Developing Anti-racist Practice: How to Facilitate Difficult Conversations.

Open to Practitioners and managers in a supervisory role and Practice Educators across Adult and Children's Services within the West Midlands Social Work Teaching Partnership. Please see below our Partner organisations. 

Session overview: Though concerns about racism and demands for anti-racist practice in social work can be traced back to the 1970’s it is fair to say that the brutal murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the Black Lives Matter movement created new impetus. Whilst social work has in some senses been at the forefront regarding diversity, inclusivity and anti-racist practice, there remains worrying evidence of the unfair and discriminatory treatment of racially minoritized staff and students. Supervisors, whether they are in the role of practice educators, or managers, play a pivotal role in supporting/protecting and developing staff in this regard. In focussing on tackling workplace racism, this online training session will provide a safe space for participants to reflect on and develop strategies and techniques for engaging in/with difficult conversations around the issue of race and racism.

Session Objectives:

1. Reflect on how our conceptions of anti-racist practice in social work have and are developing and how these inform the supervisory role.
2. Develop effective communication and facilitation skills for engaging in difficult conversations related to racism.
3. Identify strategies for creating a safe and inclusive space for dialogue.
4. Explore case studies and real-world scenarios to apply anti-racist principles in practice.
5. Foster a collaborative learning environment to share experiences and insights.

Facilitator: Dr Gurnam Singh, University of Warwick (See here for a full profile https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/sociology/staff/singh/ ). Dr. Gurnam Singh is an internationally recognized activist, researcher, writer, and educator, with a primary focus on anti-racism, critical pedagogy, and critical social work practice. He currently holds the position of Associate Honorary Professor of Sociology at the University of Warwick and Visiting Professor of Social Work at Liverpool Hope University. Previously he served as an Associate Professor of Social Work at Coventry University until his retirement from full-time education in 2019. Before transitioning to academia, Dr. Singh dedicated a decade to professional social work, where he played pivotal roles as a social worker, training and development officer, and practice education lead with Bradford Social Services. This combination of activism and practical experience gives him a unique perspective as an academic in combining the theoretical, philosophical learning with real-world challenges of social work.

Deadlines for registering:

Wednesday 27th December 2023

Tuesday 6th February 2024

Please note, your space will not be confirmed until after this deadline date, when a member of the Programme Team will be in touch to confirm the status of your booking, i.e. if you have secured a space or if you will be placed on the waiting list. 

Partner Organisations: 

Birmingham Children's Trust

Birmingham City Council

Birmingham City University

Cheshire East Council

City of Stoke-on-Trent Council

City of Wolverhampton Council

Coventry City Council

Coventry University

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

Heart of Worcestershire College

Herefordshire Council

Keele University

Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust [MPFT]

Sandwell Children's Trust

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Shropshire Council

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

Staffordshire County Counil

Staffordshire University

Telford & Wrekin Council

University of Birmingham

University of Warwick

University of Wolverhampton

University of Worcester

Walsall Council

Warwickshire County Council

Worcestershire County Council