From insight to action: launching the SC-WRES National Report

Jon White, National Culture and Diversity Lead, Skills for Care, discusses the findings of the latest SC-WRES National Report and what needs to happen next.

The launch of the 2025/26 Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (SC-WRES) National Report marks a significant moment for the social care sector. More than a publication, this report represents a growing collective commitment to building a workforce that is fair, inclusive, and rooted in dignity and human rights. The report launch heralds a continued coalition for change.

This year’s report provides the most comprehensive national picture to date of race equality in local authority social care, with 99 local authorities participating and significantly wider engagement across adult and children’s services. That scale matters because it strengthens both the insight and the case for action.

The findings are both stark and all too familiar.

Across almost every stage of the workforce journey (recruitment, progression, experience, and retention) racial disparities persist.

Staff from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnicities are consistently:

• less likely to be appointed from shortlist
• more likely to enter formal disciplinary processes
• less represented in senior leadership roles
• more likely to experience increased rates of harassment, bullying or abuse
• more likely to leave their organisations.

The detail is equally important as these are not isolated findings. The repetition of these patterns across multiple indicators points to something deeper that requires a significant response.

Partners from our local authorities, from the Skills for Care Executive and Board, from ADASS, ADCS, The Care Quality Commission, The Workforce Strategy Oversight Executive Group, The Race Equality Reference Group, the IAG, NHS WRES, principal social workers networks, and many other organisations joined with us for the launch of this year’s report and demonstrated with great energy and enthusiasm a sustained joint commitment to a coalition for change.

Moving beyond explanation: recognising systemic racism

One of the most important messages from each of our annual reports has remained the same: these inequalities are not about individual capability or commitment, they are the result of systemic barriers embedded in organisational processes and cultures.

SC-WRES is clear in its stance: addressing inequality requires more than passive commitments. It requires deliberate, sustained intervention, particularly in how decisions are made, how opportunities are distributed, and how power operates within organisations. Transformational systemic change is required.

Representation isn’t enough

Over time, workforce diversity has increased but greater representation has not automatically resulted in equitable outcomes. This challenges a widely held assumption, that improving diversity alone is the solution. The evidence from the report shows that without changes to systems and behaviours, disparities continue, particularly in leadership representation, disciplinary action, and retention.

The implication is clear: equity must be designed, not assumed.

From data to action: what SC-WRES offers

SC-WRES is not simply a reporting exercise. It is an anti-racist improvement framework, grounded in a human rights approach, and focused on helping organisations turn evidence into practical, measurable change.

It combines:

• robust workforce data and national benchmarking
• peer learning through monthly communities of practice
• locally owned action planning based on evidence.

This year, participants are supported by a new SC-WRES Anti-Racist Interventions Guide, produced after reflecting on action plans from participants alongside available research. Underpinned by clear anti-racist principles, the guide reinforces that effective action planning should prioritise structural and cultural change, not one-off activity, and should select interventions that are proportionate to the gaps identified in local data and backed up by available research.

Effective action planning involves understanding and naming where inequality sits, choosing evidence-informed interventions, assigning ownership, and measuring whether those actions are reducing disparities over time.

A human rights issue at its core

At the heart of SC-WRES is a simple but powerful framing: fair treatment at work is a matter of human rights.

This includes the right to:

• dignity and respect at work
• freedom from discrimination
• participation in decisions that affect individuals
• accountability when things go wrong

Positioning workforce equality in this way shifts it from being an optional priority to a fundamental responsibility. It also reinforces the connection between workforce experience and the quality of care delivered.

When staff feel safe, valued, and treated fairly, outcomes improve not only for the workforce, but for the people who draw on care and support.

Leadership, accountability and collective effort

The progress reflected in this report is the result of leadership, partnership and a willingness to engage openly with difficult data. Participation in SC-WRES is voluntary, and that matters: it shows organisations are choosing to confront racial inequity rather than wait for it to be solved elsewhere.

National partners have helped strengthen shared purpose, but this work can’t sit with HR or equality leads alone. It requires visible leadership from those who shape systems, resources and decision-making.

From baseline to transformation

A key milestone in this year’s report is the sense that SC-WRES is maturing, that action plans are becoming more focused and that peer learning is deepening. But the central challenge remains unchanged and we can see that the narrative from the data remains concerning.

If there is one message that defines this year’s report, it is this:

We have robust insight; the question is what we do with it.

The evidence is clear. The patterns are consistent. The tools for change are available.

What matters now is resolve:

• Resolve to move beyond intention into action
• Resolve to embed accountability at every level.
• Resolve to sustain this work even in the face of competing pressures and difficult landscapes.

Because ultimately, how we treat our workforce reflects who we are as a sector.

The invitation and the responsibility is open to all.

Registration for Phase 4 of SC-WRES is now open and information sessions for those interested are being held throughout June. More details and the registration form are available on the Skills for Care website.

Learn more about the SC-WRES Improvement Programme

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