Welcome to MHFA England’s first progress report on our race equity and anti-racist work. In July 2020 we published a commitment to become a truly anti-racist social enterprise. Our commitment was underpinned by a 15-point action plan. This report sets out the progress we have made against those actions, reflects on the lessons we have learned along the way, and sets our revised commitments for the year ahead.
MHFA England Race Equity Impact Report 2021
“Unapologetic, essential, life-changing.”
MHFA England staff member talking about our anti-racist work and commitment
Contents An agenda for change: Our journey so far The critical need we are addressing
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Our spheres of influence and how we are using them Our commitment: Progress within our community Our commitment: Progress beyond our community Reflections and lessons from the past year Our collective learnings on racism, privilege, and allyship Our commitments for the year ahead This is just the start
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Becoming anti-racist: Our journey so far
In a world where words aren’t always backed up by enough action, we wanted to produce a report which allows us to: ҄ Reflect honestly and transparently on the actions we have taken this year ҄ Be held accountable for what we have and haven’t achieved ҄ Share our learnings in a constructive way, within and beyond the MHFA England community We are proud of the work we are doing in this space. It is challenging work that is not always comfortable. But it is vital work that we hope will ultimately help create true racial justice in the workplace, in society, and in mental health outcomes. As Chair and Chief Executive, we would like to thank everyone across MHFA England, our Instructor Member community, our partners and collaborators, for all they have done to embrace the Statement of Intent we made back in July 2020, and for all the hard work, energy and commitment that has gone into driving it forward to date.
The data is clear: there are significant racial disparities in mental health outcomes. This is not inevitable, and it has to change. Welcome to MHFA England’s first progress report on our race equity and anti- racist work. In July 2020 we published a commitment to become a truly anti-racist social enterprise. Our commitment was underpinned by a 15-point action plan. This report sets out the progress we have made against those actions, reflects on the lessons we have learned along the way, and sets our revised commitments for the year ahead. An enormous amount of hard work is needed to dismantle systemic racism and to remove racial gaps in mental health outcomes. An understanding of race, racism, anti-racism and race equity must drive cultural and systemic change in the mental health landscape and in society. As a social enterprise that provides mental health education, we have an important role to play in driving forward those changes. We see this role as being pivotal to our work in the future.
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In this report we have chosen, in collaboration with our staff and members, to use the term People of Colour and Black people to describe the individuals and communities who are impacted by racism and racial inequity. We acknowledge that this term is not perfect for some racialised communities and may not feel inclusive enough. We will keep listening to feedback and explore whether People of the Global Majority, or another term, is more appropriate to include the many racial identities impacted by racism and racial inequity. We welcome all thoughts on how we can make our language as inclusive as possible. We are committed to continued action, and we know just how much more work there is to do within and outside of MHFA England. We hope this report encourages even greater momentum – stimulating future ideas, thinking, discussion, and action. Thank you for taking the time to read it.
Adah Parris Chair
Simon Blake Chief Executive
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The critical need we are addressing
҄ Over 70% of ethnic minority workers said they have experienced racial harassment at work in the past five years (University of Manchester, 2019) ҄ 33% of Black employees feel that their ethnicity will be a barrier to their next career move compared to only 1% of White employees (Business in the Community, 2020) ҄ Ethnic discrimination in the workplace costs the UK £40 billion annually ( Route2, 2020) Experience of racism in daily life ҄ Race remains the most commonly recorded motivation for hate crime in England and Wales, at 72% (Office for National Statistics, 2019-20) ҄ In the UK, Black people and People of Colour are 10 times more likely to be stopped and searched than White people. Police in the UK are also 5 times more likely to use force against Black people compared to White people (In Your Area, 2020) ҄ 2/3 of Black Britons have had a racial slur directly used against them or had people make assumptions about their behaviour based on their race (YouGov poll reported in FT, 2020) The experience of such prevalent racism – both direct and indirect – can have a devastating effect on a person’s mental health. Racial trauma can lead to depression, hypervigilance, chronic stress and fatigue, bodily inflammation, and symptoms similar to post traumatic stress disorder.
We live in a biased system that disadvantages People of Colour and Black people. The impact of racial inequity on mental health is both devastating and profound. Research has proven that People of Colour and Black people experience poorer mental health outcomes than the rest of the population. Understanding and recognising how racism operates as a system to create disparities for People of Colour and Black people – and how this can affect their mental health – is vital to dismantling racism, if we are to make real, lasting changes across our society. Racism and its impact on mental health For People of Colour and Black people, experiences of racial inequity permeate every aspect of life as illustrated in the stats below. An article published in the Guardian , shortly after the murder of George Floyd, presented a wide ranging and growing body of evidence to suggest that racism, racial prejudice and the many inequalities experienced by People of Colour and Black people leads to illness, both physical and mental. Racism and racial inequity in the workplace ҄ Half of Black Britons say they are as likely to have experienced racism at work as in the street (YouGov poll reported in FT, 2020) ҄ Over a quarter of Black people (29%) say their mental health has been negatively impacted by racism experienced at work (City Mental Health Alliance, 2021)
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An independent review of the UK’s Mental Health Act in 2018, that cited ‘profound inequalities’ in the system, found that Black British people were four times more likely to be sectioned than White people, and more likely to be given psychoactive medication instead of a talking therapy. Studies have also shown that misinterpretation of a Black client’s experience by a White therapist can lead to dangerous misdiagnosis. The need for action is clear We cannot continue to live in a society where your race predetermines your mental health outcomes. As a leading social enterprise dedicated to improving the mental health of the nation, we want to create an unshakeable belief that we can all talk freely about mental health, seek support when we need it, and have faith in that support, regardless of the colour of our skin or ethnic background. Our work to tackle racism in our own organisation and beyond is fundamental to this vision. Our commitment to being an anti-racist organisation goes hand in hand with our social purpose.
And yet, while the lived experiences of People of Colour and Black people create a clear need for effective mental health services to support them, there are significant racial disparities in accessing help, and in the outcomes of that help. Racial disparities in mental health service access and mental h alth o tcomes Compared to White people, Black people are:
3 TIMES MORE LIKELY to be the subject of ‘restrictive
interventions’ such as being restrained or held in isolation while in hospital (Mind, 2020)
8 TIMES MORE LIKELY to be given a Community Treatment Order (Mind, 2020)
Mental Health Act
4 TIMES MORE LIKELY to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act (Gov.uk, 2021)
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Our spheres of influence and howwe are using them
The murder of George Floyd was a catalyst for scrutiny of racial injustice and inequity that focused minds on the systemic and institutional racism that provides the backdrop to millions of people’s everyday lives. At MHFA England we, like many others, committed to take a long hard look at ourselves and do everything it takes to become a truly anti-racist organisation. We also committed to work alongside partners and collaborators to influence change across the mental health sector, with the ultimate goal of contributing to the elimination of racial disparities in mental health outcomes.
The statistics we’ve shared in this report highlight the racial bias and mental health stigma experienced by People of Colour and Black people, and they present a clear case for change. But change needs more than just words or rhetoric. Change needs action to be taken if it is to be real, systemic, and sustainable. Here, we set out what we are doing and what still needs to be done to transform our commitment into actions and bring about true change. An agenda for change, in MHFA England and beyond Our ambition is to be a leading anti-racist social enterprise, actively challenging racism in everything we do. The programme of change that we have committed to will ensure that every value, belief, policy, and document of ours is underpinned by a clear commitment to anti-racism, race equity, and social justice. employers and others who, like us, want to see the commitments they made in 2020 drive meaningful long-term change. We are doing this by developing new training like our Race Equity and Mental Health course , and by creating high-profile awareness campaigns such as My Whole Self . But this is not limited to our own community. We also want to help
Being Black is more than a trend. It is a shared experience, an identity, it is everything. So, when the scramble is over and the hashtags are replaced by another, Black people will still have to carry on living with their internalised experiences.
Lola Jaye – Author and registered psychotherapist
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Four platforms driving forward our programme of change When we published our Statement of Intent in 2020 we identified four spheres of influence through which we could drive meaningful change.
1. OUR COMMUNITY: We committed to look at our internal policies, the data we collect and the learning and development opportunities we provide across our community, to ensure they reflect our ambition to become a truly anti-racist organisation.
2. OUR TRAINING We committed to taking a root and branch approach to reviewing our training through an anti-racist lens. We want to ensure that everything we do is reflective of our diverse society – from our course content, Instructor Training programme, and representation among our Instructor Members, to our marketing materials, resources and guidance. We also want to use training as a tool to promote positive change across society – particularly in relation to the impact of racism on mental health outcomes.
3. OUR SOCIAL PURPOSE: As a social enterprise dedicated to improving mental health, we believe that early intervention through Mental Health First Aid can be a positive force in reducing the current disproportionate use of the Mental Health Act. We committed to supporting more People of Colour and Black communities to access our training.
4. OUR CAMPAIGNING We committed to using our platform to drive awareness of the impact of racism on mental health, by sharing empowering, practical resources to help bring about change. Our My Whole Self campaign is an important element of this drive.
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Our commitment: Progress within our community
In July 2020 we published 15 practical commitments that would allow us to become an anti-racist organisation. When we published this Statement of Intent we started a vital and ambitious journey. One that would reveal challenging insights and involve success, failure, and collective learning. We have committed to being transparent and honest about our progress throughout our journey. We want to be held
accountable for the progress we make and don’t make, so that we can take pride in what we have achieved together and take responsibility for ensuring even greater momentum in the future. Here is our summary of our progress to date against the 15 commitments that comprise our Statement of Intent:
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ACTION
PROGRESS STATUS
1. Establish a project team with senior sponsorship and a dedicated budget, responsible for actioning our commitments, providing quarterly progress reports and engaging with our community 2. Ensure our policies reflect an anti-racist approach and review our approaches to recruitment, selection, induction and progression in line with best practice 3. Gather data on our board representation, staff and Instructor Member community to inform future decision making
We have established the Project Sapphire race equity team. The team meets monthly. It has met with all project leads responsible for the actions in the Statement of Intent to develop specific, measurable outcomes. Doing this has ensured that our drive to become an anti-racist organisation has been transformed from a commitment to a business and organisational imperative moving forward. We have reviewed all our recruitment and onboarding processes and begun implementing changes to ensure a more inclusive candidate experience. We have identified priority policies to create and review for this financial year, of which our zero tolerance policy is one. We have committed to reviewing all our people policies on an annual basis to ensure they reflect our anti-racist culture. We have gathered data from all MHFA England staff and will continue to do so at different touchpoints of the employee lifecycle. This will help us ensure that our community is diverse, inclusive and truly reflective of society in the long-term. We are continuing our data gathering drive by collecting Instructor Member data as part of the forthcoming Instructor Membership renewal process. We have diversified our leadership and board level representation. Of our six Non-executive board members, one is Black, one is a Person of Colour and one is from a racialised community. (This is from zero at the publication of the Statement of Intent). One of our four Executives is a Person of Colour (from zero) and three of ten of our leadership team are Black or a Person of Colour (from two).
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Our commitment: Progress within our community cont.
ACTION
PROGRESS STATUS
4. Work in partnership with Global Black Thrive, our Instructor Members, staff and others to develop learning and development opportunities on White privilege, racism, race, ethnicity and mental health for our community, including a specific module that all our Instructor Members will be required to take
We have delivered training for executive and leadership teams to prepare them to lead on this objective. New Racism and Mental Health modules have become a required component of our Instructor Training programme. Mandatory introductory training on becoming an anti-racist organisation has also been put in place for all staff and National Trainers. Mandatory upskilling sessions for all National Trainers has enabled them to experience the new Racism and Mental Health modules in the Instructor Training programme. We have developed anti-racism training for all our Instructor Members to improve their knowledge and understanding of this area. The training focuses on the systemic nature of racism and how it manifests, and the impact of racism on the mental health of People of Colour and Black People. It also focuses on how to apply an anti-racist lens to MHFA England tools and skills. In addition, we have created an inclusive language and definition guide for our central team and Instructor Member community to use in their day-to-day work. We plan to provide wider access to this guide through our courses. As part of our ongoing learning commitment, we have hosted lunch and learn events for our staff and Instructor Member community, with guest speakers. We are in the process of reviewing and amending our courses and training materials to be more inclusive of race. We have reviewed and updated the Frame of Reference tool in all our Mental Health First Aid courses. The tool now reflects race on the list of influencing factors. We have made a number of changes to the Online Youth MHFA course, including: ҄ Identifying systemic racism and discrimination as an important risk factor for poor mental health for People of Colour and Black people ҄ Updating exercises to be more inclusive and reflective of our whole community ҄ Removing biased language and updating lesson plans to reflect these changes We have removed the Black Dog video as part of our courses resources and released a new film called ‘Depression and Me’. It features MHFA England Ambassador, Chloe Davies, a Black bi woman with lived experience of mental health issues. Over the next 18 months we will create more inclusive films and videos that can be used by our Instructor Member community.
5. Review and strengthen our courses’ content on the impact of race, racism, oppression, inequalities and intersectionality in mental health and wellbeing, and develop guidance for Instructor Members to deliver appropriately
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Our commitment: Progress within our community cont.
ACTION
PROGRESS STATUS
6. Ensure our quality assurance systems are informed by anti-racist principles 7. Scope out the development of specific courses on race and mental health in partnership with experts 8. Review sources of support listed in MHFA England course manuals with a view to strengthening signposting to bespoke mental health support available for People of Colour and Black people 9. Review our Instructor Training programme to include a stronger focus on the impact of race, racism, oppression, inequalities and intersectionality in mental health and wellbeing 10. Establish a dedicated MHFA England forum for our Instructor Member community on to promote discussion, best-practice and knowledge sharing
Our quality monitoring tools now measure Instructor Members’ performance against race equity-related knowledge and behaviours. The knowledge and behaviours are set out in our new Instructor Member anti-racism training and expectations. In June 2021, we launched our Race Equity and Mental Health course , empowering senior leaders to drive cultural change.
Our Adult Mental Health First Aid course content is being reviewed through a race equity lens. The updated course will be available by the end of May 2022.
A mandatory Racism and Mental Health plenary session is now part of our Instructor Training programme. These modules seek to build the awareness, confidence and competence of our Instructor Members, enabling them to talk knowledgeably about racism and its impact on mental health in their work, and to facilitate challenging discussions. We have created an Instructor Member community forum on race and mental health. We hold regular race equity drop-in sessions: one for People of Colour and Black Instructor Members and another for all Instructor Members. We continue to offer separate sessions because we believe it is important to create spaces where different lived experiences and learning needs are recognised and provided. These sessions and forums promote powerful, positive and practical conversations, create the opportunity to demonstrate allyship, and enable our community to share learnings and reflections.
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Our commitment: Progress within our community cont.
ACTION
PROGRESS STATUS
11. Review and strengthen the representation of People of Colour and Black people in our marketing and product content
We have invested in diversifying our marketing materials and imagery portfolio to be more representative and reflective of the society and communities we serve. We have reviewed, and will continue to systematically audit our language, imagery, and storytelling to make it more inclusive. We are continually looking for ways to amplify the voices of People of Colour and Black People by celebrating mental health organisations such as Black Thrive, The Black, African and Asian Therapy Network, and Black Minds Matter. In addition we hold regular spotlight sessions with Black-led and People of Colour-led organisations.
12. Create an action plan for improving the diversity of our Instructor Member community 13. Support Black-led organisations to access fully subsidised MHFA England training
We will be creating an in-depth action plan to drive this commitment forward in 2022 when we have data from our member renewal process.
We have trained and upskilled 12 People of Colour and Black Instructor Members to enable them to deliver our Online Youth MHFA course. We are supporting them through their first two deliveries. We have delivered three fully funded Online Youth MHFA courses to individuals from Black-led organisations, training up a cohort of 48 People of Colour and Black people. We launched and promoted our guidance on ‘Supporting People of Colour and Black people in the workplace’ in collaboration with Business in the Community and Chartered Management Institute in September 2020. Since being published the guide has been downloaded 3,719 times from the MHFA England website. Content from the guide featured across national and trade media with coverage generating 49 million opportunities to see. 800 people logged onto two webinars we hosted to support the launch of this guidance. Videos of these webinars have also been viewed over 3,000 times.
14. Use the second phase of the My Whole Self campaign to promote guidance for employers on supporting the wellbeing of People of Colour and Black colleagues
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Our commitment: Progress within our community cont.
ACTION
PROGRESS STATUS
15. Collaborate with others in the mental health sector to hold government to account over racial inequalities for People of Colour and Black people in mental health outcomes
MHFA England has signed a joint letter to the Minister for Mental Health calling on them to ensure a strong government focus on reducing racial disparities in mental health. Our Chief Executive Simon Blake signed a joint open letter from Runnymede Trust and MHFA England, calling on the Prime Minister to reject the Race report published in April 2021. Simon is one of the founders of the Excellence not Empire campaign which drives acknowledgement of the harm and trauma caused by Britain’s imperialist and colonial past, and proposes positive steps to address that harm. MHFA England has signed and adopted the Halo Code , which encourages schools and workplaces to prevent race-based hair discrimination. MHFA England is a signatory of Business in The Community’s Race at Work Charter . Signing up to the charter means taking practical steps to ensure our organisation is tackling barriers that People of Colour and Black people face in recruitment and progression. It also means ensuring that our organisation is representative of the communities, customers and clients we serve, and of British society today. We will continue to seek collaborations with like-minded organisations to drive change.
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Our commitment: Progress within our community cont.
What our community is saying about the work we are doing
“It’s been a vital learning experience for our community and I am delighted we are leading from the front in this space.”
“Project Sapphire is a good initiative, that looks to include others, and responds directly to what’s happening. It is a journey, and the steps that have been made, have been good so far. The work that is being done allows for communities that were previously unseen, to now be seen. These are positive steps in the right direction.” Dr Judith Bruce-Golding
“(MHFA England’s) statement of support for Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, and Jadon Sancho, and against racism and abuse in football, stood out for me.” Mike Lawrence Independent Instructor Member
“Our commitments have ensured we are practising what we preach, and highlights the strong connection between mental health and racism. Working on our own culture means we can be a model for other organisations that we will work with in the future, and that is the greatest impact we can potentially have! But above all, they give us an opportunity to grow as kinder, accountable individuals.”
“The work we are doing is clearly making impact and moving us in the direction we should be going. I think we have a tension between the external positioning of our view, which is very progressive and inclusive; and some of our older, well-known content that doesn’t reflect the position we state. There is something about aligning how we speak with what we do to avoid being seen as performative (which I don’t think we are trying to be).”
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Our commitment: Progress within our community cont.
What our Instructor Members are saying about our anti-racism training
“What I enjoyed about the (Anti- Racism for Instructors) module, was the comfort zone image. This was most interesting to me, as it acknowledged the discomfort when facing the impacts of racism.” Rekha Kapoor Independent Instructor Member
“Feel quite inspired by it to learn more – great work from everyone involved. I’m also a big fan of the Inclusive Language Guide.” Jake Morrison Independent Instructor Member
“I’ve just spent a great hour and a bit completing the Anti-Racism for Instructor Members training. A very well put together and enlightening course that answers lots of questions and raises more. I’d encourage everyone to complete it as soon as you can.” David Whiting Independent Instructor Member
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Our commitment: Progress beyond our community
Race Equity and Mental Health course Our new Race Equity and Mental Health course has been created to empower any organisation who, like us, is looking to become truly anti-racist, to embed a journey of cultural change. Through this carefully designed course, small groups of leaders and representatives are given: ҄ Guidance to enable them to speak confidently and authentically about race ҄ Training to use their leadership roles to proactively dismantle racial inequity ҄ Practical tools to help them improve the mental health of all colleagues ҄ Help to identify ways of creating the space to have difficult and challenging conversations
As uncomfortable as many people find it, the conversations happening over the past year are bringing about a more widespread recognition that systemic and institutional racism is present in most organisations. We want all employers to take action using this growing awareness as positive force for long-term change. We believe workplaces can play a key role in creating a society where everyone’s mental health matters. That is why, in parallel with our own journey, we are helping other organisations to make vital changes. We’re developing new training dedicated to helping organisations create equitable cultures. We’re also using our platform as a leading mental health social enterprise to campaign on the importance of creating workplaces where everyone feels valued and able to be themselves.
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What people are saying about our Race Equity and Mental Health course
“Get ready to open your eyes and ears and be ready to learn. We have all trodden a different path and for some this been a difficult one. Our facilitators carefully guided us through the course, providing a safe space to learn about such an important subject and providing the right content to challenge our way of thinking with expert knowledge.” Anita Wheeler Head of Learning, Development and Internal Communications, Student Roost
“MHFA England provided Changing Faces with incredibly knowledgeable, thought provoking and insightful training at the start of our journey to becoming an anti-racist organisation. Their support, and the space and trust they helped us to create, began some vital conversations within our team, which are significantly moving our thinking and practice forward.” Becky Hewitt Former CEO, Changing Faces
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Our commitment: Progress beyond our community cont.
My Whole Self campaign Our research shows that one in five workers – 6.5 million people – feel they cannot be their whole self at work, with People of Colour reporting this most often ( MHFA England/You Gov, 2020 ). This is an intolerable situation. No one should have to leave parts of their identity behind – whether cultural or ethnic background, gender identity, sexuality, disability or health – when they are at work. The psychological impact of confronting cultural inequity, daily micro-aggressions, or of feeling the need to ‘code-switch’, cannot be underestimated. That’s why in September 2020, as part of our My Whole Self campaign, we teamed up with the Chartered Management Institute and Business in the Community. Together we developed free guidance for employers, Supporting the wellbeing and mental health of People of Colour and Black people in the workplace , to ensure that all employees feel valued and able to be themselves at work. It was clear from the overwhelming response and interest that our research hit a nerve, and that our guidance answered a pressing need. ҄ Our My Whole Self campaign burst in October 2020 generated 49 million opportunities to see across the national and trade media, with titles including Metro News and Personnel Today covering the story ҄ Our guidance on ‘Supporting the wellbeing and mental health of People of Colour and Black people in the workplace’ was shared by the Chartered Management Institute with their community of over 160,000 managers and was downloaded from our website 3,719 times ( poster )
҄ Over 800 people attended our webinars on ‘Supporting the mental health of People of Colour and Black colleagues’ and ‘Becoming an anti-racist organisation’ Videos of these webinar have also been viewed over 3,000 times.
We are calling on everyone to keep spreading the word about the existence of our anti-racist resources, webinars and online training courses. We want to ensure that as many workplaces as possible benefit from them and join us in actively challenging a status quo that has existed for too long, with profound mental health consequences. people can be their whole selves, and not have to hide part of who they are. Employers should go to this guidance first to understand where to begin. Sandra Kerr CBE Race Equality Director, Business in the Community Employers need to understand that saying statements like ‘I don’t see colour’ aren’t helpful, and this guidance explains why. Business leaders should feel uncomfortable. It’s the first step toward recognising there are differences in lived experiences and to understanding what, as leaders, they can do to combat racism from the inside. This guidance is an important tool for employers to understand how to make the workplace a safe space where
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Our commitment: Progress beyond our community cont.
My Whole Self is a vital, timely campaign and we know it is crucial that managers meet the wellbeing needs of their people. We were pleased to be consulted on the development of the guide to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of people who face racism, but even more pleased to share such a valuable resource with our community of over 160,000 managers. ” Matthew Jayes Manager, Chartered Management Institute
MHFA England anti-racism resources Article: We will not see race equality without race equity Guidance: Supporting the wellbeing and mental health of People of Colour and Black people in the workplace Training: Race Equity and Mental Health course Webinars: Becoming an anti-racist organisation How to have conversations about race and mental health at work Race equity, intersectionality and mental health at work Supporting the mental health of People of Colour and Black colleagues
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Reflections and lessons from the past year Our work to become an anti-racist organisation has been humbling and rewarding in equal measure. Ultimately, it has been about learning together, within and beyond our community. We listen, we reflect, we make changes and renew our commitment to continually do better. We want to thank everyone who has engaged with us on this journey so far. In particular, we are grateful to those who have taken the time to reflect on our products and where they could be more inclusive of race and racism. We value and agree with your insights. We have made many changes already and hope you will start to see the benefits of these efforts soon. We know there is still more to do. We want to reassure you that although sometimes changes may take longer than we would all like, we are committed to reviewing and strengthening our course content on the impact of race and racism. So, please keep engaging with us. Please keep sharing your thoughts and views. And please keep helping us learn. After this past year, we are more committed than ever to turning those insights into action.
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Some people view racial justice as a political position. We do not. We believe equity is everyone’s business and racial justice is core to our purpose. It is not an optional extra. We have learned that taking this position needs courage, commitment and humility. It makes for challenging decisions and difficult conversations. It also needs a long- term view. This is not work that can be completed in a matter of months.
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We – and any other organisation committed to becoming anti- racist – need people from diverse backgrounds in leadership positions, from the board right the way through. This is to ensure that the workplace culture and systems they are helping build are reflective of, and work equally for, everyone.
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Access to quality training in this area is valued enormously. As a social enterprise dedicated to improving the mental health of the nation, we have a responsibility to share what we have learned to enable other organisations to create equitable, anti-racist workplaces in which everyone feels supported to be their whole self.
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Racism and privilege manifests itself in different ways. To be able to effectively tackle racism we must acknowledge that systems, structures and processes will have bias in them, even if it is not immediately apparent to us. We have to be prepared to apply an anti-racist lens to everything we do, and we have to approach the review process with open minds.
A zero tolerance policy is vital to creating a truly anti-racist culture. This isn’t a punitive approach. It is about making sure that nothing passes without action being taken – whether that’s a simple conversation and education, or using grievance procedures where appropriate.
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We will only achieve sustainable success by building a culture that creates plentiful spaces and opportunities to learn and reflect together. This must be a collective journey and we must be honest and open with each other about the progress we’re making and the challenges we’re encountering. At MHFA England we provide spaces specifically for those who experience racism, and open spaces that everyone is welcome to attend.
Action plans must be underpinned by a commitment to focus on the outcomes we want. Finding out how to achieve those outcomes is secondary. We won’t know all of the answers at the outset, and that’s OK. To achieve true race equity we must be open to trying new things and taking risks.
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Being a White ally is not a state of being. It is about taking action, being accountable, reflecting, learning and being willing to take responsibility. It is also vital that White people recognise that their learning journeys are other people’s painful lived experiences.
People of Colour and Black colleagues are impacted by privilege and racism in the workplace, and by anti-racist work that drives race equity. Steps must be taken to understand the impact of this work on colleagues in every organisation so that appropriate support mechanisms can be established in parallel with programmes of change.
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Our collective learnings on racism, privilege, and allyship
The last year has been humbling. We have all dug deep and we have all learned powerful lessons, some of which we wouldn’t have known we needed to learn when we set out on this journey. We asked our colleagues what they had learned about privilege, racism and being anti-racist over the past year.
Their insights show just how far we have collectively come and how vital the work we are doing is. We thank each and every one of you for being open to this journey, and for recognising the need for change.
“Racism and privilege in the workplace often leads to People of Colour and Black people experiencing greater mental health issues. People of Colour and Black people are more likely to have had a harder journey to get to where they are and may well feel they are never going to be considered as good and have anxiety as a result. As a White person I do not experience the same level of micro-aggressions about my identity based on my skin colour.”
“Racism is a systemic issue which we all contribute to in some way and that we need to be 'active' in dismantling the structures which contribute towards it within society.”
“Being anti-racist means being active in challenging racist actions, and the systems that reinforce these. Also that this means having courageous and brave conversations, that will be uncomfortable, but to not give up!”
“The journey has taught me that being non-racist was in fact benignly racist. I have learnt that at times I undermined People of Colour within the organisation and I am committed to ensuring that doesn't happen again. I am learning to be actively anti-racist and an ally.”
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Our commitments for the year ahead
As we reflect on what has been achieved over the past year, there are important learnings to take on board. We believe we were successful in targeting our efforts in the areas where we could have most impact. As a result, we are proud of the progress we have made as an organisation. Mixed with this pride is a deep consciousness of the need to continue to integrate, reinforce and embed new ways of working, learning and unlearning,
particularly when racism and privilege are so deeply embedded within societal and institutional norms. Project Sapphire, our anti-racist programme and action plan, will continue to be sponsored by the Chief Executive with designated resource to deliver on our commitments and support everybody to build an anti-racist culture in MHFA England.
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Governance and accountability
1. We will ensure that at least a third of our directors are People of Colour or Black people, of which at least one must be an Executive Director 2. Our Balanced Scorecard includes measures relating to race equity at work: ҄ Agreed number of external organisations to attend our Race Equity and Mental Health course ҄ All active and approved Instructor Members to complete the Anti-racism training 3. We will undertake a review of, and report on, our ethnicity pay gap 4. We will publish an annual report of our learning, progress, and impact 5. All staff have an objective in their 2021/22 performance and development plan to be accountable for adopting an anti-racist approach in their work 6. Departments are expected to create spaces in team meetings to share relevant resources, review activities, successes and lessons learned to ensure continuous improvement 7. We will empower our Sapphire Champions to embed a culture of learning, sharing, reflecting, and innovating in teams and departments
Culture and performance
Policies
We will review all our existing policies through an anti-racist and equity lens. Policies include: zero tolerance, ways of working, pay and reward framework, wellness and equity Our flagship Adult Mental Health First Aid programme is undergoing a full review. This will be completed in 2022. We will ensure the course is inclusive and representative of the inequities in mental health faced by People of Colour and Black people. This includes all course content, videos, case studies, and how the product is designed, presented and delivered We will review our Inclusive Language Guide, how it’s being used, and how we can build upon it We will monitor and review the changes we have made to our Instructor Training programme, Frame of Reference tool and the Youth MHFA course. We will continue to make changes where they are highlighted as being necessary All future product updates and reviews will adopt an anti-racist and race equity lens We will ensure that our campaign for workplace culture change, My Whole Self, recognises and acknowledges disparities in the experience of those who are People of Colour and Black people We will review all marketing and communications collateral to ensure it is inclusive and reflects our diverse population and workforce
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Products
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Campaigns and communication
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Our commitments for the year ahead cont.
Our people
We will continue to improve representation across our community. We will continue to enhance our recruitment and selection process to make it inclusive and equitable by looking to: ҄ Capture and monitor data to better understand diversity across our community, and identify areas needing improvement ҄ Diversify our talent pipeline by reviewing and reducing the risk of bias during each stage of our recruitment process We will engage the entire MHFA England community including staff, Instructor Members, and clients ҄ We will hold four learning events on race equity and intersectionality throughout the year We will engage our staff ҄ All staff will receive further training in race equity and anti-racism We will engage our Instructor Members ҄ All Instructor Members will be required to commit to our anti- racist zero tolerance approach. This will be reflected in our 2022/23 member agreement, our continuing professional development requirements, and our quality assurance framework ҄ We will continue to provide regular sessions for Instructor Members to share their learning, ideas and experiences. One session will be an open session and one will be specifically for People of Colour and Black Instructor Members We will engage our Associate Instructor Members ҄ All Associates will have completed mandatory training on anti- racism ҄ All Associates will be required to commit to our anti-racist zero tolerance approach and this will be reflected in the updated 2022/23 Associate agreement We will engage our National Trainers: ҄ All National Trainers will have completed mandatory training on anti-racism ҄ Our National Trainer contracts will reflect our anti-racist policies, ways of working and culture We will provide free MHFA England training to 20 Black-led organisations We will continue working with the Mental Health Leaders Group and Global Black Thrive
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Partnerships and collaboration
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This is just the start
In 2020 we made a public commitment to become a truly anti-racist social enterprise, learning and leading by example. Our ambition: A society in which racial justice is the norm. A society in which everyone is equally valued and able to bring their whole selves to every situation. A society in which mental health outcomes are never determined by race or ethnic background. It was never going to be an easy journey. While it is right to use this report’s publication as a moment to pause and take stock of the significant impact we have already made, we cannot allow complacency to creep in. This is just the start. This report is our way of being accountable, sharing the learnings that we can take forward, and renewing our commitment with humility, open minds, and even greater determination than before. Now more than ever, we all need to be proactive in seeking to challenge, confront and change our attitudes, beliefs, values and behaviours, in our own organisation and across the world. This is a moment in time that holds the promise of long overdue and transformative change. Let’s collectively seize it and work together to dismantle racism in every area and ecosystem in society. Our journey continues…
Ama Afrifa-Tchie Head of People, Wellbeing and Equity
Chantal Senya Project Sapphire (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) Specialist
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Thank you Thank you for reading the report. And thank you to all our staff, Instructor Members, partners, clients, delegates and supporters who have embraced our work to become a truly anti-racist social enterprise. Let’s continue working together so we can achieve race equity in the workplace and beyond.
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