Anti-racist social work practice

Learn on the go: the Community Care podcast

In this episode, we discuss anti-racist social work in the context of the Black Lives Matter protests that have swept the US and the UK in response to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the end of May. In the UK over the past ten years black people have accounted for 8% of those who have died in police custody, while accounting for only 3% of the UK population as a whole. Black people are four times as likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act as white people. And research has found that there are significant inequalities in the proportions of children from different ethnic groups in the care system.
Our expert guest today is Dr Kish Bhatti-Sinclair, Reader in Social Policy and Social Work at the University of Chichester. Kish is known for her work on social work, race and racism. Towards the end of the episode, we also hear from Sarah Blackmore, executive director of strategy, policy and engagement at Social Work England.
The episode covers:
- What anti-racist practice is, and how it differs from anti-oppressive practice.
- How anti-racist practice has developed in social work and where we are now.
- How social workers, team managers and leaders can take action in the context of their own practice.
Community Care Inform subscribers can access additional resources and a written transcript on the Inform website.
References
George Floyd death: How many black people die in police custody in England and Wales? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/52890363
Discrimination in mental health services - https://www.mind.org.uk/news-campaigns/legal-news/legal-newsletter-june-2019/discrimination-in-mental-health-services/
Care system ethnic inequalities - https://www.mind.org.uk/news-campaigns/legal-news/legal-newsletter-june-2019/discrimination-in-mental-health-services/
Community Care Inform resources
Contextual safeguarding: podcast - https://www.ccinform.co.uk/learning-tools/contextual-safeguarding-podcast/
Initial meetings with young people: a systemic and intersectional approach - https://www.ccinform.co.uk/practice-guidance/initial-meetings-with-young-people-an-intersectional-and-systemic-approach/
Cultural competence: lessons from research - https://www.ccinform.co.uk/research/cultural-competence-lessons-from-research/
Safeguarding Black girls from child sexual abuse: messages from research - https://www.ccinform.co.uk/research/child-sexual-abuse-and-safeguarding-black-girls-messages-from-research/
Anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice education - https://www.ccinform.co.uk/practice-guidance/anti-discriminatory-and-anti-oppressive-practice-education/
Black Lives Matter reading
Black Lives Matter: social work must respond with action - not platitudes - https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2020/06/12/black-lives-matter-social-work-must-respond-action-platitudes/
Resources and tools regarding racism and anti-Blackness - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bUJrgX8vspyy7YttiEC2vD0DawrpPYiZs94V0ov7qZQ/htmlview
Anti-racism resources for social workers and therapists - https://www.socialwork.career/2020/06/anti-racism-resources-for-social-workers-and-therapists.html
A guide to anti-racism - https://simmons.libguides.com/anti-oppression/anti-racism
FGM resources
Protecting children from FGM - https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-abuse-and-neglect/fgm
Multi-agency statutory guidance on FGM - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/multi-agency-statutory-guidance-on-female-genital-mutilation
Social Work England resources
Social work reflections on racism and inequality - https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/news/willing-to-listen-learn-and-understand/
Regional engagement lead Kate discusses her experiences as a gay woman and how she draws upon these experiences as a social worker - https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/news/fighting-for-social-justice-and-a-fairer-society/