by Aemulator AdminSocial Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (SC-WRES)
The Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (SC-WRES) is an initiative by Skills for Care aimed at addressing racial inequalities within England’s adult social care sector. The latest data, collected from 23 local authorities between September and November 2023, reveals significant disparities affecting staff from Black, Asian, and minoritised ethnic backgrounds compared to their white counterparts.
Key Findings
- Recruitment and Progression: Staff from minoritised ethnic backgrounds were half as likely to be appointed from shortlisting and half as likely to be promoted compared to white colleagues.
- Disciplinary Actions: These staff members were 40% more likely to enter formal disciplinary processes and more than twice as likely to face fitness-to-practice procedures as regulated professionals.
- Workplace Harassment: They were 20% more likely to experience harassment, bullying, or abuse from service users, relatives, or the public; 30% more likely to face such issues from colleagues; and 90% more likely to encounter them from managers.
- Representation in Leadership: While 32% of the adult social care workforce in England comes from minoritised ethnic backgrounds, they hold only 22% of registered manager roles and 19% of senior management positions.
SC-WRES Improvement Programme
The SC-WRES is a continuous improvement programme designed to support social care organisations in achieving anti-racist workplaces. It draws on improvement methodologies adapted from the NHS to facilitate meaningful and sustainable organisational change towards race equality.
Participation in the SC-WRES has grown significantly, with 85 local authorities involved in the latest cycle, up from 23 in the previous year. Despite this progress, the programme currently lacks government funding and is sustained through Skills for Care’s own resources.
