Comment on WWC report on anti-racism

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

“The findings from What Works for Children’s Social Care’s (WWC) anti racism survey report are stark and make for essential reading for anyone within the sector. The report highlights how much more there is to do in improving anti-racist practice and to create a truly inclusive environment for the whole of our workforce. Racism and discrimination have no place in the workplace or in our communities and cannot be tolerated. ADCS will engage with the WWC and sector colleagues to bring forward an action plan that addresses the findings in this report.

“Nationally and regionally, there is positive work ongoing to improve diversity in children’s services, such as The Staff College’s BALI Programme and ADCS continues to engage with government in bringing forward the NHS’s Workforce Race Equality Standards (WRES) to local authority children and adult services. However, there is much more that individual organisations can do to embed anti-racist practice and make change happen. We must improve the experiences of people in the workforce from all backgrounds who experience discrimination. This will require a collective effort and must span the entirety of someone’s career, from training, to good CPD, through to progression opportunities.

“It’s vitally important that our workforce reflects local communities and that the children we work with see that a career in children’s services is not beyond their reach, yet there are not enough black and other ethnic minority directors across the country. Supporting anyone who is working in children’s services to progress to senior and leadership roles, if they want to, continues to be a priority for local authorities and the Association. We each have a responsibility to stand up for change and to challenge ourselves and each other to do more if we are to achieve a fairer, more tolerant and equal society.”

ENDS

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