Social Work Anti-racism Oversight Group: statement of intent

Anti-racism in Social Work: A Statement of Intent by the Social Work Anti-racism Oversight Group

Background

Following the death of George Floyd in 2020, the Scottish Association of Social Work engaged with social workers across Scotland and found significant experiences of racism across the profession. The SASW report and 2022 action plan committed to working collaboratively with stakeholders across the sector to raise awareness and promote active anti-racism.

OCSWA, in the Scottish Government, responded by drawing together employers, educators, membership organisations, regulators, inspection agencies and civil servants from a wide range of policy directorates under the Social Work Anti-racism Oversight Group. The Group has worked to develop this joint statement of intent to bring focus to the issue of racism in social work and to ensure effective connections to other ongoing national policy.

The recent riots that started in Southport, England in July 2024 serve as a strong reminder that racism is an urgent issue affecting British society. There is no room for complacency in our efforts to create an equal and just society. We must take resolute action against racism and hatred.

On 3 September 2024, the First Minister, John Swinney, acknowledged the gravity of racism in our society when he outlined his vision of ‘One Scotland,’ where people live in safety and peace, and have the opportunity to flourish. With this statement, the First Minister signalled that addressing racism is a priority for Scotland. The Programme for Government 2024-25 included an explicit commitment to embedding anti-racism across the public and third sectors.

Three days later, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Neil Gray MSP, made a public statement to affirm his commitment to tackling racism in Scotland. He acknowledged that racism persists in society and should be recognised as a significant public challenge. Mr Gray made it clear that a firm anti-racism approach is essential to tackle the impacts of racism on people and to improve our services across the NHS, social care and social work. He called on all of us to come together to harness the power of our organisations to transform our services and people’s lives.

Statement of Intent

This statement of intent on anti-racism in the social work sector is intended to be a resolute step towards dismantling institutional and systemic racism within social work. It will support organisations represented in the Social Work Anti-racism Oversight Group to develop and implement the first national Anti-racism Action Plan for Social Work, which will also be published soon.

This statement of intent is the result of months of debate by members of the Social Work Anti-racism Oversight Group. It encapsulates all partners’ attitudes towards eradicating racism and signals their determination to work together across organisational boundaries to eradicate racism from the social work sector.

Change is needed to employment practices, recruitment approaches, learning materials and more, if we are to remove the racism that we know still exists in Scotland’s social work sector. If we do this, we will ensure that everyone has access to opportunities to meet their full potential in a fair and respectful society.

We recognise that words are not enough on their own and, therefore, we intend this statement to be a call for all of us to take actions that speak louder than words. We acknowledge we need to make profound changes; we need to listen and validate all voices within the sector calling upon us to remove stigma and discrimination from social work. Our statement of intent is a commitment to continually learn how to become ever more inclusive and to bring about change in four priority areas, namely; social work practice, social work education, social work leadership and culture, and stakeholder influencing and campaigning. The aims pursued under these four priority areas are set out below.

Priority Area 1: Social work practice and education

Aim: zero tolerance of racism. Should racism be experienced, social workers and students can raise experiences of racism with confidence that they will be supported, and appropriate action taken.

Priority Area 2: Leadership and culture

Aim: promote and support increased diversity amongst the social work workforce, with increased representation of people from ethnic minority backgrounds in leadership roles.

Priority Area 3: Approach for Oversight Group members

Aim: embed an equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) approach across all the work done to promote anti-racist behaviours and practices amongst membership organisation staff groups.

Priority Area 4: Stakeholder influencing and campaigning

Aim: work collaboratively with partners and stakeholders across the sector to raise awareness and promote anti-racism.

The Scottish Government, SASW, COSLA and partner organisations in the sector are committed to removing racism and discrimination from social work in Scotland. We owe this to people who need support and people involved in giving that support. Together, we can make sure the commitment we have set out in this statement of intent ensures that the anti-racist and inclusive culture we all deserve.

Partners in the social work sector are working together to reduce experiences of racism and racist behaviour in Scottish social work. As we move towards the development of the Anti-racism Action Plan for Social Work, the Group’s main remit remains one of collaboration, advice and monitoring. Partners have agreed to collective responsibility to effect change across the social work profession, as well as taking individual responsibility to seek change within their organisations. This will ensure a collaborative approach to achieving the aims of the action plan currently under development.

The action plan will be based on four overarching principles, which will underpin the actions agreed to drive racism from social work. These are:

1. Hearing the voices of social workers: creating a baseline of data to understand the extent of racism within social work and learning from lived experience.

2. A set of national anti-racism values for social work: creating a joint understanding of what is meant by anti-racism in social work as part of a national learning and training resource to support social workers and social work leadership in embedding anti-racism in the profession.

3. Communications: committing to clear, unambiguous communications for social workers and those who commission and use social work services that racism is unacceptable.

4. Facilitating engagement: providing routes for social workers and social work leaders to contribute to actions that promote anti-racism within the profession.

This statement of intent reiterates the need for an actively anti-racist stance within social work. By anti-racism, we mean actively standing up against racism, challenging and changing the policies, practices, beliefs and behaviours that unjustly disadvantage people from minority ethnic groups. We also mean being proactive in creating a more inclusive and fair culture in social work.

We are committed to creating a profession characterised by respect, dignity and opportunity for all those who have chosen to train and practice as social workers and those who lead social work services. We hope you will join us in our endeavours. This is fundamental to the country’s efforts to reduce racial inequalities in Scotland.