Equity: Change Project
Published:
Use intersectionality to explore the practices, attitudes and actions needed to overcome barriers, challenge oppression and increase equity in adult social care.
Welcome to the Equity Change Project resources exploring intersectionality, equity, allyship and justice in adult social care.Â
The Equity Change Project brought together academics, practitioners in adult social care, and people with lived experience to explore how intersectionality can help achieve equitable experiences and outcomes in adult social care.
Intersectionality is a tool for analysing how different forms of oppression interact and intersect to influence lived experiences. These resources will help you use intersectionality to explore the practices, attitudes and actions needed to overcome barriers, challenge oppression and increase equity.
This resource is about topics that demand deep reflection and touch us in a profound way. We hope that it will be inspiring, leading people to build on the passion and commitment to social justice that is so evident in social care. We hope that each person will find something that speaks to you and that you can take into what you know, feel and do.
We can't increase equity without intersectionality.
For the last two years, we (Clenton, Suryia and Gerry) have been working together on the Equity Change Project. We’re really pleased to be at the point of launching this resource.
We have spent many hours meeting with people who work in social care and exploring with them what intersectionality offers and what would help them to embed equity more fully in their work and in their organisations.
The goal is justice; for nobody to be left behind. Intersectionality offers us a way of reaching this goal. It makes the challenges visible, and it shows the path to equal experiences and outcomes for everyone.
We have had ups and downs on the way to creating this resource. Talking about equity, intersectionality, discrimination and privilege is more than an intellectual or professional activity. It goes to the heart of our personal experience, and what is hopeful and difficult in our lives.
We come from different places, with different experiences and voices. So too did all the people who took part in the Change Project. Along the way, we all had to navigate a range of emotions. Social justice work is emotional labour.
However, we have been united with a shared sense of purpose. And this has enabled us to overcome discomfort and even pain.
Suryia, Clenton and Gerry
In this introductory section we:Â
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Introduce the key ideas of equity and intersectionality. Â
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Explain how the resource was created and the evidence behind it. Â
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Suggest how the resource can best be used.Â
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Set out some guiding principles and explore how to create safe spaces for talking about intersectionality.Â
Introduction to the concepts
An introduction to the three key concepts of intersectionality, equity and allyship.
The intersectionality section is a good place to start if you are new to the topic. The equity section shows how using the lens of intersectionality will increase equitable experiences and outcomes in adult social care. And the allyship section sets out how being an ally challenges inequity because it shows how we can do things ‘with’ people rather than ‘for’ or ‘to’ them.
Intersectionality
We need to use the lens of intersectionality in practice to increase equity for adults and carers.
Equity
We need to understand what equity is to increase it.
Allyship
We need to understand allyship as a way of putting intersectionality into practice to achieve equity.
Intersectionality in action and additional materials
Explore how intersectionality can be used to increase equitable outcomes in adult social care, and we explore this at different layers of practice; in direct practice, in our relationships at work, in leadership and at a systems level.
You will also find the collection of tools, additional materials and practice examples.
Practice
We need to use the lens of putting intersectionality into practice to increase equity for adults and carers.
Support
We all need support to act in an intersectional way to increase equity for adults and carers.
Leadership
Leaders have a particular responsibility to embed intersectionality in action in order to increase equity.
System change
We need to use the lens of intersectionality to change the system so that we increase equity for adults and ca...
Practice examples
Three practice example stories used to put the intersectional lens into practice.
Tools
Tools to support those working with intersectionality, equity, allyship and justice in adult social care.
Professional Standards
PQS:KSS - The role of social workers | Person-centred practice | Effective assessments and outcome based support planning | Direct work with individuals and families | Supervision, critical analysis and reflection | Organisational context | Professional ethics and leadership | Values and ethics | Influencing and governing practice excellence within the organisation and community | Developing confident and capable social workers | Relationship-based practice supervision
CQC - Safe | Effective | Responsive | Caring | Well-led
PCF - Values and ethics | Diversity and equality | Critical reflection and analysis | Intervention and skills | Contexts and organisations | Professional leadership
RCOT - Understanding relationship | Service users | Develop intervention | Evaluate impact | Demonstrate quality | Collaborative | Communication | Support development