Social Work Anti-racism Oversight Group: statement of intent

Statement of Support from the Social Work Anti-racism Oversight Group Co-chairs, Susan Dobson, Professional Officer, Scottish Association of Social Work and Joanna Macdonald, Deputy Chief Social Work Adviser

This statement of intent represents significant work on the part of the Social Work Anti-racism Oversight Group who have met consistently to identify how best to address the issue of racism in social work. Simply put, there is no place for racism in social work. However, the SASW report Racism in Scottish Social Work: a 2021 snapshot and subsequent discussions with individuals and groups show that racism is indeed experienced by many social workers throughout their student years and in their practice settings as registered social workers. Racism is harmful to our profession; it is harmful to individual social workers and to the communities they serve.

This statement of intent and the associated Anti-racism Action Plan for Social Work aim to honour the commitment of the members of the Social Work Anti-Racism Oversight Group. This will ensure social work is a profession characterised by dignity and respect for all, where all workers have the opportunity to train, work, and progress their career in a way that is meaningful to them.

It has been both a pleasure and a privilege to co-chair this Group. We greatly appreciate the time, commitment and expertise the members of the Social Work Anti-racism Oversight Group have brought. They challenged, explored, contributed and helped us all become aware of the very difficult experiences that people shared throughout this work. This statement of intent reaffirms our own commitment to creating a social work profession free from racism.