How this toolkit was developed

Collaborative development process

This toolkit was developed through a collaborative approach led by an Equality and Human Rights Mainstreaming Toolkit Working Group. The Working Group brought together expertise from across Scotland’s equality and human rights landscape, with membership drawn from Scottish Government, local authorities, public bodies, and the third sector.

This toolkit came from extensive consultation and engagement across Scotland’s public sector. The development process included:

• Deep dive sessions (2021-2022): Comprehensive stakeholder engagement to identify key challenges and opportunities.
• Public consultation (October 2024 – February 2025): 123 responses from individuals and organisations, with 69% supporting the need for a cross-public sector toolkit.
• Co-production with stakeholders: Input from people with lived experience, equality professionals, and public sector workers.
• Expert consultation: Input from equality and human rights professionals, legal experts, and practitioners.
• User testing: Feedback from public sector workers across different organisations and roles.
• Continuous improvement: Ongoing refinement based on user feedback and emerging best practice.

Evidence-based approach

The toolkit’s content is grounded in:

• Research evidence on effective mainstreaming approaches.
• Insights from lived experience, including reports from the Scottish Government’s Lived Experience Board and voluntary contributions from Working Group members.
• Analysis of consultation responses emphasising the need for practical examples and templates.
• Learning from both successes and challenges documented in case studies.
• International best practice and standards.
• Legal requirements and regulatory guidance.
• Feedback calling for scenario-based learning modules and intersectional analysis.
• Programme for Government commitments from 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26, which consistently prioritised the development of mainstreaming tools and frameworks.

Lived experience integration

The toolkit development was informed by lived experience of equality and human rights issues. The Scottish Government’s Lived Experience Board, created as part of work on the Human Rights Bill, produced 14 reports between 2022-24 providing personal accounts and recommendations. These reports directly informed the development of our assessment framework for evaluating which resources to include in the toolkit, as well as shaping the toolkit’s accessibility features. Working Group members also contributed relevant lived experience insights where they felt comfortable doing so, ensuring the toolkit reflects real-world experiences of equality and human rights challenges and solutions.

Quality assurance framework

Every resource in this toolkit is evaluated against an assessment framework  to ensure it delivers real value and improves outcomes for people with lived experience of equality and human rights issues.

The assessment framework measures four key areas:

Practical application – Resources must provide clear, step-by-step guidance for implementation with tangible examples and actions that work in real organisational settings.

Lived experience integration – Resources must either be co-produced with people who have lived experience of the issues they address, or be based on strong evidence demonstrating positive impact on affected communities.

Accessibility and usability – All resources must use plain language, free of jargon and unexplained technical terms, and meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 at Level AA, which ensures it is accessible to most people, including those with disabilities. In simple terms, it means the design supports good readability, keyboard navigation, and usability for a wide range of users.

Accountability and measurement – Resources must include specific, measurable outcome indicators or clear approaches for capturing real-world impact on people’s lives.

This framework was developed using insights from the Scottish Government’s Lived Experience Board reports (2022-24), ensuring that quality standards reflect what matters most to people affected by equality and human rights issues.

We review all toolkit resources against these standards and welcome feedback on how well they meet your organisation’s needs.

Accessibility at the core

Following consultation feedback, this toolkit prioritises accessibility through:

• Plain English throughout, avoiding jargon and complex language.
• Multiple formats including visual guides and step-by-step instructions.
• Easy navigation and intuitive design.
• Recite Me accessibility toolbar available at the bottom right of every page, offering text-to-speech functionality, translation into over 100 languages, and customisable features such as font adjustments, colour changes, screen magnification, and reading rulers

Please note: translations are provided in various dialects and scripts – you may need to select the version that best suits your needs

• All content meets 2.2 WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) accessibility standards
• Regular review to ensure continued accessibility.
• Community feedback mechanisms to identify barriers.