equality and Diversity Forum) is a UK charity that brings together people and organisations working across equality, human rights and social justice to make a reality of these in everyone’s lives.
Outside the Box started Digital Buddies during the Covid 19 pandemic to enable older people in the Scottish Borders to connect digitally with friends, family, groups & the wider world. They now have additional support from the Scottish Government through the Community Recovery Fund to share this with more people.
In addition to providing direct support to people in need of refugee protection, the Scottish Refugee Council (SRC) works with community groups led by people with lived-experience of seeking protection in Scotland, as well as welcome groups. They offer advice, workshops, community development support, networking and other support.
Sense Scotland works with children and adults who have communication support needs because of deafblindness, sensory impairment, learning and physical disabilities. They also provide communication and innovative support services for people who are marginalised because of challenging behaviour, health care issues and the complexity of their support needs.
See Me has developed and produced an number of resource packs for communities to help you make sustained change around mental health in your community.
Outside the box provides training and support to to people from communities in Scotland who want to make changes. It has a good suite of resources that can guide community groups through working with diverse groups, including disabled people, older people, people who are living with the consequences of poverty or social isolation, carers and people who are also experiencing additional barriers as a consequence of age, ethnicity, gender or sexuality.
LGBT Youth Scotland works to improve the health and wellbeing of LGBT youth and LGBT communities in Scotland through a range of services including advice and information services and national initiatives.
Inclusion Scotland aims to change policy and practice so that disabled people are fully included throughout all Scottish society as equal citizens. They do this by influencing decision-makers, supporting disabled people to be decision-makers themselves, and developing capacity, awareness and engagement.
Concise guide from Renfrewshire Access Panel in partnership with Renfrewshire Council on things you need to think about to make your activities as inclusive as possible.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) promotes and upholds equality and human rights ideals and laws across England, Scotland and Wales. It has produced a guide for voluntary and community organisations on how they can ensure they are meeting equality law.
Enable Scotland supports and campaigns for people with learning disabilities, putting people at the heart of provision.
Deafblind Scotland raises awareness of both the needs and potential of deafblind people in Scotland and works to ensure that deafblind people can fully participate in society and have access to appropriate services.
CEMVO Scotland (Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations) has developed a database network of over 600 ethnic minority voluntary sector organisations throughout Scotland to which it delivers a wide range of capacity building support programmes.
The role of BEMIS (Black and Ethnic Minority Infrastructure in Scotland) is to support organisations or individuals who face discrimination because of race, culture, colour, language or faith. BEMIS's activities include capacity building, co-ordination and strategic influence, and identifying and addressing areas for targeted support and development.
Age Scotland is a national charity that supports more than 1100 community groups across Scotland, provides information and advice, tackles loneliness and isolation and much more.