Comment on SWE survey on equality and diversity

Rachael Wardell, Chair of the ADCS Workforce Development Policy Committee said:

“Diversity in the workplace matters because representation matters, this is true for both direct work with families and at a senior level. It is also important for children and young people to see that they too can aspire to a career in children’s services by seeing themselves reflected in the professionals who have such an important impact on their lives. However, workers from under-represented groups, such as those from BAME backgrounds, can often face systemic barriers on their journey to leadership and some employers may experience a higher turnover of staff in these groups, which ought to prompt reflection as to the reasons why. By collecting equality and diversity data, we hope that Social Work England can gain a better insight into where there may be gaps or trends that need addressing. Promoting equality and diversity in the workforce, especially in leadership positions, continues to be a priority for the Association and is a focus of the ADCS Workforce Development Policy Committee. We therefore support all efforts that seek to better understand ways in which we can improve this.”

ENDS

---

---