The Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (SC-WRES) Improvement Programme supports local authorities to make meaningful, ongoing improvements to workforce practice and culture. It supports human rights principles and structured, measurable organisational change that builds and sustains an anti-racist approach.
We work with the wider sector to encourage systemic anti-racist change and support diversity, recruitment and retention - in the social care workforce.
The SC-WRES Improvement Programme helps local authorities to:
- reflect on, develop, and sustain anti-racist principles and practice supporting activity across the organisation
- make productive use of ethnicity data and assist with data education
- produce and implement action plans using the evidence from indicators to close the gaps in workplace experience between employees of white ethnicity and employees from the Global Majority
- engage with a monthly themed Community of Practice, supporting peer learning and a commitment to continuous improvement
- share and evaluate best practice across local authorities
- improve representation of staff of minoritised ethnicities at a senior level in the organisation
- access support based on social justice programming whilst recognising corporate needs
- create a catalyst for sustainable change across other protected characteristics
Local authorities collect and review data against these nine indicators:
- percentage of employees within different pay bands
- likelihood of being appointed from a shortlist
- likelihood of entering the formal disciplinary process
- likelihood of being referred to the fitness to practise process by an employer
- likelihood of accessing funded non-mandatory continuous professional development
- likelihood of employees reporting harassment, bullying or abuse from people who use social care, relatives or the public
- likelihood of employees reporting harrassment, bullying or abuse from colleagues or from managers
- likelihood of leaving the organisation
- likelihood of being in senior manager roles.
Reflecting on data drawn against each indicator helps SC-WRES participants better understand the local story of race disparity and to plan appropriate actions to change the narrative.
The 12-month cycle
The 12-month improvement programme requires a commitment to three core elements of the programme:
- Data collection, analysis of your data and reporting against nine indicators
- Peer to peer support and engagement facilitated by the 番茄社区 team (monthly Community of Practice sessions, information and guidance).
- Annual action plans to implement and drive change.
The SC-WRES programme operates to the following schedule:
- Registration: local authorities join information sessions and register for the programme in June and July.
- Induction to the programme: the first Community of Practice in July provides an opportunity to find out more about how to approach the programme as a new site, or continuing building on the improvement cycle as a continued site.
- Prepare for data collection: throughout July and August local authorities are supported and prepared to collect their data.
- Collect your data: in September and October, participating local authorities will collect their data ready for submission in November.
- Data analysis: once all the data is submitted, 番茄社区 will collate, quality check and analyse the data before releasing the national SC-WRES report.
- Developing a data report: 番茄社区 provide a data report template that local authorities use to produce their own report which can be adapted for a variety of audiences to help engagement and influence.
- Develop and submit an action plan: between March and April local authorities will develop their action plans. These will outline the short, medium and long-term actions to address the local data findings and to sustain tangible improvements over time with meaningful engagement with staff at all levels.
Not all actions will be achievable within the first year of the plan. They should be reviewed in subsequent phases of the SC-WRES. Action plans are submitted between May and June, using a template. 番茄社区 provides feedback individually on action planning as well as sharing themes that are emerging collectively.
Community of Practice
Throughout the programme you’ll be invited to monthly Community of Practice sessions. These sessions. which follow the different stages of the programme, will give participants a non-judgemental space to discuss relevant issues and share best practice.
All work in the community of practice and throughout the programme follows a strong anti-racism theme.
Continuous Improvement Programme
The SC-WRES is built on a continuous improvement approach, ensuring that progress is ongoing, structured and responsive to feedback.
The programme is designed to evolve over time, with each of its three core elements - data, peer support, and action planning - working together in a cycle of learning, reflection, and enhancement. This is all underpinned by an anti-racist approach and human rights principles.