Introduction to the resource
What the resource is, how it can best be used, how it was created and who it is for.
Part of the 'Equity Change Project'
Introduction
Watch our short film for an introduction to the Equity Change Project.
Length: 7 minutes.
Purpose and audience
This resource is for adult social care practitioners, managers and leaders, people with lived experience and anyone else interested in working towards equity in adult social care.
Its purpose is to help you increase equity in adult social care – to move beyond theory and talking into effective action. It aims to support and enhance existing work across the adult social care sector to reduce discrimination and to increase diversity, equality and inclusion.
In this introductory section we:
- Introduce the key ideas of equity and intersectionality.
- Explain how the resource was created and the evidence behind it.
- Suggest how the resource can best be used.
- Set out some guiding principles and explore how to create safe spaces for talking about intersectionality.
Introducing equity and intersectionality
The whole point is that we are trying to get at equity. This is difficult. The lens of intersectionality helps us.
Change Project participant
Intersectionality may sound like an academic or theoretical term, but it is a practice, method or way of seeing and doing things. In this resource, we shift from learning about intersectionality to using it in practice to help achieve an outcome – equity.
We know oppression, inequality and disadvantage exist in society and lead to inequity of need and to inequity in social care’s response. People often aren’t supported by services in a way that takes account of their whole life and their context. And they have different experiences and outcomes depending on who they are and their story. Intersectionality is a way of seeing how different forms of oppression, inequality and disadvantage (e.g. ageism, racism, sexism, ableism, heterosexism and classism) interact and intersect to influence lived experiences (Bernard, 2022). It helps to make visible the ways in which discrimination operates and overlaps, and the impact this has on people. And the end goal is equity: ensuring that everyone has access to the same experience and outcomes, which involves removing the obstacles to fairness.
These two key ideas, Intersectionality and Equity are explored fully through the resource. Before you get started, you may find it helpful to watch our short introductory films:
Suryia Nayak talks about intersectionality
Length: 16 minutes.
Clenton Farquharson introduces the concept of equity
Length: 6 minutes.
Reflective question
What forms of inequity feel most uncomfortable and will be at the front of your mind as you engage with this resource?
How the resource was created and how best to use it
Details on how the resource was created and the evidence behind it.
The learning resource is designed to be flexible and can be used in a number of ways.
Lead author Suryia Nayak is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work and Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the School of Health and Society, University of Salford. Suryia is a qualified social worker with over 40 years of intersectional anti-racist activism in ending violence against women services and forced migration. Suryia is on the editorial board of several academic journals, including Critical Radical Social Work, Critical Social Policy and Group Work.
Co-author Clenton Farquharson is a black, disabled man with over 20 years’ practical experience and theoretical study in all aspects of equality, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. He is Chair of the Think Local Act Personal board, a Social Care Institute for Excellence trustee, a member of the Coalition for Personalised Care and a member of the Social Care Sector COVID-19 Stakeholder Group. Clenton was awarded an honorary doctorate in social care from the University of Birmingham.
Editor Gerry Nosowska is an independent social worker and Director of Effective Practice. Gerry is a long-standing Research in Practice Associate and has experience in practice, management and leadership in local authority and charitable organisations.
Intersectionality for social workers: Book
Bernard, C. (2022). Intersectionality for social workers: A practical introduction to theory and practice. Routledge.
On intersectionality: Book
Crenshaw, K. (2022). On intersectionality: Essential writings. The New Press.
Co-production: Online guide
SCIE. (2022). What it is and how to do it. Social Care Institute for Excellence.
What is evidence-informed practice?: Podcast
Holmes, D. (2023, August 7). What is evidence-informed practice? Research in Practice.
