Equalities co-production initiative

Equality Good Relations Project

This development project was a response to the need identified by the Opengovpioneers project to do more intensive engagement and capacity building with equality interest groups. The aim is view to increase participation and influence in the Sustainable Development Goals and Open Government by people and groups who share protected characteristics . Our proposal sets out how we responded to this brief, and our open planning document provides an brief overview of the project. This project is an initial, development phase which forms the foundations of a potentially larger programme, and is based on the principles of co-production and civic mediation.

Timescales: 21 October 2018 - 28 February 2019

This wiki page is being updated throughout the project (last updated 15 March 2019)

Delivery team

This project is being co-delivered by Amanda Heenan, Arc of Inclusion & Sam Tedcastle, Centre for Good Relations

Access support and advice provided by: Sally Shaw, Ideas for Ears

Advice on accessible information provided by The Friendly Information Company and Speakup Self Advocacy

Project Objectives, activity & outcomes

Objective	Activity	Outcome
To meet with the Open Government Pioneers Project team to understand the context and the challenges and good practice around engagement and relationship building	Attended the Project Board Meeting and Mini Summit on 28 November 2018	Presented an overview of the project to the Project Board. Made initial links with a view to follow up discussions with individual members
To collaborate with the National Lottery Community Fund and ensure the project links in with wider aims of the People in the Lead Strategy	Discussions with Alison O’Connell, Policy and Partnership Manager, in October 2018 and January 2019	Established collaboration and greater insight into the challenges the National Lottery Community Fund is seeking to address as it launches the National Lottery Community Fund, and its purpose to support people and communities to thrive. Insight gained into how this development project could lay a strong foundation for a longer term co-produced programme, where the need has been identified at grass roots.
To map  out existing equalities / local interest group networks (tapping into existing community / equalities mapping initiatives, identify gaps where representation is missing across the equalities spectrum (including the spectrum that exists within each protected characteristic group, and the intersections across)	We developed an initial list based on existing networks and research. We invited all those we spoke to and corresponded with about the project to review the contact list, and updated this with their suggestions. We also provided the option for organisations to request to be removed from the list.	Contact list co-produced over the course of the project (see table below).
To engage individually with Pioneer Project partners and groups to explore their perspectives, visions and challenges. Holding conversations to explore relationships between peoples / organisation's identities can lead to blind spots, barriers to collaborating	Individual discussions with Project Board members took place between October 2018 and January 2019.	Insight into different perspectives on Project Board, identifying areas of good practice and opportunities to collaborate. Project Board members gained insight into the project and our approach. In Wales, this led to significant signposting to other equality organisations, particularly through WCVA.
Engagement with partners across the 4 nations, and equality stakeholders to: Identify inequalities and underrepresentation in civic engagement / decision making Explore awareness of the UN SDGs and Open Government (among those beyond existing Open Gov / SDG networks) Explore the issues the are important to people, the the context of the SDGs and Open Government	Initial engagement through the Open Gov Pioneers Project Forum - proposal shared & discussion input from a number of members Dedicated webpage developed: https://www.arcofinclusion.co.uk/equalities-good-relations-project Eventbrite invitation: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-conversation-event-equalities-and-the-sustainable-development-goals-tickets-54819189672 Invitations sent to all in contact list below. The invitation was both to attend the event on 27/2 & to have an individual conversation before the event 47 Individual conversations / meetings held with existing project partners and those equality stakeholders who responded to our invitation to meet Outreach work including attendance at: Fife Centre for Equalities Women in Politics & Equality Collective events; Preparatory Conference for UN Commission on the Status of Women - Health & Housing; Wevolution Self Reliant Group Peer Meeting; 2nd Enlightenment meetings. Highlands Council equalities bulletin slot.	An assessment which began to explore: Who are the stakeholders? Who is engaging? Who isn’t? Why do we think this is? What are the relationships like between stakeholders? What are the issues that inform these relationships? What does the future look like? This will be shared and further explore at the Open Conversation event on 27 February 2019
Facilitate a wider conversation between stakeholders across the UK to explore what collaborative working could look like and how the barriers the achieving this could be overcome. The event should explore the proposed theory of change (longer term goal) and the conditions that need to be in place to meet this goal	Date for event set in early November 2018: 27 February 2019 Venue booked in November: Norton Conference Centre (venue chosen for its accessibility, and community focus) Capacity: 60 Initial invitations (hold the date) sent on 21 December Shared with Open Gov forums & SDG network on basecamp Shared via Twitter Collaboration agreement proposed with Scottish Mediation Workshop plan developed Facilitators briefing meeting w/c 18/2	Project report available here. (Contact amanda@arcofinclusion.co.uk for alternative formats).
To develop a best practice, tested model for ensuring meeting and event spaces are inclusive and accessible to all	Accessibility statement on website Advice about accessibility of written information (including website & Eventbrite) given by The Friendly Information Company Following the Hearing Access Protocol Access host to do an access impact assessment of the workshop plan, venue, meeting individual access requests, responding to access needs on the day BSL signers booked Access audit of venue - identified issues with hearing loop - these have been addressed Access needs captured through Eventbrite bookings Evaluation to include feedback about accessibility of the event	Project report will reflect on what worked well, where the gaps were, and propose model for good practice for future events

Contact list

Organisation Name

AbilityNet Scotland	Equality and Human Rights Commission		RNIB Scoltand
Action in Hearing Loss	Equality and Human Rights Commission in Scotland		Runnymede Trust
Age Scotland	Equality and Human Rights Commission in Scotland		Rural Youth Project
Article 12 Scotland	Equality and Rights Network		Scottish Accessible Transport Alliance SATA
Backbone	Fife Centre for Equalities		Scottish Autism
Barnsley Gender Equality Forum	Friends, Families and Travellers		Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC)
Barod CIC	Genderjam		Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability (SCLD)
BEMIS	Highland Council		Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance
Big Lottery	Ideas for Ears		Scottish Information Commissioner
British Deaf Association	Inclusion Scotland		Scottish Equality Network (including the Scottish Transgender Alliance)
CEMVO	Inspire NI		Scottish Mediation
Central Scotland Regional Equality Council	Inspiring Women Changemakers		Scottish Polish Cultural Association
Centre for Identity and Intergroup Relations	Interfaith Scotland		Scottish Refugee Council
Chwarae Teg	Involve		Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)
Children’s Rights Alliance	Mid & East Anritm Borough Council		Sepakup Self Advocacy
Cooperation Ireland	Muslim Council of Scotland		The Democratic Society
Corrymeela	National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)		United Nations House Scotland
Cynnal Cymru	National Federation for the Blind UK		University of the Third Age
Deafblind Scotland	Northern Ireland Environment Link		Wales Council for Voluntary Action
deafscotland	Northern Ireland Equality Coalition		Wales Equality and Human Rights Coalition
Demsoc	Northern Ireland Open Government Network		Welsh Council for Voluntary Action
Disability Equality Scotland	Programme for a Peaceful CIty		Wevolution
Diverse Cymru	Project Scotland		Women’s Budget Group
Edinburgh & Lothans Regional Equality Council (ELREC)	Rainbow
Electoral Reform Society (Wales)	REAP / HEAR Network
Engender	Red Cross

Engagement

Below is a list of organisations that the people we spoke to were representing. We also spoke to a number of people not associated with organisations (in the context of our conversation about this project), who gave us their individual perspectives.

Organisation Name

National Lottery Community Fund	Open Government Pioneers Prioject Board	Equaltiy Commission for NI
Speakup Self Advocacy	Project Scotland	Corrymeela
Ideas for Ears	Electoral Reform Society Cymru	Centre for Identity and Intergroup Relations (Northern Ireland)
Electoral Reform Society (Wales)	Wales Council for Voluntary Action	Open Government Network Northern Ireland
Inspiring Women Changemakers	Wales Equality Stakeholders	Scottish Equality Network (including the Transgender Alliance)
Involve	Diverse Cymru	UN House Scotland
Northern Ireland Environment Link	Church in Wales	Co-operation Northern Ireland
SCVO	Fife Centre for Equalities	Inspire (Northern Ireland)
The Democratic Society	Trust Leeds	National Federation for the Blind UK
Inclusion Scotland	British Red Cross	Scottish Government (Outcomes & Sustainable Development Goals Team & Equality Unit)

Reading / Watch list

The table below includes references to research and insight that are informing this project and will help to build the capacity of all of us involved to influence and participate more effectively. Please feel free to add to the list here, or get in touch contact@arcofinclusion.co.uk.

Title	Source
Statement on Visit to the United Kingdom, by Professor Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights	Professor Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur
End of Mission Statement of the Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance at the Conclusion of Her Mission to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	E. Tendayi Achiume, UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
The cumulative impact of tax and welfare reforms	Equality & Human Rights Commission (EHRC)
Your Wellbeing, Your Government project initial report Barriers to engagement for diverse communities and delivering better engagement of all diverse communities	Diverse Cymru
Sustainable Development Goals Resource Hub	Scotland SDG Network
Guidance on co-producing a research project Involve & National Institute for Health Research	Involve & the National Institute for Health Research
The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace	John Paul Lederach
Community Empowerment Briefing	Inclusion Scotland
FOI Consultation Report, 9 June 2018 - Freedom of Information (FOI) & Young People	Scottish Information Commissioner
New Voices: How Welsh politics can begin to reflect Wales	Electoral Reform Society Cymru
National Conversation about immigration	Hope not Hate
From benign neglect to Citizen Khan	Barrow Cadbury Trust
It's an emotive thing, drawing lines on maps	Scottish Alliance for People and Place & Centre for Good Relations
Video case studies of the power of using FOI requests	Scottish Information Commissioner
Eurocities: Roma Inclusión Working Group	The Eurocities Network
Inspiring Women Change Makers Igniting Inspiration Award Winner Pria Bhabra interview: working with asylum seekers and refugees (Leeds City Council)	Inspiring Women Changemakers

Equalities Co-production Initiative (Initial brief by the Open Government Pioneers Project Board) Aims Objective This initiative will support a partnership of Equalities organisations across the UK to host an open conversation around engaging people furthest from decision making into plans around SDGs and Open Government. Support will be provided by existing partners if the Open Government Pioneers UK Project. However, the overall direction and design will be determined by the equality organisational partners. The purpose of the conversation will be to inform a major bid to the BIG Lottery UK fund to resource a programme of capacity building for people furthest from decision making to engage in SDGs and Open Government. Intended outcomes More people have the tools, confidence and resources to overcome the barriers to their participation in the decisions that affect them. Rationale The Opengovpioneers project opened up engagement with equalities groups, but found a much more intensive capacity building exercise is needed to engage those furthest from the decisions that affect them in using opengov as a way to improve their lives. The Sustainable Development Goals is strongly equality focused and provides a useful (but untested) framework for organising engagement themes with those furthest from decisions. The Open Government methodology, based on securing better transparency, increased participation and clearer accountability is powerful technique but needs to be adapted to those not familiar with the associated language and structures. Outputs An open concept paper on why we need to engage people furthest from decision making into plans around SDGs and Open Government, published and discussed online by the SDG and Open government networks across the UK A series of engagement meetings with key equality groups to develop interest and introduce open government approaches to SDGs A summit held in February to bring together the lead equalities organisations interested to design a major funding proposal building on existing networks and practice Funding proposal developed by a consortium of equality partners and a bid facilitator submitted to Big Lottery Fund UK A proposal is being developed by network members as an option to deliver: Approach A consortium of equalities orgs led by a key equality network in each UK home nation, back by an online wiki to document and plan progress. There is an opportunity for the opengovpioneers project to host an initial engagement event, that can be used to develop a proposal to BIG UK.