Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) are concepts that value differences, promote fair treatment, and ensure everyone has equal opportunities:

Equality means giving everyone equal opportunities and preventing discrimination.

Diversity means recognising and respecting Individuals differences.

Inclusion means making sure everyone feels valued and included.
Equity is about giving people what they need and recognising that this is different for different people.

It is important for all staff working with children and young people to understand EDI and how related factors can affect health and wellbeing.

Some groups are more likely to face inequality and discrimination due to characteristics such as race or gender, or socioeconomic factors such as poverty or poor housing. This booklet highlights some of these groups and how their health may be impacted here.

All children and young people are entitled to get the support they need to reach their full potential. In Scotland, we aim to overcome barriers to learning and ensure every child is supported using the ‘Getting It Right For Every Child’ (GIRFEC) model. Some children and young people need extra help to benefit fully from their education. These needs can arise due to:

The learning environment

Family circumstances

Health or disability needs

Social and emotional factors

Children and young people can be supported to build resilience and to develop coping strategies. There are resources and learning materials that can help to achieve this. Please see Mental Health and Wellbeing section for resources that explore resilience and the One Good Adult concept.

Further information:

What is intersectionality? A short video explaining intersecting forms of discrimination.
All Learners All Achieving 2022 – 2027 from Glasgow City Council Education highlights the importance of inclusion, equitable approaches and promoting equality.
Further information on Equality and Diversity is available from Education Scotland including Policy, EQIA and Children’s Rights. Embedding inclusion, wellbeing and equality and GIRFEC and SHANARRI models provides more details.
The Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Equality Evidence Review (April 2023) highlights that individuals across the protected groups can face some of the greatest barriers and poorest outcomes in relation to participation and progression in the education and skills system.
Language Matters – How to Talk about Health Inequalities in the Context of Young People : Resources from the Association for Young People’s Health (AYPH).

Below includes some resources and useful websites for further information about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and supporting children, young people and families.

Emotionally based school non-attendance, resources and information from educational psychology. Click here to access.

Glasgow Virtual School Information. Click here to access.

Asylum Seekers

We Journey Together is a resource pack for frontline staff, practitioners and volunteers across all sectors who may support asylum seekers and refugees as part of their roles. Click here to access the website.

Please note, contains potentially upsetting content and not advised for use with under 14s.

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Communities

Amina – The Muslim Women Resource Centre have a range of online toolkits and resources suitable for Secondary Schools on their website. Click here to access it.

Intercultural Youth Scotland have resources, videos, blogs and reports on their website for Primary and Secondary Schools. Click here to access it.

Care Experienced

Celcis has a range of free supporting resources, information, webinars and a knowledge bank on their website for Primary and Secondary Schools. Click here to access it. There is a dedicated section for education resources including an education forum.

Disabilities

The Autism Toolbox is a resource to support the inclusion of children and young people with autism spectrum disorder in mainstream education services in Scotland. Click here to access it.

I am Me Scotland – Education Scotland Resources encourage children and young people to recognise and understand the range of disabilities, including hidden disabilities. Designed to be progressive, the lessons highlight the impact of bullying and the consequences of hate crime, whilst encouraging children to be inclusive and embracing of difference. Click here to access.

Gender Based Violence

Relationships and Sexual Health section highlights several GBV resources including RSHP, Keeping Mum, Crush and Equally Safe at School. Click here to view.

Equally Safe at School Equally Safe at School has been developed for secondary schools to help them take a whole school approach to preventing gender-based violence, with staff and students working together with a shared understanding and commitment to equality and safety for all. Click here to view

Preventing and Responding to Gender Based Violence: A Whole School Framework. This framework provides support to those working with and in schools to develop and strengthen universal and targeted approaches to gender-based violence. Click here to view.

Young Scot have developed materials and resources for children and young people around healthy relationships and domestic abuse. Click here to access them.

LGBTQI+

LGBTQI+: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning and Intersex people, and all gender identities and sexual orientations)

LGBT Schools Charter is a programme to ensure your school proactively includes LGBT people. Click here to find out more.

LGBT Youth Scotland work with young people aged 13 to 25 and their goal is to make Scotland the best place to grow up for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex young people. Click here to access their website for more information.

Time for Inclusive Education are an LGBT Inclusive Education charity. The charity take an educational approach to tackling homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic bullying and prejudice in schools. Resources for secondary schools (including lesson plans) are available online to download. Click here to access the website.

Trauma Informed Practice

Addressing Childhood Adversity and developing a trauma informed approach: an infographic created by the Glasgow City Health Improvement Team provides a snapshot of adverse childhood experiences and trauma for young people in Scotland and how we can address them. Click here   to access it. 

Young Carers

Education Scotland Young Carers Resource can be used to help identify young carers and to highlight the impact of caring. Downloadable reference documents and links to key legislation, policy and guidance are also provided. Click here to access the website.

Glasgow City HSCP have shared resources for education practitioners supporting young carers. Click here to access. There is also information on their website for young carers here . Find out about referring a young carer for support here .

Young Parents

The Young Parents’ Support Base provides opportunities around a wide range of health and social needs for all young parents. For more information, click here

Youth Homelessness

Runaway Helpline has been supporting young people for many years and is run by the UK charity Missing People. The charity have produced a free resource to use with children and young people who may be at risk of running away or going missing. Click here to access it.

Youth Justice

Families Outside is the only national charity in Scotland working exclusively on behalf of families affected by imprisonment. A range of information for parents and young people as well as professionals is available on their website. Click here to access.

No Knives Better Lives has a range of resources available for working with young people. Click here to access the website.

Children First Support Line

Support line for parents and carers

For more information click here

Enquire Helpline

Advice about additional support for learning in Scotland. Enquire advisers will listen to your concerns, explain children’s rights to additional support and provide advice about the next steps you can take to move things forward.

For more information click here

GCHSCP Family Wellbeing Hub

Provides support to families with children 5-26yrs affected by mental health, low mood, self-harm, suicide, neurodiversity, school non-attendance, trauma and various other issues as well as peer support.

Contact: ggc.familywellbeinghub@nhs.scot

Parentzone Scotland

Parentzone Scotland provides family information and advice about education in Scotland. It includes practical ideas to support learning, along with information on additional support needs, and tips on how parents can get involved.

For more information click here

Trauma Informed Parenting

TIP delivers workshops and support for parents, carers, teachers and anyone living or working with children with challenging behaviours due to trauma or additional needs to apply a “trauma lens”. These parenting techniques are for all children. Not only children with trauma. In these workshops the aim is to improve mental health and wellbeing, change generational patterns of behaviour by giving parents and caregivers an awareness of the trauma informed approach and how to reduce challenging behaviours with curiosity, calm and connection.

For more information click here

Who Cares? Scotland

Is a national voluntary organisation, working with care experienced young people and care leavers across Scotland. They support care experienced young people to have their voice heard.

For more information click here

Differabled

The website is a great place to find support. If you can't find what you need or feel overwhelmed by choices you may want to contact a new Glasgow City Council team. They offer free support, information and advice on a wide range of issues and can also signpost you on to the services on this website.

For more information click here

A list of key strategy and policy links regarding children and young people. These documents should be used to inform planning and delivery within your classroom and school community.

These documents are a useful resource to build a knowledge base around current priorities and work on EDI in Glasgow and across Scotland. Please note that clicking on these documents will take you to external websites.

1. RDS issues - resolutions

2. New RDS presentation – RDS supporting the patient journey

3. User guides

4.Training sessions for RDS editors

5.New RDS toolkits

6.New RDS developments

7. Implementation projects