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Exploring race and storytelling in adult social care

Dr Amanda Arbouin, Research Consultant for Stephen Lawrence Research Centre, tells us about one of the latest projects she’s involved in to help fight racism and advance equity in adult social care.

Black History Month offers a vital opportunity to shine a light on the ongoing fight against systemic racism in our sector. This year's theme, “Reclaiming Narratives,” is all about amplifying the voices of those who have long been marginalised, which is why I wanted to spend some time talking about a project that I believe has the potential to help minoritised staff in social care really tell their story.

The project, titled ‘‘Telling the Story of Minoritised Staff: Experiences of Systemic Barriers to Leadership in Adult Social Care’ is a collaborative effort between the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre at De Montfort University and ΢΢²ÝÊÓƵ. It aims to expose the structural inequalities and racism in adult social care and create pathways for lasting change through storytelling.

When I embarked on this project, I knew we were tackling an issue that has long plagued the adult social care sector. As a sociologist and someone deeply engaged in the study of race, I’ve witnessed first-hand how these systemic issues persist, and this project represents an important step toward making meaningful change.

The project itself is a comprehensive, two-year research initiative that focuses on exploring the narratives of minoritised staff working in adult social care. At its core, it’s about giving a platform to those whose voices are often marginalised or unheard in traditional research. By gathering their stories, we aim to create a rich, informed perspective on the lived experiences of racism in adult social care and to generate actionable strategies for change.

In 2020, ΢΢²ÝÊÓƵ conducted an online qualitative survey of staff and key stakeholders in the adult social care sector exploring the key challenges facing the Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic workforce in the sector at the time. The 528 responses that were received and qualitatively analysed showed that people from minoritised backgrounds are disproportionately overlooked in career progression, underrepresented in management, and subjected to discrimination in the workplace.

This made it clear that racism remains a stubborn issue in social care, despite the wealth of research that already exists on this topic. What sets this initiative apart is its focus on the individual stories of those affected. By capturing and analysing these personal accounts, we hope to better understand not only the problem but also what can be done to solve it. The use of storytelling and counter-storytelling is a powerful antiracist methodology because it challenges the dominant narrative that racism is mostly a thing of the past and a few overt acts of discrimination. It offers a new way of looking at the issues in adult social care and I believe that this focus on human experience will lead to insights that can drive real change.

The stories themselves will be set against a backdrop of evidence from other projects and research. In particular, ΢΢²ÝÊÓƵ’s Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (SC-WRES) data will play a crucial part in informing the research. This will be supplemented by other EDI data in social care, a desktop review of evidence in social care, social context and within a human rights and equality framework.

Ultimately, my biggest hope for this project is that it will empower minoritised staff. Too often, subtle everyday experiences of racial discrimination are ignored or dismissed, despite their devastating impact on people’s professional and personal lives. We want minoritised staff to feel that this research is worthwhile, that their stories matter and that they can be part of shaping the future of adult social care. At the same time, we aim for white staff and management to reflect on their own roles and responsibilities, understanding the depth of the problem and becoming active participants in the process of change. Furthermore, improving the experiences of a sizeable part of the workforce will also have a direct and positive impact on outcomes for recipients of adult social care.

Importantly, ΢΢²ÝÊÓƵ has a significant voice within the sector, and we want to ensure that the insights we gather from this project are recognised at a policy and practice level. I hope the findings will be championed not just within adult social care, but within government. The ultimate dream, of course, is the eradication of racism in adult social care. That might sound ambitious, but I truly believe we can start making meaningful progress through research such as this.

Part of ensuring the integrity of this work is the rigorous ethical approval process we’re going through at De Montfort University. This process is crucial in designing a research framework that not only gathers honest and open accounts from participants but also protects their identity and safety. Race is a sensitive topic, and we’re committed to ensuring that everyone involved feels safe sharing their stories without fear of exposure or reprisals.

This project also aligns with the broader significance of Black History Month. While it offers a focused opportunity to shine a light on issues like race and inequality, Black History Month shouldn’t be the only time we pay attention to these topics. Yes, it’s an important moment to celebrate and recognise the contributions of Black people and other minorities, but the reality is that these issues affect people every day. I believe that the work we’re doing, both within this project and beyond, should be part of an ongoing conversation — one that takes place all year round.

I’m excited for what lies ahead. Over the next couple of years, we will gather and analyse the stories shared with us, building an evidence base that I hope will lead to real, actionable changes in policy and practice.

At the end of the day, this project isn’t just about academic research — it’s about changing lives, changing practices, and changing how we think about race in adult social care. And I believe that, together, we can make that happen.

Make sure visit our hub pages to find out more about our Black History Month campaign or the SC-WRES programme.

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