Scheme to tackle racial disparities in social care workforce doubles in scope

A scheme to tackle racial disparities in councils’ social care workforces has more than doubled in scope.

Skills for Care said today that over 50 of England’s 153 authorities would take part in the social care workforce race equality standard (SC-WRES) improvement programme in 2024-25.

This is up from 23 who took part in the programme last year.

Through the SC-WRES, councils collect data on nine metrics measuring the experiences of their black, Asian and minority ethnic staff against those of white counterparts, and then submit this to Skills for Care. They are also expected to draw up action plans to address the findings.

In return, they receive advice and guidance on tackling racial inequalities, including through monthly virtual community of practice sessions.

Significant workforce racial disparities 

Last year’s data revealed significant racial disparities in the workforces of the participating councils. It showed that, compared with white staff, black, Asian and minority ethnic social care workers had, in the previous 12 months, been:

• half as likely to be appointed to a job from a shortlisting;
• 40% more likely to enter formal disciplinary processes;
• more than twice as likely, as a regulated professional, to enter fitness to practise processes;
• 20% more likely to experience harassment, bullying or abuse from people who use social care, relatives or the public;
• 30% more likely to experience harassment, bullying or abuse from a colleague and 90% more likely to have experienced this from a manager;
• 10% more likely to leave their organisation.

There was also a smaller proportion of staff from a black, Asian and minority ethnic background in senior management (12%) compared to their representation in the overall workforce (19%). The reverse was true for white staff, who made up 88% of senior management, compared with 81% of the workforce as a whole.

Likewise, while black, Asian and minority ethnic staff were underrepresented among those earning at least £70,000 a year (15% did so, compared to their 19% representation in the workforce), the opposite was true for white workers.

No government funding

The SC-WRES is based on a similar scheme in the NHS, but is different in two critical respects:

• The NHS workforce race equality standard is a requirement for NHS commissioners and providers. There is no such requirement in social care.
• The NHS standard is, in effect, government-funded, with NHS England directly resourcing the scheme. But while, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) funded the SC-WRES in 2021-22, it subsequently stopped doing so. As a result, Skills for Care decided to fund the scheme from its own resources.

In its adult social care workforce strategy, published last month, Skills for Care called for the government to mandate and fund the rollout of the SC-WRES across all local authorities in 2025-26, at an estimated cost of £500,000.