{"id":8887,"date":"2022-02-18T14:29:26","date_gmt":"2022-02-18T14:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raceequalityfoundation.org.uk\/adapt\/?page_id=8887"},"modified":"2022-03-11T16:14:51","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T16:14:51","slug":"recommendations-for-team-leaders-and-senior-practitioners","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/raceequalityfoundation.org.uk\/adapt\/the-toolkit\/recommendations-for-team-leaders-and-senior-practitioners\/","title":{"rendered":"Recommendations for team leaders and senior practitioners"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Ensuring involvement in planning<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Voluntary and community sector organisations need to be involved in the planning and development of services at the earliest point. However, this can be challenging for a number of reasons. Not only do community-based groups often lack the resources to respond to the requirements of commissioners, but the structure of meetings and the bureaucratic requirements of the process can be intimidating.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Here we provide a checklist to help improve inclusivity in the planning process, developed from discussions in the workshops:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Recommendations arising from our workshops:<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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  • \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe chair of these meetings needs to actively ensure that all participants feel able to contribute<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    This may involve addressing the power imbalances that exist to ensure that participants, especially those from community groups, do not feel isolated or intimidated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    • \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWorkshop participants suggested different ways to achieve this.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      One suggestion was to use more creative processes to facilitate open dialogue \u2013 for instance, by including a section for facilitated conversation from public contributors (if invited) to reflect on how they are experiencing the meeting; others in the meeting will be expected to listen but not to respond. Other suggestions were for a preliminary meeting between the chair and VCSO contributors; a glossary of terms to reduce the impact of jargon; and choosing local community-based venues that are not intimidating, such as\u00a0an appropriate place of worship.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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      Workshop participants felt strongly that it was important both for services to have a more ethnically diverse workforce and for health and social care professionals from South Asian communities to be more visible. This was seen as central to increasing trust and increasing the likelihood that people will access these services. Ensuring that there is diversity at all levels requires services to identify appropriate recruitment strategies and to actively manage career progression.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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      Developing working relationships. <\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      As people from South Asian communities rely on voluntary and community groups to have their care needs met, workers within those groups often act as intermediaries to facilitate their clients receiving care. This may take the form of initiating referrals, accompanying them to appointments, or acting as unpaid interpreters and advocates. In essence, VCSO staff and volunteers often enable health and social care professionals to do their job, making up for the deficiencies within the service. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>

      When partnership working occurs, South Asian community groups tend to be seen as providing the contacts and local expertise to enable effective recruitment and communication. However, the importance of this contribution isn\u2019t always openly acknowledged or met by an adequate distribution of resources. Consequently, many participants from voluntary sector organisations told us that they felt their skills and knowledge were neither fully understood nor appreciated by healthcare providers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

      We were told that VCSO staff instead often feel that when they bring the needs of their clients to statutory services, they feel as if they are asking for a favour from them. For instance, when services are asked to provide information in a language that clients can understand, or food that is consistent with a person\u2019s religious beliefs, it can sometimes feel as if they are being asked to provide something extra, rather than meeting a person\u2019s basic needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

      For our VCSO participants, their relationship with statutory services was all too often an unequal one that was characterised by an imbalance of power and in which they depended on the goodwill of health and social care providers to enable their clients to receive help.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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      Recommendations arising from our workshops:<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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