Equality and Diversity Fund for Scotland’s Childcare Providers

Everyone in the childcare sector, from children, to staff, to parents, deserves to be treated equally. Furthermore, a person’s background should never be a barrier to access or success. These are principles that almost everyone believes but realising them can be a challenge. Changing the way we work is itself work, old practices can die hard and sometimes the real impact we make can be almost invisible. That is why providers who are serious about equality and diversity find themselves having to devote significant time and energy to making improvements.

To assist with this, the Scottish Government has announced a two year funding programme, the Workplace Equality Fund to support businesses and public sector organisations, including childcare settings, working towards more equality and diversity. Grants of up to £75,000 per year are available and £800,000 has been earmarked for the scheme’s first year. To access the scheme, funders will need to be putting in place a project that benefits one of the following groups:

Women
Minority ethnic workers
Disabled workers
Older workers (aged over 50)
People who experience gender-based violence
Workers are experiencing social isolation and/or loneliness
Workers experiencing symptoms of the menopause
Veterans
Spouses of veterans

In order to apply, applicants must partner with a third sector organisation that has specific knowledge and expertise with respect to the specific equality issue that that the project seeks to address. In addition to agreement to commit, they will need to demonstrate that they can meet the required work, timescales and expected outcomes. All cases will also need to show:

how they will achieve a reduction in workplace inequalities and challenges for their selected priority group(s)
how they will measure and evaluate these positive impacts, and
how they will draw from their collective expertise and experience in order to do so

Applications are currently open and childcare businesses in Scotland can apply though https://equalityadvice.scot/