Dr Lawrence Foley, Future Academies: The Race Equality Foundation
Dr Lawrence Foley, Future Academies CEO, recognises the importance of tackling racism and instilling racial equality and inclusion to positively transform the lives of Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. This article will look at the work of the Race Equality Foundation, a charity created with the mission of ensuring a racism-free society.
The Race Equality Foundation generates and shares evidence and best practices to dismantle systemic racism. The organisation initiates and collaborates in networks and partnerships, trialling new ways of working and supporting communities to tackle racism.
Influencing decision makers, policymakers and practitioners to drive systemic change, the Race Equality Foundation gathers data and conducts research to identify the impact of societal racial inequalities in communities. The organisation spearheads public education campaigns, sharing evidence-based knowledge to positively impact communities. The Race Equality Foundation also intervenes to prevent racial inequalities being realised and mitigate the impacts of racial inequalities already experienced.
Formerly known as the National Institute for Social Work’s Race Equality Unit, the organisation was established in 1987. It became an independent charity in 1995, changing its name to the Race Equality Foundation in 2006.
The Race Equality Foundation’s diverse practitioners work at the heart of communities, providing direct knowledge, information and support where it is needed most. Working with individuals with lived experience, the charity continually reviews what works, why and with whom, sharing best practices with commissioners and policymakers.
The Race Equality Foundations values are:
· Respect: Meeting people where they are and treating them as everyone wants to be treated.
· Integrity: Doing the right thing even if that is challenging.
· Rigor: Looking at the evidence and keeping an open mind.
· Collaboration: Welcoming the input of others and believing people work better together.
· Transformation: Empowering people to create positive change.
The work of the Race Equality Foundation covers a range of enabling sectors, including community, housing, healthcare, and children and families. The organisation has produced more than 260 in-depth research reports and briefings on racial inequality to date, having partnered with over 100 organisations on various projects designed to change policy and practice. The Race Equality Foundation has also made a positive impact on 150,000 parent and children’s lives through its award-winning parenting programme. Based at Deane House Studios in North West London, the Race Equality Foundation partners with numerous national organisations including the NHS, University of Sheffield, the University of Lancashire and the Race and Health Observatory.
In 2019, the Race Equality Foundation’s Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities programme benefited from £1.5 million in investment from the National Institute of Health and Care Research, enabling the Foundation to conduct an evaluation of the programme’s impact on family well-being. In the same year, the Race Equality Foundation also piloted a community awareness and blood testing programme for Black men, with its approach subsequently published in the Public Health England community practice guidelines and NICE resource library.
In 2020, the Race Equality Foundation secured funding for 21 voluntary community organisations supporting people in minority communities experiencing dementia. During the pandemic, the Race Equality Foundation supported vulnerable families suffering from a lack of face-to-face services by making its Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities programme available online.
As part of its goal of tackling racial inequality across public services, the Race Equality Foundation explores what is known about disadvantage and discrimination, developing evidenced-based practices to promote equality. The organisation disseminates these best practices via written material, websites, conferences and educational activities. Working closely with national and local partners from the voluntary, community, statutory and social enterprise sectors, the Race Equality Foundation’s key areas of work span the realms of health, housing, communities, children and families, and social care.
