Equality and diversity

At the Care Inspectorate, we believe that people in Scotland should experience a better quality of life as a result of accessible, excellent services that are designed and delivered to reflect their individual needs and promote their rights.  We are committed to advancing equality of opportunity, eliminating unlawful discrimination and fostering good relations between all protected characteristics.

Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion

• We ensure that the voice of people who experience care is reflected in all our work
• We promote fairness, equality, diversity and inclusion in all that we do
• We promote dignity and respect and human rights for all
• We recognise and value individual differences and the contributions of all
• We treat people fairly and according to their needs
• We have a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of discrimination, harassment, bullying or victimisation
• We have a culture where everyone feels valued and included.

As an organisation, our work, has a focus on people’s rights, choices and individual outcomes, the things that matter most to people. We continue to strive to put equality and diversity at the heart of all we do and that’s why we made equality and diversity a key principle of our Corporate Plan.

Equality, diversity and inclusion statement of intent

At the Care Inspectorate we’re committed to creating a culture that embraces equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging for everyone.

At the Care Inspectorate we value, celebrate and fully embrace to the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion. This requires us all to recognise and respect each others’ differences. Creating an inclusive work environment where we all feel a sense of belonging helps us to do our best work, which results in the best possible outcomes for people who experience care.

We are a values-driven organisation, which means our values inform and guide everything that we do. Our key values of being person-centred, fair and respectful are the most relevant to equality, diversity and inclusion. We expect everyone to follow the principles that are set out in the Health and Social Care Standards as well as any relevant individual codes of practice.

As an employer, we want to increase the diversity of our workforce and would especially welcome applications from disabled people, people from a minority ethnic background, people of all ages, men (as we have a 79% female workforce) people from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community and people with care experience. We want a workforce that reflects the wider Scottish population that we serve.

Signed by our strategic leadership team

The strategic leadership team have signed this statement to demonstrate our commitment to leading inclusively and to show accountability on making equality, diversity and inclusion integral to the way we do things around here.

Meeting our Equality Requirements

Like other public bodies in Scotland, we are required to meet the requirements of the General and Specific Public Sector Equality Duties, as set out by the Equality Act 2010 and the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012. We report on our equality obligations under the legislation every two years.  

Publications

In our dual role as a scrutiny and improvement body and a public sector employer, we are committed to meeting our legal obligations in all aspects of our work. We are covered by general and specific equality duties arising from the Equality Act (2010) which helps us to integrate equality into our day-to-day work. We report on our equality obligations under the legislation every two years. Here are our publications:

• 2023: Equalities Mainstreaming Progress Report April 2021 - March 2023
• 2021: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2021-25
• 2021: Equalities Mainstreaming Report 2019-21
• 2019: Equal Pay Policy Statement
• 2019: Equality and Diversity Policy
• 2019: Equality Outcomes, Mainstreaming Report and Action Plan 2019-21
• 2019: Equalities Occupational Segregation Data - Disability, Gender, Race 
• 2017: Equalities Occupational Segregation Data

Our policies and strategic workforce plan 

We appreciate and value our workforce and have a range of family friendly and flexible working policies available. We are proud of the range of inclusive work practices we offer colleagues.

We offer equalities training to our workforce and this is built into our induction and includes our managers and leaders. We have a supportive and respectful organisational culture that values equality and diversity and promotes inclusion for our workforce. Our robust people management policies and processes ensure people are treated with dignity and respect in an environment where bullying, harassment, discrimination and victimisation are not tolerated.

Our staff networks 

We make time to listen to our colleagues and give them a voice to share their experiences, listen to their ideas and involve them in our work. We have online communities where we discuss equalities issues, one of the most active is our disabilities group, where group members shares lived experience, good practice and ideas for improvement.

The Corporate Equality Group drives the delivery and progress of the actions from our Equality Outcomes and Mainstreaming Report. The group meets on a quarterly basis and supports the mainstreaming of equality in relation to all the protected characteristics listed under the Equality Act (2010) and is sensitive and responsive to intersectional identities.

The LGBT Charter Champion Group is a sub-group of the Corporate Equality Group. The group also meets on a quarterly basis. You can email the group using this address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Faith Group is a self-organised group which mainly meets in our Edinburgh office. The group focuses on faith issues, faith in the workplace and encourages employees to get together as a community in a social setting. This provides an opportunity for connection and awareness raising. 

Race Equality in Employment

In November 2020 the Scottish Parliament Equality and Human Rights Committee published a report on Race Equality, Employment and Skills.  

The Public Sector Leadership Summit on Race Equality in Employment took place in March 2021. At the summit, the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee highlighted the persistent issues that impact on outcomes for minority ethnic people in Scotland moving into, staying in and progressing in employment. 

To help us with this vital work we are pleased to be working with CEMVO Scotland.

Recommendations 

The Committee have asked all public sector bodies to accept their recommendations and commit to taking them forward. 

1. The Committee recommends those in public authority leadership positions undertake an assessment of their organisation’s understanding of racism and the structural barriers that may exist within their organisations. Public authorities should integrate their ambitions into their next strategic plan. Their strategic goal should be underpinned by specific outcomes and supported by timely monitoring. Public authorities should be transparent about their targets and their progress in delivering their outcomes.
2. The Committee recommends public authorities should review their recruitment procedures and practice against the Scottish Government’s toolkit and make the necessary changes.
3. The Committee recommends that all public authorities subject to the Scottish specific Public Sector Equality Duty should, as a minimum, voluntarily record and publish their ethnicity pay gap and produce an action plan to deliver identified outcomes.

Our commitment to the recommendations 

The Care Inspectorate pledge to implement the key recommendations of the Scottish Parliament's Equalities and Human Rights Committee’s Race Equality, Employment and Skills: Making Progress? Report.

As public sector leaders, we will be bold and transparent. We will embed the recommendations into the strategic objectives of our organisation and the performance objectives of our senior leaders. We will use equality data to provide insights on race equality within the Care Inspectorate and we will take responsibility to assess our organisation’s understanding of institutional racism and proactively challenge and change practices that disadvantage minority ethnic communities. Vitally, we will ensure that minority ethnic communities are involved in shaping this change. We recognise that taking forward the recommendations represents not a final, but a further step, and therefore this work will form part of the continuum of activity and training to tackle racial inequality in employment, which will be aligned with the key principles of the Scottish Government Race Equality Framework 2016-2030. It is important that we make this commitment clear, not just to each other, but to our staff and people who experience care, who will hold us to account. We have therefore published this commitment on our website and social media.

We are pleased to share we are a signatory of the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter. We know that ethnic minorities still face significant disparities in employment and progression, and that is something we need to change. The Charter is composed of five calls to action for leaders and organisations across all sectors.  We signed up to taking practical steps to ensure their workplaces are tackling barriers that ethnic minority people face in recruitment and progression and that their organisations are representative of British society today. 

LGBT Charter Champion Group 

We attend Pride events to increase visibility about LGBT issues and to be more proactive about being inclusive for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people as an organisation. Our commitment to inclusion and diversity, and to the LGBT community, has been recognised externally.

In 2018 we were awarded LGBT Youth Scotland’s Foundation Charter award and we are the first regulator in Scotland to receive this award. In July 2020 we were shortlisted for the Proud Scot Employer Award Large Business.

In 2020 we became a Stonewall Diversity Champion as we wanted to ensure that all LGBT staff are accepted without exception in the workplace. In February 2022 we achieved the Bronze Employer Award in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index. In June 2022 we were delighted to be awarded the Large Employer Award by Proud Scotland.

Click here to watch a short film ‘Return to the Closet?’ by Luminate Scotland. Older members of the LGBTQI+ community worked with artist Glenda Rome to create a film which illustrated their thoughts and feelings around ageing, being part of the community and what care means to them and the support they’d want from care providers – whether at home or in care homes. Luminate commissioned the film with support from LGBT Health and Wellbeing. Luminate’s Principal Supporters are Creative Scotland, The Baring Foundation and Age Scotland. LGBT Health and Wellbeing’s LGBT Age Community Action Project is funded by Comic Relief.

First Minister’s National Advisory Council on women and girls (NACWG)

We are a circle member of the First Minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls (NACWG). The NACWG was set up to advise the First Minister on what is needed to tackle gender inequality in Scotland and you can read their latest report here. We are now part of a group of supporters and advisors who help generate ideas and solutions that will inform NACWG’s work. 

Age Scotland 

We are working with Age Scotland to support our commitment to providing an age inclusive environment where staff feel valued, respected and able to reach their full potential at all ages and stages of their career.

Carer Positive Employer 

We are a Carer Positive Established Employer and are committed to supporting our colleagues who are carers. We have recently made changes to our Carers Policy which means we offer up to five days (35 hours) paid time off to support carers.

Fair Work Framework 

The goal of the Fair Work Framework is to ensure that by 2025, people in Scotland will have a world-leading working life where fair work drives success, wellbeing and prosperity for individuals, businesses, organisations and society. 

The Care Inspectorate can support this vision by ensuring the fair work values run through the organisation and embedding fair working practices into everything we do.  We are committed to building a Scotland which champions fair work practices and a diverse workforce.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 

Our work also supports the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The Convention sets out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all children are entitled to. As a public body, we are required to publish a report on how our work supports the various articles of the UNCRC. 2020 is the first year we have been asked to report on the UNCRC. Our next report will be published in August 2023.

Contact us

If you would like to contact us, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact us directly by using contactSCOTLAND-BSL.

2023: Equalities Mainstreaming Progress Report April 2021- March 2023.

• LGBT
• equality
• inclusion

Procurement

Supplier payments

We are committed to the ‘Confederation of British Industry Prompt Payment Code’ for the payment of bills for goods and services we receive.   It is our policy to make payments in accordance with the Scottish Government’s instructions on prompt payment and a target payment within 10 days. 

Procurement has a significant role to play to achieve the Care Inspectorate’s objectives, and our seven key principles are reflected in our procurement strategy.

Our 2023-2026 Procurement Strategy:

• sets out our priorities and proposals for procurement over the planning period

• identifies those factors that will influence the way in which we manage the procurement process 

• describes the arrangements for monitoring and evaluating the strategy.

Public Contracts Scotland

Our contracts register for all competitively advertised contracts exceeding £50,000 is published on the Public Contracts Scotland portal. We publish high value tenders on the Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) advertising website.  We encourage businesses to register for free on this site. It will give you access to a large number of high and low value public authority contract opportunities across Scotland, including the Care Inspectorate.  You can also view our profile.

We do not maintain an internal register of suppliers or have an approved supplier list.

It covers lower value contract opportunities but also those above the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) threshold. 

Our conditions of contract

• Conditions of contract for the purchase of goods
• Conditions of contract for the supply of services
• Conditions of contract for the supply of consultancy services
• Conditions of contract for the supply of goods and related services

Our procurement practices - values and promotion of tenders

As a public sector organisation our procurement activity is guided by legislation and best practice, with the route being determined by the potential total value of the contract.

• Less than £10K - the principles of adequate competition apply
• Between £10K and £50K – most commonly advertised on the Public Contracts Scotland portal, utilising the Quick Quote facility
• Greater than £50K but below the GPA threshold - most commonly advertised on the Public Contracts Scotland portal, utilising the Notice facility
• GPA threshold and above - Advertised in both Find a Tender Service and the Public Contracts Scotland portal, utilising the Notice facility

Supplier opportunities, guidance and support - useful websites

• A national Dynamic Purchasing reserved for Supported Businesses has been established to provide products and services to the Scottish public sector. 

• The Online Supplier Journey makes it easier for Scottish companies to bid for work in the public sector.

  • The website guides firms, large and small, through each step in the process – setting out what to expect from buyers and what is expected of them, simplifying guidance, making it easier to understand.  It is particularly useful for small businesses. 

  • The journey guides businesses through the process of applying for contracts, making the system more streamlined and easier to understand and has been developed with the help of Scottish companies who have already gone through the process. 

• The Single Point of Enquiry is an independent, impartial and confidential service for suppliers to the public sector in Scotland.  The service offers advice on the procurement rules which must be followed by public bodies in Scotland and information on how contracts are advertised and awarded.   If you have concerns about a specific tender exercise, they can work with you and the buying organisation to try and resolve your concerns.  They do not have formal powers to investigate suppliers’ concerns or change decisions made by buying organisations. Feedback from suppliers contributes to improvements in public procurement practices in Scotland.

• Scottish Enterprise Net Zero Accelerator Tool – this is designed to help businesses work towards a net zero future using practical, inclusive and data-led solutions.

The Supplier Development Programme (SDP)

Scotland’s free tender training service for SME’s is a programme of tender training events.

The programme has been designed to ensure that SME’s can easily progress through the various different course levels with free events in or near their business location, plus many of the courses can be accessed online via webinar, reducing the time burden on small businesses being out of the office.

The programme includes a wealth of courses, including “hot topics” such as Community Benefits and Sustainable Procurement, as well as core issues such as finding contracts and completing ESPDs. So whether you are just starting out and wish to find out about how to work with the public sector or need to improve your tender skills, SDP will have a course for you. Please click on the following link to browse and book a course and get tender ready: https://www.sdpscotland.co.uk/events-training/

Supplier Cyber Security

Cyber-attacks (such as phishing, ransomware, hacking, etc.) are becoming an increasing threat to our economy and society. No internet-connected organisation, however large or small, is immune.

Cyber-attacks may be targeted at specific organisations or individuals, or untargeted, where attackers indiscriminately attack as many vulnerable machines or users connected to the internet as possible. These attacks are as real a risk to the small business that relies on a database of customers to distribute its goods as they are to multinational banking organisations.

 As part of the Scottish Public Sector Action Plan on Cyber Resilience Scotland’s public sector organisations are encouraged to adopt a common approach to supplier cyber security. Links to authoritative sources of advice and support can be found at the Scottish Government Cyber Resilience website.  

The NCSC’s small business and charities guides can be found at National Cyber Security Centre - NCSC.GOV.UK

You can get a free digital health check and 1:1 support at Business Gateway's Digital Boost.

Annual Procurement Report

Our progress towards achieving our strategic procurement priorities has been published in our CI Annual Procurement Report 2022-23. This report also provides information on our regulated procurement activity for 22-23 and our planned procurement activity for the two year period 2023-25. 

• Procurement