Good Practice Programme

Public services are just that; services provided by the government to the public. Why then, do so many people still face discrimination, poor treatment and a lack of consideration from those who deliver services?

We’re inviting all public sector organisations in Scotland to benefit from free, expert advice and guidance around sexual orientation and gender identity issues. From April 2011, a new public duty has been introduced, meaning that the public sector will have to proactively consider the needs of their LGBT staff and service users and make sure that no part of their service is discriminatory. Our work has shown that the public sector has not made as much progress in this area as other sectors, and the Good Practice Programme will provide organisations with tailored advice and guidance, realistic and achievable outcomes, and networking opportunities with other public bodies in order to share learning and good practice around making a difference for LGBT staff and service users.

Supported by the Scottish Government, Stonewall Scotland’s Good Practice Programme will equip you with the tools to make lasting improvements to your workplace and your services. In an era of tight budgets and austerity, there’s no place for providing costly services which aren’t at their most effective, or aren’t reaching some groups of people. To provide the right services, it is necessary to understand the requirements of service users, so that inclusive and efficient services can be designed.

What is included in the Good Practice Programme?

Each organisation will receive tailored action plans to equip them to reduce inequalities experienced by their LGBT service users. Organisations may receive:

A year’s free expert support from Stonewall Scotland on LGBT issues for your organisation, covering employment and service user issues
Face-to-face meetings with Stonewall Scotland’s policy team
Two free seminars on specific LGBT equality issues, providing an opportunity to network with other Programme members and share learning
Support on meeting requirements under the Equality Act (2010) and the Public Sector Equality Duty including support on Equality Objectives
Clearer understanding of how and why sexual orientation and gender identity can impact upon staff performance and service-user access
Audit & benchmarking of employer inclusiveness using Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index
Support to create an LGBT staff group to consult on policy development and service delivery
Creation of LGBT service-user consultation groups

Good Practice Programme members

Please see this page for a list of current members of the Good Practice Programme.

How does my organisation apply?

Applications for the Good Practice Programme closed on May 20th. However, we are still interested in receiving applications from the public sector and will continue to do so until July 29th. We are particularly interested in working with organisations who have had little or no contact with Stonewall Scotland in the past.

You can download an application form here: Good Practice Programme application form
Please contact info@stonewallscotland.org.uk for further information
Alternatively, give us a call on 0131 557 3679 and speak to a member of the policy team

The first Good Practice Programme seminar, on the topic of community engagement, will be held in August 2011. Further details will be available soon.