The value and impact of the Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard

James Bullion, Executive Director of Adult Social Services in Norfolk, Trustee on the Skills for Care Board, shares his experiences of using the Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (SC-WRES) in Norfolk.

As a new Trustee to the Skills for Care Board, I’m delighted to have the opportunity to introduce myself during #RaceEqualityWeek2023 and share the important work we’ve been doing in Norfolk with the SC-WRES.

In 2020, we had the opportunity to become one of the initial pilot sites for the SC-WRES, which was being developed by Skills for Care. We were successful in our application and became one of the 18 pilot sites in 2021. The introduction of the SC-WRES was a recommendation after wide consultation with the sector. Although the sector has a strong human rights value base, there was a lack of confidence in how it was responding to differences experienced by protected groups and that it wasn’t undertaking deeper discussions about race and racism.

So, what is the SC-WRES? It’s an annual data collection tool, enabling us to collect data that highlight any disparities in experiences from black, Asian and minority ethnic staff. It’s made up of nine metrics which look at areas such as pay bandings, entering the disciplinary process, experiencing harassment, bullying or abuse and opportunities for career progression.

The data was gathered from a range of sources including our staff survey, internal Human Resources and training systems, as well as national statistics, which evidences our current position in relation to the metrics. This highlights both what is currently going well and areas for improvement. At this point I want to emphasise it's important for us not to take for granted areas that are going well, but to learn what may be supporting us in that area and continue to sustain and improve our performance.

The initial collection of the data has provided a starting point for me to understand our current position based on evidence. We’ve collaborated with our staff-led advisory and employee networks, leads across Adult and Childrens services, Human Resources, and our Equalities Team to identify priority areas and create action plans. This has enabled me and my team to have a wide range of perspectives, including those with lived experience, and has helped ensure we have the right priorities and actions in place. This will make a difference in supporting all colleagues from a minority ethnic background to have equal access to career opportunities and receive fair treatment in the workplace.

Evidence is gathered separately across Adult and Children’s services, and there are times when one directorate may have a different priority and can potentially learn from what the other is doing. An example of this for me was in relation to ensuring that appropriate support is in place for our international colleagues when joining my department. Children’s services have more experience in this area, and we’ve been able to learn about what has worked for them, as well as what hasn’t. As a result, we’ve resourced dedicated colleagues to help with the onboarding of international social workers, providing dedicated support for their development when they join our teams.

There have been challenges to gathering the data needed for some of the metrics; sometimes due to our own system limitations or where we’ve needed other agencies or organisations to provide data in a certain way, that they haven’t been able to do. This has included getting data for colleagues who’ve entered the fitness-to-practice process and understanding who has accessed voluntary continued professional development opportunities.

We’ve been updating our action plan with progress through the year and will shortly be gathering the data again to see where we are now, comparing our data to our starting point. I know that this is an ongoing process and can’t be done in isolation but some of the actions that have already been taken should hopefully support not just my goal, but the organisation’s, in ensuring there is equal access to career opportunities and fair treatment, no matter what your race or ethnic background.

Although we’ve so far concentrated on the SC-WRES, which specifically looks at race, we’re also aware that we need to look at colleagues with other protected characteristics, to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities for career progression, training opportunities and are free from harassment and bullying within Norfolk.

In Norfolk, the SC-WRES is making a practical difference to improving our evidence at work, having a positive impact on our culture, and as an employer making us more competent at equalities work. It’s a real step forward.

Find out more about the SW-WRES

During #RaceEqualityWeek2023 find out more about what you can do to support equality, diversity and inclusion on our dedicated Race Equality Week webpage or follow the conversation on social media.

#ItsEveryonesBusiness  #ActionDrivesChange

Print this page