Last Autumn, together with Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, we restated the values that underpin social care - Reaffirming Our Values in Adult Social Care – Social care. Those values persist and remain fundamental. But in the face of current challenges, we also need to be clear that this is not only about values: it is about the law, regulation and professional standards that require us to challenge discrimination and uphold people’s rights.
Social work, occupational therapy, social care nursing and the wider professional care workforce are rooted in respect, dignity, equality and social justice. These are the foundations of our practice and our shared responsibility. Every person, regardless of background, ethnicity, faith or nationality, deserves to feel safe, valued and supported. Racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, discrimination and abuse have no place in our society, our services or our workforce.
That message feels just as important now. Those of us in leadership roles need to be clear about what anti-discriminatory practice means in day-to-day social care. It means naming racism and hostility when they occur, recognising their impact on staff and communities, and ensuring our organisations respond within legal frameworks, with consistency, compassion and courage.
This matters profoundly for adult social care because our workforce is drawn from, and serves, every part of our society. We know that some colleagues feel fearful travelling to and from work, and in their communities more generally. We have also seen high-profile attacks and a rise in reported race and religious hate crimes. These experiences are not abstract; they shape how people feel, how safe they feel, and how able they are to bring their full selves to work.
Directors of Adult Social Services are grappling with complex policy and workforce questions, and their statutory role requires them to work directly with elected members. Principal Social Workers (PSW), Principal Occupational Therapists (POT) and Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) leads will often feel these issues very close to practice.
You will hear what staff are carrying. You will see where people are anxious, exhausted or angry. You will understand the visceral feelings and cumulative emotional impact of racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination on colleagues who are trying to do skilled, values-led work every day.
My message to you is simple: you are not on your own with this. The response cannot rest only with individual practitioners, or only with PSWs, POTs and AMHP leads being asked to hold the emotional temperature of organisations. This is a collective leadership challenge, and it requires all of us to work together with clarity, courage and consistency.
That collective leadership is grounded in enduring professional values. Social work is committed to human rights, dignity, social justice, anti-oppressive practice and the equal worth of every person. Occupational therapy brings commitment to inclusion, belonging, participation and enabling people to live meaningful lives. These values are not party political. They are professional, ethical and practical foundations for good public service.
Our responsibilities do not rest on values alone. They are reinforced by law and regulation. The Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty require public authorities to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations. Professional regulation also sets clear expectations that social workers and occupational therapists practise safely, ethically, inclusively and without discrimination. Anti-discriminatory practice is therefore not optional or aspirational; it is part of the legal, regulatory and professional framework that supports safe, effective and rights-based care.
We also have evidence of why this work must be sustained. In May, Skills for Care published the Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (SC-WRES) report, which showed that 99% of councils are now providing data covering 70% of local authority adult care staff. The findings reflect how systemic inequity persists across the indicators, from recruitment and progression to day-to-day experiences at work. Working together through communities of practice, building shared learning and developing targeted action plans will be essential.
Thank you to PSWs, POTs and AMHP leads for the leadership you are already showing. Please keep naming what you see, supporting colleagues to stay connected to their values, and asking for the leadership backing this work requires. Now is the time for visible, values-led leadership: to challenge discrimination wherever it appears, to stand alongside colleagues who are affected, and to make inclusion, dignity and anti-racism part of the everyday practice and culture of adult social care. Our collective task is to ensure that adult social care remains a place where people are safe, respected and able to belong — whether they work in services, lead them, or rely on them.
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