Equalising
Inclusive Approach ThreeOur approach
This is about power, how we recognise who has it, who has not and how we use it. Consider how our roles, responsibilities and our structures have a positive or negative impact on inequality and power, or if they make no difference at all. Equalising relationships and structures will help create a culture which contributes to the removal of stigma, avoids compromising peoples' dignity and mobilises peoples' ideas, creativity, skills and energy.
We need to routinely consider such questions as, "who is not represented in the room?". We cannot always equalise a situation and unequal structures exist all around us, some of which we can directly influence and some we can't. We should be able to recognise power and understand it's impact. Showing that we can accept criticism and challenge, is part of equalising the power dynamics. Problems are opportunities to open up the issues, not an occasion to close things down and hide them.
Adopting an equalising approach requires us to look at how we share power, resources and risks; fairly and openly, learning when we get things wrong and taking action to put things right where we can.
Statements
- We will make sure that routes to resources such as our funding, grants and commissioning processes are accessible.
- We recognise and value skills and expertise within communities and see these as essential to being able to achieve our outcomes. We show this by resourcing sustainable solutions, including through community development and appropriate training.
- We will support and champion a strong, connected and diverse, voluntary and community sector.
- We will co-produce events, activities and services in ways which are accessible, culturally relevant and take account of peoples' own identities.
- We will bring the community to decision-making tables, to share power and support communities to get involved. We will seek to involve people in decision making, recognising that at times there will also be decision takers.
Checklist
How can communities influence and, or take part in your decision-making processes? Who currently takes part and who does not?
When things are not going well in communities, how do you listen to all the people impacted?
How do you involve those impacted by things not going well, in co-designing the solutions, by using the strengths that exist in a place and to inform partnership actions?
How do you ensure you understand the impact of inequalities on communities and ensure co-production considers how it can address those inequalities?
The Iroko project is a Kirklees Council and community collaboration, aiming to understand the inequalities facing the Black, African and Caribbean community in Kirklees and co-design an action plan to tackle these inequalities. It is led by ten external to the council, community members of the local Black community (Iroko Ambassadors) who use their knowledge, lived experience and relationships to guide and facilitate community engagement.
The analysis of some of the information collected as a part of the Iroko project sessions #HearMyVoice, concentrated on sharing experiences of racism in small focus groups. There was a total of 63 participants and facilitators, with both participants and facilitators coming from the Black, African and Caribbean community in Kirklees and ranging in age from 30 to 65+. Each of the sessions focused on a different theme: Living, Leadership and Legacy where participants shared stories from their lived experiences of racism, in relation to the themes.
This analysis has started to reveal the depth of insight available in the information collected, as well as the themes identified which are racial identity; cultural racism; lack and empowerment; trauma and mental health; transgenerational cycles and resilience; mistrust, fear and hostility; disunity and the need for focus; personalisation and mainstreaming.
A number of concepts also ran through multiple themes, including:
- Representation, which was raised in relation to employment, education, public services, and mental health services, revealing its importance, particularly in the public sphere.
- Resilience, which was described as a "can-do attitude" and was proudly spoken of in terms of participants' attitudes, experiences and challenges they face, with being black within Kirklees.
What is clear from this analysis, is that the issue of racism remains endemic. It has been present throughout participants' whole lives, in both public and personal spaces. This suggests that tackling racism will require an approach that attends to both public and systematic factors, such as: equality and diversity policies, as well as more personal factors, such as: the way people think, through measures, such as: unconscious bias training.
In 2019, people working within Kirklees Adult Social Care, started to explore how to create more opportunities for co-production. Although there were pockets of co-production happening, the ambition was for this to become the 'way we do things'. With support from The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) people who draw on social care and support, carers, family members and staff, were invited to come together, to co-produce a plan for how to make this ambition a reality.
The group decided to test and learn through taking a co-productive approach with two projects:
- Developing an integrated contact centre service for health and care
- A review of the Direct Payments Policy
Throughout 2021, people who draw on care and support, carers and Kirklees Council staff, continued to have conversations about how to build on the learning of the two projects and make the Kirklees Vision for Adult Social Care, a reality through co-production. They set out to create a new Co-Production Board. This group worked together to shape the whole process of setting up the board, including creating the terms of reference and the recruitment materials, as well as designing and taking part in the recruitment process. Board members and co-production partners involved with co-produced projects are paid for their time and contributions.
This is how members of the board describe what they are working to achieve:
- "We are a group of local people, working in partnership with Kirklees Council and other local partners. We are independent and offer advice and support around co-producing projects."
- "We are people with lived experience that intend to play an equal role in designing, delivering and evaluating services, rather than making suggestions that professionals are responsible for deciding upon and implementing. Co-production is a two-way process; in return for working together with the council, everyone involved should get something out of being involved e.g. learning, payment, friendship."
- "As community members we are committed to working positively together as part of a team, to improve the way services are designed locally. We believe we can make a difference and would like more members of the community to come forward and join us, to be part of this innovative approach."
