Diversity, equality and inclusion
Audit Scotland seeks to be as diverse as the communities we serve, with a commitment to having a workforce that is representative of Scotland’s people.
As part of our commitment, our diversity network groups would be delighted to offer insight into Audit Scotland’s culture of inclusion. If you consider yourself to be a member of a minority ethnic group or the LGBTQ+ community, provide care for dependants or have a visible or hidden disability and wish to hear more about working at Audit Scotland, please contact Careers@audit-scotland.gov.uk for further information.
More than legal obligations
Promoting diversity, equality and inclusion is what we should be doing for our colleagues, for our work and to help improve public services. Through our holistic approach, we aim to improve the life chances of people who are at the heart of our work and of the public services we audit.
Our mainstreaming equality reports from 2023 and 2025 highlight significant work and progress against our equality outcomes for 2021 to 2025. Building on this positive progress our new diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) strategy 2025-2029 sets out a vision for DEI in public audit.
Our strategy
People are at the heart of our work and of the public services we audit. Our strategy seeks to support our colleagues and through our work, people in Scotland.
- We want all colleagues to be seen and heard and to feel safe and included. To have equal opportunity to develop, progress, and be recognised at work.
- We want to help ensure citizens have access to the services they need regardless of their background, characteristics or attributes.
This is increasingly critical because of deepening gaps in inequalities for some groups of society, a rising cost of living, and increasing pressures on public services.
Our new strategy is aligned with our purpose including the outcomes in Public Audit in Scotland, the priorities in the Accounts Commission’s strategy 2021-2026 and Audit Scotland’s Corporate Plan 2023-28. The strategy is underpinned by a delivery plan and we will report on progress every two years.
Delivering our vision
Setting equality outcomes
Setting targeted, evidence-based outcomes that aim to deliver practical improvements for people.
Mainstreaming equality
Taking specific actions to make diversity, equality and inclusion part of every aspect of our day-to-day business.
Improving employee information
Fostering a culture of sharing information about our characteristics to inform our activities and decision-making.
Impact assessing our work
Using impact assessments as a continuous improvement tool to make our policies and practices fairer.
Our strategy sets out a shared vision for diversity, equality and inclusion in public audit - to be leaders in the Scottish public sector, with a workforce that’s representative of Scotland’s people, and with a positive culture of inclusion, delivering audit work that tackles inequalities and supports human rights.
We’re building on strong foundations. Through our 2021-2025 equality outcomes, we increased coverage of equalities and human rights in our reporting, supported by improved audit methodology. We delivered more targeted publications and undertook significant external engagement to ensure our audit work informs our equality and human rights policy. All while fostering a more diverse workforce and an inclusive culture within Audit Scotland.
Looking forward, our 2025-2029 strategy sets out our equality outcomes for the next four years, and details how we will mainstream equality and human rights through our work and improve our employee information and impact assessments. It also embodies our shared values including equality, integrity and respect.
Our new strategy recognises the challenging context in Scotland - deepening inequalities, rising living costs, demographic shift, with increasing pressures on public services. We know that public audit can help drive improvement, by supporting collaboration across public services, more targeted public spending and improved public services. This is key to delivering the outcomes in Public Audit in Scotland and ensuring public money is well spent to meet the needs of Scotland’s people.
This strategy is about more than legal obligations. Collectively, we believe it is what we should be doing for our colleagues, for our work and to help improve public services. Through our holistic approach to diversity, equality and inclusion, we aim to improve the life chances of people who are at the heart of our work and of the public services we audit.
Stephen Boyle Auditor General for Scotland
Jo Armstrong Chair, Accounts Commission for Scotland
Colin Crosby Chair, Audit Scotland Board
Our equality outcomes
Outcome 1
Disability
All colleagues have increased awareness about different disabilities and how to support disabled people in their roles, with more disabled people securing employment within Audit Scotland and feeling supported to progress within the organisation.
What will success look like?
- All colleagues have received training in disability awareness, and understand the challenges faced by and support available to disabled colleagues.
- Disabled colleagues feel more supported by their colleagues and the organisation, and more comfortable in declaring their disability.
- There are more people with disabilities occupying senior roles within the organisation.
- Audit Scotland attracts an increased proportion of job applicants with a disability, including for senior roles.
Outcome 2
Ethnicity
An increased proportion of minority ethnic applicants secure employment with Audit Scotland, and ethnic minority colleagues feel included and able to progress within the organisation.
What will success look like?
- More people from minority ethnic backgrounds are successful in being appointed for jobs at Audit Scotland.
- Ethnic minorities are better represented at senior levels within our organisation.
- All colleagues are more culturally aware, understanding the challenges faced by those from ethnic minorities, and can support efforts to enhance inclusion.
Outcome 3
Women
Women are supported to continue and advance their careers in Audit Scotland, at all stages of life, and women occupy an increased proportion of senior roles in the organisation.
What will success look like?
- Women are better represented at senior levels within our organisation.
- Women at all levels are given the support they need to progress in their career irrespective of personal circumstances.
- All colleagues and line managers are aware of flexible working options and policies and understand how to ensure arrangements are in place that enable an appropriate work-life balance.
Outcome 4
Audit
Our scrutiny of spending decisions considers impacts on people who use public services from an equalities and human rights perspective. In doing so, our reporting and recommendations support public bodies to tackle inequalities in Scotland and are more person-centred and relevant to protected and minority groups.
What will success look like?
- More of our reports consider the impact of spending decisions by public bodies on equalities and human rights, including in relation to protected characteristics, socio-economic backgrounds and intersectionality.
- More of our reports reflect evidence from those with lived experience, such as people who use public services.
- More of our reports contain recommendations to support public bodies to tackle inequalities.
- External stakeholders and people with lived experience consider our coverage of equalities and human rights to be effective, and that our recommendations have impact.
