Black History Month is celebrated every year in October in the UK. It provides an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the invaluable contributions of Black people to British society.
Black History Month is a time to recognise and celebrate the powerful contributions of Black communities. This year’s theme, “Honouring Our Communities,” invites us to recognise the individuals whose everyday contributions shape, support and sustain Black life across the United Kingdom.
This years theme: Honouring Our Communities
Black History Month 2026 invites us to look more closely at something often taken for granted — the communities that shape, support and sustain us.
This theme is not simply about place or postcode. It is about people.
Across Britain, there are individuals whose contributions are part of everyday life, yet too often go unseen. Volunteers who give their time without expectation. Nurses and carers who offer dignity and compassion. Teachers who shape futures beyond the classroom. Community leaders who bring people together, often without recognition.
These are the people who help to hold our communities together. Their work may not always be recorded, but it is felt — in relationships, in support systems, and in the spaces where people find belonging.
Blogs
During this month we'll be hearing from leaders across the sector.
Wayne Reid, professional officer and social worker, discusses the importance of community this Black History Month.
Diverse social care workforce
The adult social care workforce is highly diverse. Yet, representation in leadership roles remains disproportionately low. This month provides a crucial opportunity to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of Black workers in adult social care while addressing inequalities that still exist. By acknowledging this we create space for reflection, learning, and a more inclusive future for all.
Honouring our communities is a theme that has significance within adult social care, recongnising contributions, leadership, expertise and determination of Black professionals who have helped shape and strengthen the sector while continuing to challenge inequality.
A diverse workforce doesn’t just reflect our communities, it makes care stronger. Different perspectives and lived experiences ensure services are culturally sensitive, inclusive, and equitable, improving outcomes for both service users and staff. When care reflects and respects cultural identity, it becomes meaningful, empowering, and inclusive, ensuring everyone feels seen, valued, and understood.
The impact of Black people on social care - past and present
From the mid-20th century onwards, many Black people migrated to the UK, particularly from the Caribbean and Africa, to address critical workforce shortages in health and social care. They became the backbone of residential homes, community services, and home care, often taking on demanding roles with limited recognition. Their dedication not only sustained the sector during times of crisis but also helped shape care standards and community-based models of support.
Today, Black professionals are central to adult social care, representing a significant proportion of the workforce. They bring cultural competence, diverse perspectives, and lived experiences that enrich the quality of care and strengthen inclusivity. Black-led organisations and leaders continue to influence workforce policy, training, and equality practices, ensuring that the sector reflects and responds to the needs of diverse communities while addressing workforce gaps and driving innovation.
Creating a more equitable social care sector
Whilst we celebrate the achievements of Black people in social care, it is vital to take tangible action to improve workplace equity. The Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (SC-WRES) supports organisations in creating anti-racist workplaces by collecting and analysing workforce data across nine metrics, enabling action plans to address inequalities.
The 2025 report highlights ongoing challenges: Global Majority applicants are 44% less likely to be appointed from a shortlist, 50% more likely to enter the formal disciplinary process, and are underrepresented in senior management roles.
As part of our commitment to valuing diverse voices in social care, we're proud to be working with the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre on a project that will amplify the experiences and professional journey of Global Majority social care workers. Watch this space for the research findings in early 2027.
Allyship is key to fostering inclusion and fairness. It involves actively supporting others, listening to understand, using influence to advocate, and committing to ongoing self-reflection. When embraced, allyship dismantles systemic barriers, amplifies diverse voices, and creates workplaces where everyone can thrive.
During previous Black History Months, we heard from a number of inspiring individuals working in social care. They spoke about what they love most about their roles, why diversity in the workplace is so important, who and what has inspired them along the way, and why it takes a special kind of person to build a career in social care. Their stories shine a light on the passion, resilience, and dedication at the heart of the sector.
We’ve got a range of resources to support you and your teams to achieve equality, diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. From guides to eLearning to learning programmes to forums, our resources support both personal development and organisational development, helping you to identify opportunities to create positive organisational change. You can also find out more on our supporting a diverse workforce webpage.
Supporting a diverse workforce: Understanding racism overview
PDF - 755 KB
This introductory overview aims to raise awareness about the history of racism, shows some of the forms that racism takes and provides a model that examines systemic racism. It encourages reflection and discussion around understanding racism and the legal context, providing an opportunity to identify any actions to take forward.
Moving Up programme - registrations open
Aimed at Black and Asian leaders or aspiring leaders and want to develop themselves and progress in their career at all levels, in all roles, in all types of social care and health organisations.
Previous participants have come from local government, social care, commissioning organisations, charities, third sector, nurses and occupational health.
The programme has had a significant impact on the participants who’ve taken part over the last 12 years. It’s important to offer opportunities and support to people who are Black or Asian and wish to fulfil their career goals.
The next programme starts on 28 October 2026.
Find out more and register
If there are a large number of people within your organisation who would like to participate in the Moving Up Programme then you may be interested in having the programme delivered directly into your organisation. If this is of interest to you please email MovingUp.Programme@skillsforcare.org.uk
Allyship
Allyship is an active, ongoing commitment to equity, belonging, and justice, benefiting both individuals and organisations. Our articles and resources offer guidance on supporting others, listening with empathy, using influence, and committing to continuous growth. Small steps can lead to lasting cultural changes.
Find out more about allyship
Confident with difference
'Confident with difference' supports you to consider how well diversity is embraced within your organisation and how you could improve. Consisting of four films with supporting questions, leaders and managers can use this resource with their teams to reflect on their own practices and generate discussion points to help facilitate change within their organisation.
Find out more about 'Confident with difference'
Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard Improvement Programme
The Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (SC-WRES) Improvement Programme was developed by Skills for Care to support organisations to achieve an anti-racist workplace. Through the programme, organisations are supported to identify issues, create action plans for change and measure improvements in the workforce with respect to the experiences of people from a Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic background.
Find out more about the SC-WRES
Culturally appropriate care guide
Skills for Care has resources to help anyone involved in the care and support of individuals to have a clearer understanding of culturally appropriate care. The ‘Culturally appropriate care guide’ covers a broad range of topics that will help with learning about people’s cultural identity or heritage.
To support the learning within the guide, there are accompanying resources for use in training and development. These cover supporting individuals from ethnic minority groups and backgrounds, stereotyping, and supporting relationships and people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and others (LGBTQ+).
Find the guide and training resources
A positive culture toolkit for adult social care
Workplace culture is the character and personality of your workplace and what makes your workplace unique, special and individual.
Using this toolkit will support you at different stages of your workplace culture journey to establish, maintain and improve your workplace culture so that it’s inclusive, compassionate and collaborative.
It’s for anyone responsible for the culture, management and leadership in adult social care workplaces of all sizes.
Find out more and download