Anti-racist social work: panel discussion

Sharon is the Principal Child & Family Social Worker (PCFSW) and Service Manager for Surrey Children Services Academy. She is also the new Co-Chair of the national Principal Child & Family Social work network with Farrah Khan Sharon is an enthusiastic, dedicated and experienced manager with over 28 years of direct experience and specialist knowledge of social work/social care practice in relation to children, young people, vulnerable adults and families. She has a track record of delivering and leading complex diverse staff, teams and services within the public sector and the voluntary sector. Sharon has a passion for learning and development and for ensuring the workforce have excellent experiences through the design of modern impactful and innovative learning solutions which ultimately impact on improved safe practice/services for children, young people and their families. Sharon prides herself on managing with compassion, honesty and integrity. Within her role as PCFSW Sharon works hard to support, and appropriately challenge practitioners and managers at all levels, thus helping to create an environment where high quality practice can flourish. Within her role as Service Manager Sharon is responsible for Surrey’s ASYE and Student placement programmes. She also has overall responsibility for the design, creation, coordination, delivery and evaluation of all learning and development activities which meets the CPD needs of the workforce within the Children’s, Families and Learning Directorate. Whilst also supporting the shared learning opportunities for practitioners and mangers working with Children and families across the wider multi agency partnership in Surrey.

Kish is known for her work on social work, race and racism. This includes research on the importance of border controls and information technology in the countries of the European Union, globalisation in relation to social work values and inter-professional working in a culturally appropriate way. Kish has a particular interest in research methodologies sensitive to the needs of black and minority ethnic (BME) populations. Kish has worked on a number of research projects evaluating practice in social work and health settings and used methods such as medical audits and theories such as modern racism to test attitudes and behaviours. In relation to children and young people Kish has researched case data from the USA and the UK which has led to publications on the challenges of placing children in care. Kish has reported on projects evaluating initiatives on troubled families and analysed case data on BME children in care. This has led to a number of reports which have questioned professional understanding of cultural imperatives and beliefs, responses to child abuse by minority ethnic communities, cultural racism, anti-muslim racism and Islamophobia. Current research projects include: child exploitation and race and the impact of sleep deprivation on professional practice. Kish’s book projects include: Anti-Racist Practice in Social Work (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011) which examines attitudes and behaviours in relation to law, policy and practice on race equality and Diversity, Difference and Dilemmas (OUP/McGraw Hill, 2017) which examines the disproportionate attention paid to immigrants and terrorists in populist policy and media reporting.

Wayne Reid is a Professional Officer for BASW England and lives in Sheffield. Wayne qualified as a social worker in 2010, but the entirety of his social care experience spans nearly 20 years. He has worked in: private fostering; the Probation Service; youth offending; adult mental health; child protection and with care leavers. As a black male social worker, Wayne understands some of the challenges that service-users and practitioners from different ethnic minority groups can face. From his experience, Wayne believes academic and ‘life education’ are essential to improve an individual’s quality of life and life chances. @wayne_reid79 (Twitter)

Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly is a registered social worker who is an experienced senior manager. Following her retirement she has become a senior partner in Bokell Associates Ltd, for whom she now works offering consultancy and project developement leadership working as a consultant in a number of councils and private sector organisations. Her work with councils have Included setting up a number of social care academies in children's and adults' services -these have included the Surrey Children Services Academy in Surrey County Council and Barnet Children Practice Academy in Barnet Council, Norfolk Social Care Academy in Norfolk County Council, Medway Social Care Academy in Medway Council and the first Children Academy in Croydon Council. She has also advised other councils, including Southwark, Wandsworth and Havering on the development of their workforce service academies as an expert advisor.