Reclaiming Narratives: Celebrating Black History Month

As we celebrate Black History Month, let's take a moment to reflect on this year’s theme: Reclaiming Narratives – Dig Deeper, Look Closer, Think Bigger.

This theme invites us to reflect on the stories that have shaped our past and also on the future that we want to create for our Black children, families, and our colleagues in social care. We are challenged as a workforce to recognise the rich, complex history of Black communities and its importance in shaping social care. We are encouraged to reshape the stories we tell when it comes to equity, anti-racism and social justice. It reminds us of the importance of understanding, advocating, and allyship in our journey towards an inclusive system.

Reclaiming narratives means centering the voices of Black children, families, and practitioners. It is a call to dig deeper into the systemic barriers that disproportionately affect Black communities and ensure our interventions address these inequities. It means, for example, critically examining our practice and policies, ensuring that we’re not just treating symptoms, but tackling the root causes of injustice.

As social workers and social care professionals, we must look closer at our own workforce. Are we truly inclusive? Are we providing Black colleagues with the opportunities, recognition, and support they need to thrive in their roles? Anti-racism isn’t a one-off training session or policy, but a continuous commitment to self-reflection and action. Together, we need to create an environment where every voice is valued, and every colleague – particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds – feels empowered and supported.

Thinking bigger is crucial as we navigate ongoing social care reforms. These reforms give us the opportunity to reshape how we deliver services, making sure they reflect the lived experiences of Black children and families. We can envision a system where racial equity is a foundation, we drive an anti-racist agenda towards an inclusive culture.

Allyship is critical and to look closer is to listen carefully to the experiences of our Black colleagues and the families we serve, standing beside them in solidarity. True allyship means being proactive, not passive, in supporting and amplifying the voices of those who have been marginalised. It involves using our own platforms and influence to challenge injustice wherever we see it—within our teams, our policies, and our everyday practice. As Principal Social Workers we can celebrate and give due credit to the work that a colleague has completed where perhaps others overlook this achievement. This will help to amplify their voices. It’s important that we advocate for children and families, colleagues in meetings, and challenge biases in the moment.

This Black History Month, we encourage everyone to reflect on how we can reclaim narratives in our work, our teams, and our communities. Let’s ask ourselves: How can we better advocate for Black children and families? How can we continue to dig deeper to understand their unique challenges, look closer at the opportunities for meaningful change, and think bigger about the future we want to create?

We’d like to share with you some thoughts/examples with a view of a call to action within our organisations. Remember even the small things matter.

Have you considered:

We also want to acknowledge and thank all of you for your commitment and dedication. As we continue our collective journey, let’s ensure that the principles of anti-racism, inclusion, and equity remain at the heart of everything we do. Together, we can drive change and create a social care system that works for everyone.