While equality and diversity (E&D) is high on the agenda for many agencies in the family justice system, it still remains an elusive concept within practice for some social workers. At worst E&D is sidelined as a "tick box" exercise rather than an integral element of any social work assessment. The challenge for agencies is giving practitioners real insight into the reality of E&D issues for children and families, and the implications of these within a case, then translating this knowledge into improving practice.
Heidi Crampton, Cafcass early intervention manager and E&D ambassador for service areas in Birmingham and the Black Country, has been leading on initiatives to do just that.
Crampton's passion for improving practice in relation to equality stems from her personal experience. "I grew up in South Africa during apartheid and saw people face injustices every day. I also worked in incredibly deprived areas where the communities and their children were affected by poverty and HIV/Aids. When I moved to Britain 11 years ago, I was delighted to see a more equal society, but that even here we are often bombarded with an attack on equality through the media or people's ignorance. Any role I can have in doing my bit to ensure the injustices in South Africa are not seen anywhere else in the world motivates me."
Opted into the role of E&D ambassador for Birmingham 18 months ago, Crampton was commissioned to undertake an equality impact assessment, looking at what was required to improve E&D in the area, and to create a plan, which could also be picked up across the organisation more widely, to implement it.
In her first year in the role Crampton set about increasing the visibility of E&D issues and promoting Cafcass' work in the wider community, including setting up a stall at Birmingham Pride to generate discussion about adoption and fostering, human fertilisation, recruitment and all private law matters. However, with ambitious goals for the wider Birmingham area she set up a subgroup, incorporating a delegate from each of the eight local Cafcass teams, eight months ago.
Crampton says, "We met early on to map out the year using an E&D calendar, each choosing a topic to lead on, and it has really helped to create excitement within the local teams around our work. It's owned by the practitioners not just the group – they bring us their ideas; what they want to hear and learn more about."
A programme of workshops is underway, with topics ranging from Gypsy and Roma Travellers to atheism and honour-based violence, for which the subgroups commission experts (within and outside of Cafcass) to speak and lead workshops. Crampton explains it's an opportunity to discuss live cases: "It's making the information relevant, and applying this to day-to-day practice."
In conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month, a workshop in May focused on how Cafcass practitioners can work with children and parents when there is a mental health diagnosis.
Crampton says, "We really want to explore what diagnoses means for our service users – it doesn't mean you can't parent or see your children; it does mean symptoms will need to be managed and additional support may be needed. Approximately one in three people experience a period of mental instability during their lifetime – it's not that rare and doesn't have to be scary. Understanding helps us to improve our work and in turn provide a better service and outcomes for children."
An event to tie in with Refugee Week, in June included speakers from the Children's Society and the Coventry Refugee Centre to heighten practitioners' awareness of the difficulties asylum seeking and unaccompanied minors face, which include child trafficking, sexual exploitation and slavery, as well as the challenges faced by refugee seeking adults.
Ofsted fed back that E&D in the area is outstanding and the group has been sharing its approach with other service areas, with events such as E&D ambassadors' away days. Invitations to the workshops are also sent out nationally, and the group works closely with service areas for Surrey and Sussex and Greater London (public law), who join workshops via video link.
The area is piloting a panel of three psychologists, who offer weekly consultation sessions at the local office, where practitioners can consult on their cases and enhance their understanding of some of the issues at play. "It's about empowering the workforce to think more autonomously – develop their social work skills and case analysis," says Crampton.
For the group, it's about communicating their work and strengthening understanding of E&D issues as widely as possible, including with external agencies helping to "keep diversity alive outside of the organisation". For example, Crampton sits on Wolverhampton safeguarding children's board and she provides training for the Sandwell safeguarding children's board on working with children who have disability and complex health needs, as well as contributing to a regional group on child exploitation. Crampton was also invited to speak to a delegation from the Czech Republic about the Cafcass model of assessing domestic violence, after they visited a women's refuge in Wolverhampton, and who are now piloting some of our models.
Crampton won't be stopping there and is keen to push forward with the progress already made. Even her love of music ties in with her drive for equal opportunity, with punk and Ska being her genres of choice – as Crampton says, "It's the music of equality."
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