The ALDCS Leadership in Colour (LinC) programme was launched in 2021 with the purpose of redressing racial disproportionality in senior leadership within London’s children’s services. The programme is designed by a reference group of global majority senior managers from across London, working with The Staff College, who are commissioned to deliver several elements. LinC has several complimentary elements that support both the development of individuals and the cultural competency of the organisations they work within. LinC is positioned within the wider ALDCS workforce priority, as experiences of racism and disproportionality relate directly to the wider children’s workforce sufficiency challenge. It has close links with the CELC Tackling Racial Inequalities programme.
Over the last two years, the LinC remit has broadened. In addition to the workforce focus, it acts as a critical friend to ALDCS on areas of children’s policy development as well as supporting ALDCS to develop its regional efforts to tackle children and families’ experiences of racism and disproportionality. Project is funded by ALDCS, receiving a 22/23 uplift from the DfE Recovery Fund.
Project Goals
- To increase the racial diversity of senior leadership within London’s children’s services
- To identify and tackle experiences of racism and disproportionality within the children’s workforce
- To develop and deliver ALDCS regional response to children and families experience of racism and disproportionality
Project Milestones
2021/22
- Delivered 2 x Black and Asian Leadership Initiative (BALI) cohorts for London’s CS workforce
- Delivered 2 x Cultural Competence workshops for London’s DCSs and Chief Executives
- Ran a Pan London Staff Conference, bringing together London’s global majority workforce, senior leaders within Local Authorities, and a range of specialists in this field
2022/23
- Delivered 3 x Black and Asian Leadership Initiative (BALI) cohorts
- Delivered 3 x Twilight Racial Narratives and Organisational Development workshops for DCSs. These included DCS led sessions on learning from Hackney’s Child Q safeguarding review, and Haringey’s stop and search pilot.
- Will deliver a series of workshops to Practice Leaders
- Will deliver a Pan London Staff Conference.
Governance
Reports to ALDCS. DCS leads are now Jacquie Burke (Hackney) and Andrew Carter (Lambeth)
Partners
CELC Tackling Racial Inequality programme
