It's time the independent sector to stand up and be counted to boost equality in the adult social care workforce.
I was shocked to read this week that just 1.2 per cent of leaders in the local authority provided adult social care sector are from a non-white background. Figures quoted by national non-profit Skills for Care also showed that only around one in five (22 per cent) of staff delivering services to over-18s are from Black, Asian or minority ethnic groups.
Skills for Care data from last year also showed that care workers of Black, Asian or minority ethnicities are 44 per cent less likely to be appointed from shortlist, 50 per cent more likely to enter into a formal disciplinary process, over a third (37 per cent) less likely to reach senior management, and 15 per cent more likely to leave their organisation. Bullying and harassment of non-white staff was also higher from service users, colleagues and managers.
At a time when efforts to address systemic inequality are under attack on several levels at home and abroad, the importance of calling this out and refusing to let it be sidelined has never been greater.
In reaction to the figures, the Care Workers Charity called for the issue to be treated as a “national crisis” rather than a side conversation. It described the report, which draws on data from 99 local authorities, covering around 70 per cent of the adult local authority social care workforce in England, ‘tells us what many care workers already know: that racial inequity is not an accident of circumstance in this sector, it is built into it”.
Both Skills for Care and the Care Workers charity are now rightly pushing for the programme to be extended to the independent sector, where the majority of the workforce are employed. While there’s inequality in the availability of data and transparency of recruitment practices between local authority and independent sector providers, it will surely continue to be seen as a niche exercise.
This sector is predominantly proud compassionate, collaborative and, by it’s nature, caring. Let’s show leadership in this area – share data, report progress and showcase what a properly valued diverse workforce can achieve.
