I want to talk about the UK riots and the impact on the social work profession.

Nana Yabbey-Hagan – incoming SWU Executive Committee member, social work team manager, practice educator, university lecturer, podcast host, and activist – shares a message with the UK social work community following the far-right, anti-immigration riots that occurred between July 30^th – August 6^th.

I want to talk about the UK riots and the impact on the social work profession.

I know BASW and the Social Workers Union have released a joint statement condemning the riots. On a deeper frequency though, today in the office I’ve had quite a lot of conversations with social workers in my team.

Now, the team I manage is a non-white team and it’s sad that I’ve had to have a conversation with them to say that I’m very worried about their safety because of the colour of their skin and because of their religious background. That’s just me keeping it 100. I’m conscious of where the riots have taken place, and I know that the social workers in my team and social workers from black and minority ethnic groups across the UK right now have to go and visit families, children and young people in those areas.

The fact is their safety is compromised because of these riots.

I’ve explained to my team how important it is to keep themselves safe. I shouldn’t have to. But today I had to have that conversation with my social worker team that the colour of their skin, right now in this country, means that their safety is compromised.

Normally I have a conversation with them to say, “When you’re out on a visit, you make sure that you keep safe. You let me know when you’ve finished your visit.” But the conversation is not that the colour of their skin and their background is why they have to keep safe.

My brother and sister are both social workers. I’ve had the same conversation with them. My sister said she’s staying at home the whole week.

It’s almost as if now we’ve regressed.

Growing up, speaking to my grandma and grandpa – rest in peace – I learned about when they came to this country. They had to deal with the National Front, and this is during the period of Enoch Powell’s “Rivers of Blood” speech. They came to the UK and had “NF” on their door – this is their experience, within my grandparent’s lifetime. And when me and my family moved into where we lived, a big “KKK” sign was put on our drive. These are things that have happened within my lifetime.

Racism is very real in the UK. I have experienced it and so many practitioners of social work have experienced it.

At university as a social work student you learn about values and diversity. It’s a module that every single social work student discusses. The main points of that module are about anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice and you learn about legislation. The Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) domains, the main three frameworks, are about diversity and equality. One of the key components references the fact that diversity is multidimensional, which means that as social workers we work with everybody and anybody regardless of their race, their culture, their religion. It’s sociology 101, yeah?

But right now at this moment, with the riots going on, you have many social workers and practitioners and also colleagues in education and other professional disciplines who actually feel unsafe to be able to carry out their job. They’re worried that they’re going to be met with hostility and racial abuse, which is happening.

We shouldn’t feel like this.

Today I’ve had to speak to my team about the areas they’re going to and if they feel safe, and if they don’t then they can’t go. Or, if they’re going to go, I have to make sure that I make extra provision – booking taxis and whatever money I need to spend to make sure my team is safe.

It’s very important that across the UK – and I hope senior leaders are taking note of this – that we do speak to social workers from black and ethnic minority groups about how they are feeling. Because our safety is compromised and it’s sad, sad that I’m having to say it.

One of the messages that I have for all practitioners in all professional disciplines is: What’s happing doesn’t represent everybody. One thing we can’t do is derail our own values and our focus as to why we are in the profession. There are times when we have to work with racist families; I’ve had to work with racist families as a social worker, and I’ve had to challenge them on their values and views while working with their children and their teenagers.

And yes, it’s not for us to tolerate any form of abuse; we have our own professional standards. But we also need to make sure we don’t become derailed.  You’ve got to be challenged on your own views because if we get to a point where we, as professionals, have a prejudice and we bring that into the workplace then we are no better than the rioters.

To all of my colleagues from black and minority ethnic groups: Please make sure you keep yourselves safe.

To senior leaders: We have to keep our practitioners safe on the ground.