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FOR GENERAL
RELEASETourism,
Equalities,
Agenda Item 34
Communities & Culture
Committee
Subject: Anti-Racism Pledge Update
Date of meeting: 3rd November 2022
Report of: Executive Director Housing, Neighbourhoods, Communities
Contact Officer: Name: Jamarl Billy
Email: Jamarl.Billy@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Ward(s) affected: All
For general release
1. PURPOSE OF REPORT AND POLICY CONTEXT
1.1 The initial report on actions being taken by the council towards becoming an anti-racist council was presented at TECC committee on 29th July 2020 and an update was presented on 19th November 2020. At this meeting officers were instructed to provide brief updates as a standing item at every TECC committee meeting. This report provides an update on actions since the progress report to the previous TECC committee meeting.
2. RECOMMENDATIONS:
2.1 That committee note the report.
3. CONTEXT/ BACKGROUND INFORMATION
3.1
The report to TECC Committee on 15th
September contains 19th November contains the full
background and details of actions taken up to that
date and this report should be read in that context.
3.2 Updates are noted where specific activities or progress has been made.
3.3 Anti-Racism Strategy Document
3.3.1 Work
continues oncontinues developing the council's
Anti-Racism strategy document and action plan. A phase of internal
engagement has now been completed. The strategy is currently in
external engagement phase, where we are seeking input from external
community groups and residents. The details of this engagement are
outlined in 3.7.
3.4.1 The Adult Education Hub works closely with the ESOL network, DWP and other training providers that offer ESOL in the city. It is funded through the Adult Education Budget, via the Education and Skills Funding Agency
3.4.2 The Adult Education Hub gives residents the opportunity to learn new skills and improve their career options. It offers a wide range of classes and workshops including work and employability skills; pre-employment training for specific city industries; English Maths and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL); and well-being & personal development. The adult learning programme is carefully targeted to meet the needs of local people. It works with communities, local enterprise partners and key stakeholders to ensure learning opportunities reach those that need them most.
3.4.3 Participants are from a range of ethnic backgrounds included but not limited to Arab, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Afghani, Iranian and Hong Kongese. Approximately 15% of participants identify as Any Other White. 30% of participants did not provide ethnicity information but it is believed that many of these people present as being from Black & Racially Minoritised backgrounds.
3.4.4 People apply to use the service through the online portal, in person or through calling the service. The curriculum follows the council wide City Employment and Skills Plan, and is quality assured under the Ofsted Common Inspection Framework. All courses at the Hub are non-accredited and use Recognition and Recording Progress and Achievement (RARPA) forms to measure progression. Some learners progress on to accredited ESOL and vocational courses.
3.4.5 Progression pathways onto more formal qualifications are in place via BHCC subcontracted providers and through strong networks made with other educational providers in the City.
3.1.1
The Adult Education Hub gives residents the
opportunity to learn new skills and improve their career options.
It offers a wide range of classes and workshops including work and
employability skills; pre-employment training for specific city
industries; English Maths and English for speakers of other
languages (ESOL); and well-being & personal development. The
adult learning programme is carefully targeted to meet the needs of
local people. It works with communities, local enterprise partners
and key stakeholders to ensure learning opportunities reach those
that need them most.
3.1.1
Participants are from a range of ethnic
backgrounds included but not limited to Arab, Bangladeshi,
Pakistani, Chinese, and Iranian. Ethnicities that are most
represented include Afghani & Hong Kongese. Approximately 15%
of participants identify as Any Other White. 30% of participants
did not provide ethnicity information but it is believed that many
of these people present as being from Black & Racially
Minoritised backgrounds. Currently, several3 of the 11 teachers at the
Adult Education Hub are from Racially Minoritised
backgrounds.
3.1.1
People apply to use the service through the
online portal. The curriculum follows the council wide
City Employment and Skills Plan, and is quality assured under the
Ofsted Common Inspection Framework. All courses at the Hub are
non-accredited and use Recognition and Recording Progress and
Achievement (RARPA) forms to measure progression. Some learners
progress on to accredited ESOL and vocational
courses.
3.1.1
Most learners who finished a course progress on
to the next level, which may take them outside the Adult Education
Hub. However, the Hub runs an end of course survey, social impact
survey and phone call to maintain a relationship with learners,
andlearners and establish
their destination 3-6 months after they have finished a
course.
3.1.1
The Adult Education Hub works closely with the
ESOL network, DWP and other training providers that offer ESOL in
the city. It is funded through the Adult Education Budget, via the
Education and Skills Funding Agency
3.5 Education
3.5.1 The anti-racist education strategy was funded in April 2021 and now in it’s second year work is continuing at pace. A full annual report is provided to the Children and Young People’s Committee at the end of each financial year.
3.5.2
On the 15th October, an
‘Anti-Racist Education in the Community’ event was held
at the Lighthouse venue, beneath Afrori
Books. This brought
together non-state
actors [RS2] non-statutory agencies and individuals
involved in anti-racist education to share their
contributions and coordinate with the strategy. This event was a
huge success and we will be planning a larger event in
2023.
3.1.1
The anti-racist
education strategy was funded in April 2021 and now in it’s
second year work is continuing at
pace. Highlights of the
achievements from this quarter
are included in this update
and a full annual report is provided to the
Children and Young People’s
Committee at the end of each financial
year.
3.1.1
In September we
were pleased to welcome five Anti-racist lead
teachers to the team. The lead teachers are all
currently working in education settings in Brighton and Hove and
are seconded to work for the strategy for 1-2 days a fortnight.
This is a significant expansion of the capacity of the team and
will enable the strategy to
build momentum and to ensure the work is embedded into schools,
nurseries and colleges rather than being a ‘paper
exercise’. The lead teachers are Dulani Kulasinghe (Patcham
Infants), Shareen Hone (Cardinal Newman),
Anoushka Visvalingham (St Luke’s), Flo Sparham
(Goldstone) and Elohor Knowles (Middle St). Angela Simmonds
(Varndean) who was
recently recruited as Lead Teacher for Equality,
Anti-racism and Anti- bullying will also be working
alongside the team,
3.1.1
This term
the team are developing
a racial literacy spiral curriculum spanning EYFS
to Secondary,
starting work
to develop a comprehensive
continuous professional development training programme for teachers
and support staff, and providing
training and resources around the next phase of anti-racist
education review, supporting schools to review their training
needs.
3.1.1
We are working
with national exclusions experts to make sense of our exclusions
data with a view to reducing/eliminating exclusions across the city
and related to this running a project looking at behaviours and
incident response to support
education settings to deliver a more meaningful response to
families affected by racism.
3.1.1
BHCC are is hosting a special event bringing
together service providers, individuals, community and voluntary
sector representatives who have a contribution to make to
Anti-Racist education in Brighton and Hove. The event is taking
place on 15th October. The objectives of this
event are to share information about progress made under the
strategy and planned next steps; hear from partner organisations
about the work they are doing to enable better coordination across
the city and to ensure we promote the work of local organisations
to schools and colleges accurately and effectively; and meet one
another and celebrate the vital anti-racist education work the
community has led on in the city. Feedback about the event will be
gathered shortly afterwards, with more details being fed into this
report going forward. Is
increase[JD3] On the
15th
October at the Lighthouse underneath
Afrori books, we held an anti-racist education in the
community event bringing
together non-state actors involved in anti-racist education to
share their contributions and coordinate with the strategy. This
event was a huge success and we will be planning a larger more
public event in 2023.
3.1.1
Hundreds more
education workers have accessed racial literacy training this
quarter and training has also been provided this
quarter to Governors, Early Years Network, and a workshop delivered
at the Runnymede We Move summit
inLeeds.
3.6.1 The
Equality Business Partner for the Housing, Neighbourhoods and
Communities (HNC) directorate is working closely with teams in
Housing to support their delivery of equalities best practise.
In particular, thisThis involves working with Housing
Officers that are handling cases that involve racism and
discrimination.
3.6.2 Tenancy
services are aware of the Third
PartyThird-Party Reporting Centres that
the Safer Communities team have collaborated with community groups
to establish. They are sign posting tenants to the service where
necessary.
3.6.3 The
Community Engagement Team have been engaging with Black &
Racially Minoritised tenants to understand more about their
experiences in council housing. They recently ran four different
sessions specifically aimed at,
andat
and advertised directly to tenants with protected
characteristics [DT5] and from Black &
Racially Minoritised backgrounds, target age
groups and disabled
tenants. Business
Objects was used to identify tenants from these backgrounds and
tTexts and emails were sent to
invite them to the sessions. Turnout for the sessions was high with
many residents commenting on how positive it was to be invited to
speak directly about their experiences. Constructive feedback was
given about people’s lived experiences in council housing and
how their intersecting identities affected those experiences. The
Community Engagement team are currently processing all the feedback
received and putting together a report to present to the Housing
Leadership Team.
3.6.4 A new Policy and Training Plan, with a focus on reporting and responding to hate crime, is currently being updated. Among other things, this plan will aim to respond to the nuances and intricacies of how racism and hate crime manifest, upskilling housing staff in how to identify and deal with these situations more effectively. Learning & Development (L&D) members of staff, and the Equalities Business Partner for HNC will be involved in developing this plan alongside Housing staff. Once the plan is completed, it will go to Housing Committee in 2023.
3.7 Engagement with Communities
3.7.1 The most recent Community Advisory Group meeting was held on the 23rd September. The topic for the meeting was the Anti-Racism strategy. Lead Officer presented an update on the Anti-Racism strategy draft and fielded questions from community members. The officer spoke of the internal engagement that has been done with teams across all directorates to ascertain Anti-Racism priorities and develop understanding of Anti-Racism. The next phase of external engagement was also outlined.
3.7.2 Feedback
was positive on the work done so far on the Anti-Racism Strategy.
Some expressed concern over how council will implement the
Anti-Racism plans and how leaders within the council will pioneer
actions. There was concern that this could become a ‘tick box
exercise’ rather than a programme of true change. Community
members were reassured that an action plan is being developed
with to keep directorates directly accountable for their
Anti-Racism priorities. Furthermore, it was discussed that the
action plan will run in tandem with the Accessible City Strategy
and the Fair & Inclusive Action Plan, to ensure efficiency of
governance across all equality work within the Council.
3.1.1
A Focus Group for community members is planned
for 20th October at the Black & Minority Ethnic
Community Partnership Centre (BMECP). The focus group will give
community members an opportunity to scrutinise the current draft of
the Anti-Racism Strategy in more detail and share their thoughts
and expectations on the council’s Anti-Racism
work.
3.7.3 Engagement
with other community groups about the Anti-Racism Strategy is also
taking place on a 1:1 basis. This gives those who are unavailable
for the CAG or the focus group an
opportunity to have a say on the development of the strategy and
ensures a diverse range of voices are part of the development
process. Being flexible in how we engage with Black & Racially
Minoritised communities is vital in building trust and confidence,
which is a key component of our Anti-Racism Strategy. Embedding
this best practice into the development of the strategy creates a
solid foundation of engagement on which we can build upon once the
strategy is complete.
3.7.4 Feedback on the project that investigated COVID-19 vaccine equity among Black & Racially Minoritised communities has now been completed. This project gave participants a chance to speak about why they have or have not taken the vaccine, what information influenced their decision, what concerns may have been part of the decision making process, and what wider health concerns affects the community. Preliminary findings showed that the majority of participants who took part had taken at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccination. Many cited the need to be safe and fully protected against COVID, the need to travel to see family abroad, and wanting to keep family members safe as main reasons for taking the vaccine. of those who did not take the vaccine, some cited fear of side effects as a reason not to take it. A full report has been provided to our Public Health team who will be taking the feedback forward as part of a wider inquiry into vaccine equity among neighbourhoods in Brighton & Hove.
3.8 Council Workforce & Fair & Inclusive Action Plan (FIAP)[JB6]
3.8.1 The Diverse Talent programme, an innovative career support programme, was offered to 15 employees within Brighton & Hove City Council. The program ran from January to September 2022, with the aim of supporting Black & Racially Minoritised colleagues with personal and professional career development, increasing confidence to progress in careers and to overcome barriers in accessing opportunities and gaining promotion. Each employee involved was assigned a mentor from our Leadership Network. Participants also had the support of an external coach.
3.8.2 On September 13th, there was a celebration of the end of the pilot Diverse Talent programme. Participants and mentors attended the event, celebrating the successes of the programme whilst also recognising there is lots we can learn from this pilot. Of the 15 participants, 4 people were promoted internally and a fifth externally during the programme and everyone said their confidence had increased.
3.8.3 One participant said: “Diverse Talent was led by an empathetic and experienced ‘Trainer of Colour’ who was not only a successful Director and business owner but also an experienced and fully qualified psychotherapist. This told me we were in safe hands. It was a unique experience to work with colleagues of colour and a great opportunity to be able to share the highs and lows of our employment experiences. The trainer expertly helped us identify how to be recognised more in our work as well as how we can help ourselves and each other to understand exactly what we want in our careers and how to “go for it”!”
3.8.4 They also said: “This course enabled me to look critically and objectively at external barriers, how to navigate around or through them, how to answer my own questions around bias, imposter syndrome, learning styles, “traditional BME” jobs. It also helped me to focus on talents other than the ones I felt I could “only” do as an older Black woman. We were each allocated a “sponsor” [mentor] for support and there were also the BME coaches and mentors available via the Black & Minority Ethnic Workers’ Forum.”
3.8.5 A Fair & Inclusive update report will be going to P&R Committee on the 1st December which will give an in-depth overview of Council’s workforce equality progress.
3.9 Emergency Food
3.9.1 The council has allocated funding of £15,000 for an exploratory piece of research on the emergency foods access needs of Black, Asian and Minority ethnic communities and Refugee & Asylum Seekers. The Commission aims to reduce inequality and address immediate concerns about malnutrition, health and well being. This funding has now been granted to Bridging Change and Brighton & Hove Food Partnership, who will be collaborating to deliver the outcomes of the research.
3.9.2 Bridging
Change contacted a wide variety of organisations and conducted over
50 surveys and 3 focus groups attended by 54 people and two
engagement sessions. Contacting and arranging meetings with some of
the organisations has been challenging due to time summer holidays
and their capacity and availability, these
Ffurther meetings with organisations
will be conducted over the next few months. Preliminary findings
have been shared with the Food Policy Coordinators and Bridging
Change are now working on the final report and recommendations.
4. ANALYSIS & CONSIDERATION OF ANY ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
4.1 The progress outlined above is on actions undertaken in response to the council’s pledge to become an anti-racist council, anti-racism Notices of Motion and petitions accepted by full council/committees and previously Member agreed work under the Fair & Inclusive Action Plan.
5. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & CONSULTATION
5.1 Engagement is as outlined above in Section 3.
6. CONCLUSION
6.1 TECC committee requested a standing item on every agenda updating on progress towards the council’s anti-racism commitments.
6.2 This report updates on progress and the contents are for Members to note.
7. FINANCIAL & OTHER IMPLICATIONS
7.1 There are no financial implications arising from this report.
Finance Officer Consulted: Mike Bentley Date: 14/10/2022
8.1 There are no legal implications arising from this report which is for noting. All of the actions proposed are in line with the Council’s powers and duties, in particular under the Equality Act 2010.
Lawyer Consulted: Joanne Dunyaglo Date: 20/10/22
9. EQUALLITIES IMPLICATIONS
9.1 The intention of this work is to address identified racial inequalities and racism experienced by people who live in, work in and visit the city. The range of engagement planned with people who share other characteristics in addition to their ethnicity will ensure that perspectives are heard from a wide range of people. This will enable the development of tailored and bespoke actions to address all forms of racism, where it is based on ethnicity, skin colour or any other attribute.
9.2 The work is central to the council’s legal duties under the Equality Act 2010 to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between communities, as well as to encourage civic engagement by under-represented groups. It also complements and supports the council’s Fair & Inclusive Action Plan in addressing the findings of the review of race diversity by Global HPO.
10. SUSTAINABILITY IMPLICATIONS
10.1 No implications arising from this report.
11. SOCIAL VALUE & PROCUREMENT IMPLICATIONS
11.1 There are no direct social value and procurement implications that arise from this report
12. CRIME & DISORDER IMPLCATIONS
12.1 Crime & Disorder implications are covered in section 3.10 & above
13. PUBLC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS
13.1 As outlined in 3.7.5 engagement around the topic of the Covid-19 vaccine has provided us with clearer data on uptake of the vaccine. This will inform all of our COVID and vaccination related actions going forward and may lead to changes in our current methods of engagement around the COVID 19 Vaccine and Public Health in general.
14. OTHER IMPLICATIONS
14.1 There are no other implications that arise from this report.
[JB1]More info requested about this – details on accountability, diversity, how connected the service is with other educational
[RS2]Have re-worded as sounds a bit like a national security phrase?
[JD3]Missing sentence or to be deleted
[JB4]Requested to be included in this report by Stephanie Prior
[DT5]WE all have protected characteristics so may be delete this?
[JB6]Detailed updates on the Diverse talent programme