Transforming anti-racist leadership in Lewisham Council

Social care leaders play a key role in embedding and developing anti-racist practice in their organisations. 

After being deemed as ‘requiring improvement’ in 2015 and 2019, this year Children’s Services at Lewisham Council were judged as ‘good’. In the report, the inspector noted: 

The area where Pinaki Ghoshal, Executive Director of Children and Young People, particularly wanted to focus on was the strength of the diversity of the workforce, of which ethnically diverse staff make up the majority of frontline staff, and are truly representative of the children and families they serve in the borough.  

In the 2021 borough census, 26.8% of residents identified their ethnic group within the Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African category. Currently, 61.7% of staff working in children’s social care in Lewisham are from ethnically diverse backgrounds. 

The work by the Senior Management Team to improve frontline staff experiences of working in the service was acknowledged as a particular strength by Ofsted. This had been a top priority by leadership to embed a systemic culture change. 

Embedding an anti-racist leadership programme 

Through a reflective anti-racist leadership programme, senior managers have shared experiences and personal and professional stories about the impact of racism. The programme included learning about the history of racism and its impact as well as stating a commitment to action. 

In developing and embedding anti-racist practice, commitment from the Senior Management Team has been identified as a key catalyst for change.  

Leaders in children’s social care are committed to achieving an anti-racist organisation. Some of the ways this has been done is through setting up an open space for Black and Global Majority staff as well as developing an anti-racist thinking space for the Senior Management Team to share issues and learning. Anti-racist practice is a regular agenda item at senior management meetings.  

Ofsted praised these actions, commenting: 

Senior leaders have noted the impact this work has had on staff and the children and families that they support. 

Establishing an anti-racist network 

One of the key initiatives has been the development of the Anti-Racist Network Group with a focus on practice with ethnically diverse children and families, workforce and the wider partnership. 

The Anti-Racist Network Group consist of members from the Senior Management Team and frontline staff in children’s social care. The group created an anti-racist statement with pledges and an action plan with objectives to be achieved to eradicate all forms of racism and achieve equity. The group’s role is also to make suggestions to improve clarity on how concerns raised in relation to allegations of racism are addressed across the council. Lewisham’s People and Organisation Development service are in the process of reviewing different processes and policies, one of them is the grievance policy and will take this feedback into account alongside other stakeholder feedback.   

Supporting frontline practitioners 

Senior management support frontline staff to include anti-racism in their practice within assessments and interventions to ensure ethnically diverse families get the help and support they need. This is achieved through supporting practitioners to: 

• Understand the needs of families.  
• Understand the impact of trauma experienced by families.  
• Develop relationships to build trust with families. 
• Listen to the voices of ethnically diverse children and families to understand their lived experiences. 
• Challenging all forms of racism experience by children to promote inclusion and equity.  

Practitioners are also using an intersectionality lens to address all forms of inequalities on top of racism. The workforce also has the opportunity of attending the anti-racist thinking space to obtain advice and support to providing anti-racist practice for children and families and meeting their cultural needs.  

Additionally, staff who identify as ethnically diverse have been supported to access opportunities for coaching and mentoring to break the glass ceiling and ensure they represent all levels of the organisation. This section of the workforce has expressed feeling more confident to raise issues of racism experienced by themselves internally and with external organisations, and experienced by children and families. 

The Senior Management Team has offered support and advice to address incidents of racism experienced by frontline staff which has resulted in reflective discussions, training, and effective change.

The most important impact is that children and families in Lewisham are getting appropriate care that meets their diverse needs in education, health, housing, addresses disproportionality, and achieves good outcomes and equity.