Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office, Edinburgh - Briefing Document Two

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Parliamentary Officer:Rev Graham Blount
Phone:
0131 558 8137

Briefing Document No 2 - Page 1 of 4

"Social Inclusion: Opening the door to a better Scotland".

This set of papers represents a significant stage in the development of a social inclusion strategy for Scotland. The three documents published by the Scottish Office are
(a) an account of Government action and the principles underlying it - designed explicitly for practitioners and for future MSPs
(b) a summary of that account and
(c) a description of the strategy developed by the Scottish Social Inclusion Network.

While the report says little that is new, it does bring together many stands of policy under the rubric of social inclusion and says most of the "right" things. Some of the expressed concerns of the churches remain, but future debate is likely to focus more on how effectively the rhetoric is translated into action. In particular, it remains to be seen whether the new language of social in(or ex)clusion is a creative impetus to joined-up action or a deflection from tackling real problems of poverty.

"Social exclusion as a term encompasses a broad range of social problems, centred around low income, lack of opportunity, diminished quality of life and degraded environments. Evidence shows that problems of social exclusion in Scotland are substantial, deep-rooted and longstanding. These problems demand a significant, sustained and fundamental response" (2.24).

Underlying the strategy for such a response is a vision of a Scotland in which :
Every child, whatever his or her social or economic background, has the best possible start in life;
There are opportunities to work for all those who are able to do so;
Those who are unable to work or are beyond the normal working age have a decent quality of life;
Everyone is enabled and encouraged to participate to the maximum of their potential.

(Such a vision underlines what Bob Holman has noted as a move from seeking to redistribute resources to looking to increase opportunities. This may deflect attention from policies which reduce differentials when recent studies such as that by Professor Wilkinson for Barnardos suggest that it is being at the bottom of an unequal society which degrades, alienates and makes for poor health.)

After outlining a number of key objectives on the way to realising this vision (3.3), the report indicates five key principles of the Government's approach to promoting social inclusion - integration, prevention, understanding, inclusiveness and empowerment. These, it is claimed, will run through the four basic strands of action:
promoting opportunities
tackling barriers to inclusion
promoting inclusion among children and young people and
building strong communities.