The murder of George Floyd in 2020 ignited global discussion about the impact of racism and the need take action to address this.
A report exploring workforce inequalities within the NHS argues that long term change is needed to address racism, and that this requires multiple strategies at ‘organisational, workplace, interpersonal and intrapersonal levels used simultaneously and over time’ (Priest et al., 2015).
This year, the theme of World Social Work Day is ‘Respecting diversity through joint social action’, which is why we are highlighting the impact of racism on colleagues from black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups working in social work and social care.
In order to support you in having conversations about these issues in your organisations we have selected some key resources which:
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Provide insight into the experiences of colleagues from black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups.
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Identify ways in which these issues can be addressed using an anti-racist approach.
A focus on racism within social work and social care is important because:
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Black, Asian and minoritised social care professionals report frequently experiencing racism from their point of entry on to social work programmes and through their careers as social care professionals (Tedam, 2022).
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Despite significant numbers of black and minority ethnic social workers in frontline practice, they are disproportionately underrepresented in managerial and senior-level positions in social services departments, and tend to be concentrated in the lower positions (Bernard, 2020).
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Practitioners often report that conversations about racism do not routinely occur in supervision. If we don’t talk about racism in supervision, we can unwittingly re-inforce inequality
Talking about the impact of racism
Being anti-racist requires us to talk about the impact of racism and jointly engage in dialogue about how this can be addressed
Talking about racism can make us feel uncomfortable. However, we need to sit with the discomfort and find ways to have conversations about racism. These resources aim to understand how we talk about the impact of racism and promote anti-racist practice.
The Practice Supervisor Development Programme collaborated with three practice leaders who have experience of working in children’s social care, to explore how racism has affected their professional lives, and what needs to change. This video is part of a series of discussions.
This written briefing explains why taking action to acknowledge and address the impact of racism is both important and timely.
This video explores the importance of understanding the history of racism and how we can provide safe spaces for employees in organisations to talk about the impact of racism.
The video is part of a learning resource on promoting anti-racism in children's social care. The resource contains 14 films.
Barriers to progression
There have been concerns about barriers to progression into senior leadership and management roles in social services departments for black and minority ethnic social workers (Brockmann et al., 2001). These resources aim to address barriers to progression.
This knowledge briefing focuses on how managers of practice supervisors can proactively support the progression of black and minority ethnic social workers into management positions and senior leadership roles.
The Practice Supervisor Development Programme collaborated with three practice leaders who have experience of working in children’s social care, to explore how racism has affected their professional lives, and what needs to change. This video is part of a series of discussions.
Anti-racist supervision
Anti-racist supervision challenges practitioners to think deeply about any biases, assumptions or organisational constraints that may be influencing their work with children and families from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups and reflect on what it means to practise in an anti-racist way.
It actively supports the wellbeing and development of practitioners from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups by acknowledging the potential impact of racism and providing opportunities for practitioners to talk about career aspirations and progression. These resources explore anti-racist supervision.
This film explores why anti-racist supervision is important and it looks like.
The video is part of a learning resource on promoting anti-racism in children's social care. The resource contains 14 films.
This film explores the relationship between allyship and anti-racist supervision.
The video is part of a learning resource on promoting anti-racism in children's social care. The resource contains 14 films.
This learning tool is designed to help practice supervisors think about how they can engage in a critical conversation it should prove useful for anyone in a supervisory role, no matter where they are within their organisation.
The resources are designed for use in children and family services. However, much of the content will be relevant to anyone working within adults or children’s social care organisations.
Reflective questions
Here are reflective questions to stimulate conversation and support practice.
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Do you know enough about the experiences of racism faced by employees from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups in your organisation? If not, how can you learn more?
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How can your organisation provide opportunities for people from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups to safely and confidently talk about their experiences of racism? What role can you play in supporting this?
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How can colleagues from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups be supported to fulfil their professional aspirations and to move into more senior roles? If you are a line manager, what role can you play in supervision to support this?
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What conversations need to take place in your organisation in order to focus on antiracist supervision? How might you contribute to these?
We hope that these resources support you to have conversations about anti-racism within your organisation and take action to develop this further.
