Equality for care experienced people
Who Cares? Scotland has today launched its #LifetimeOfEquality campaign asking everyone across the UK to do what they can to protect care experienced people from discrimination.
The launch coincides with the UN Zero Discrimination Day, advocating the active promotion of everyone’s right to live a life with dignity regardless of the differences they have to other citizens.
The Lifetime of Equality campaign has four asks to help end discrimination for care experienced people. It’s asking for:
- the UK Parliament to amend the Equality Act 2010 and make Care Experience a protected characteristic;
- members of the Scottish Parliament to support the first ask – and to do everything in their power to protect care experienced people from discrimination;
- public and private organisations to amend their internal policies now and commit to treating Care Experience as an equalities group; and
- the public to stand beside Care Experienced people and email their local MP or MSP to ask them to back a #LifetimeOfEquality for Care Experienced people.
Ben Farrugia, Head of Development and Innovation at CELCIS, said:
"A lifetime of equality for care experienced people is a vision we share, and we are excited about the opportunity to work with Who Cares? Scotland and others in identifying, pursuing and securing changes which can bring this vision into reality. We look forward to the important debate about discrimination and care experience which this campaign will provoke, and the discussion about how we use tools like the UK Equality Act and corporate parenting to overcome it."
Who Cares? Scotland has also published a report explaining why they believe that care experience should also be a protected characteristic for life.