I have just returned to work following a much-needed week of leave. My wife and I spent five days walking the stunning Northumbria costal path from Creswell to Berwick-Upon-Tweed to mark our 25th silver wedding anniversary. Some of you may think there are much better ways to celebrate but believe me, it was very much worth the sore feet and importantly, the time spent walking gave me time to think and reflect…

On Friday 16 May, the day before I went on leave, I was privileged to join regional colleagues at our first Eastern Region Anti-Racist Practice Conference. It was a truly inspirational day, and my heartfelt thanks goes to everyone who attended, contributed and spoke at the conference. The conference brought together children’s services leaders from across the 11 local authorities in the region to celebrate the work that has been done in relation to anti-racism and to focus on the vast amount still to be done. It was also an opportunity for all 11 local authorities to commit to the Eastern region Anti-Racist Practice Pledge, which can be found here, which was just brilliant to see. 

So, of course during my leave I spent a great deal of time thinking about what this all means in the current context of flux and change we all find ourselves in – local government reform, children’s social care and NHS reforms to name just a few, and how we as leaders can ensure that Anti-Racist Practice and tackling racism doesn’t slip down the agenda, as sadly it has done over the last few years.

Of the many fantastic conversations that took place at the Eastern Region Anti-Racist Practice Conference, the one that I kept returning to was a conversation about ‘stewardship’ and the role we must play as system leaders in ensuring that our collective commitment to tackling racism isn’t sidelined or diminished in anyway. We all see and hear the political rhetoric that has surfaced over the past months – and I say surfaced as it has always been there, if perhaps not so overtly prominent. As system leaders we are privileged, and duty bound, to lead courageous and challenging conversations with all stakeholders, partners and elected officials, placing front and centre the needs of all children, particularly those who because of the colour are their skin, are often marginalised, disadvantaged and disproportionately represented within both our social care and youth justice systems.

I appreciate that promoting effective ‘stewardship’ is going to be more challenging for some colleagues than other due to the places in which they are leaders. However, we must all keep in our minds that this isn’t a ‘nice to have’. Meeting the needs of children and protecting them from harm is a statutory duty and believe me when I say this, racism harms. It not only prevents children, families, communities and colleagues from Global Majority backgrounds reaching their fullest potential, it actively creates environments that are hostile leading to significantly poorer outcomes. So, just a thought, it may be worth starting any conversation with that as a starter for 10.

We also need to challenge ourselves. We must be more intelligent about the evidence we collate to support our endeavours to eradicate racism. Collecting the right evidence and data, both quantitative and qualitative, is key to winning the debates but most importantly it is key for us as leaders to fully understand the pernicious nature of racism and to set ourselves challenging targets to turn the curve in the right direction for the Global Majority.

What gives me hope are events such as the Eastern Region Conference earlier this month, where colleagues from all backgrounds gathered to commit to the Eastern Region Anti-Racist Practice Pledge and the fact the ADCS is clear about the association’s commitment to Anti-Racist Practice and eradicating racism within our systems.

However, hope and optimism aren’t enough. As we said at our conference, this is where the work begins and what we all need to be is willing and active accomplices in this challenging, but noble, and just, cause.