Family Early Help
although this image refers to mental health, in what ways could it also represent work with families?
What is Anti-Oppressive Practice?
Anti-oppressive practice recognizes the oppression that exists in our society, and there is unequal access to power and to resources. Anti-oppressive practice aims for two things.
Firstly, as anti-oppressive practitioners, we address social divisions and structural inequalities that children and families face, calling out and acting on inequality, discrimination, misuse of power, unequal access to resources, unfairness or injustice.
Secondly, it means we conduct our work with children and families by respecting their beliefs, values, culture, goals, needs, preferences, relationships and affiliations. This means constantly reflecting on 'ourselves in the work', our own power, influence, attitudes and actions, and how those things are experienced by children and families.
You can read more about anti-oppressive practice here
and a introductory slide pack here
https://www.slideshare.net/markmfelvus/lecture-3-anti-oppressive-practice-aop
What Is Anti-Racist Practice?
There are many definitions of anti-racism, here is one from the Ontario Anti-Racism Secretariat "anti-racism is the practice of identifying, challenging and changing the values, structures and behaviors that perpetuate systemic racism". Anti-racist practice is highly active; it focusses on doing something to actively oppose or disrupt racism, not being passively'non-racist'.
You can find Ibram X Kendi's definition of anti-racism here (and there are two podcasts from Professor Kendi in the podcasts and videos tab on the left):
https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2020/june/ibram-x-kendi-definition-of-antiracist.html
and here is a video of psychologist John Amaechi describing what anti-racism means to him:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zs9n2v4
Why not discuss in your teams what anti-oppressive and anti-racist practice means to you and why? Can you come up with a team definition?
Exploring White Privilege
Privilege refers to the way in which some people benefit from unearned advantages, entitlements or benefits. These advantages are often unacknowledged. Privilege can relate to class, gender, money, title, land, and to race.
W.E.B. Du Bois first talked about the privileges of whiteness in the 1930s, when he described whiteness as a 'public and psychological wage' that enabled white people to feel superior to black people. The term white privilege was expanded on by Peggy McIntosh in the late 1980s, when she wrote a paper called "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack".
In the paper, McIntosh explores the idea of white privilege as "an invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was “meant” to remain oblivious". McIntosh lists a number of ways that she describes as giving her unearned privilege or advantage relative to her African American colleagues.
Reading About White Privilege
You can read W.E.B Du Bois' paper here
and you can read Peggy McIntosh's article on white privilege here
There are also some short videos about white privilege, including a Ted Talk from Peggy McIntosh, in the "Podcasts and Videos" tab on the left hand side of this page, or click here:
Which of the privileges that Peggy describes do you most connect with? Which ones do your colleagues most connect with? What do you think when you hear the term 'white privilege'?
Intersectionality
Intersectionality was a phrase coined by Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. She first used it as a way to help explain the oppression of African-American women. Since then, it has become widely used to describe how systems can oppress people - for example because of race, gender, sexuality, class, age, religion and many others - and how those systems do not act independently of each other.
People who experience harm in one or more of these systems face increased oppression. Kimberlé describes intersectionality as "a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides".
Intersectionality literally means the 'intersection' of where all these power imbalances and oppressions meet. This means it is really important we think about ALL parts of a person's identity, and how they might experience increased oppression and obstacles. As Audre Lorde said "there is no such thing as a single issue struggle because we don't lead single issue lives".
You can read more about intersectionality here:
https://time.com/5786710/kimberle-crenshaw-intersectionality/
And here is a short video of Kimberlé talking about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViDtnfQ9FHc
Think about your own identity - what makes you 'you'? Why are all those things important? Think about a family you helped recently, or are helping now. How might intersectionality be affecting them? Why is that important to you and how you help them?
Critical Race Theory
Critical Race Theory or CRT refers to a broad social scientific approach to the study of race, racism, and society. Central to critical race theory is that racism is much more than individual prejudice and bigotry; rather, racism is a systemic feature of social structure. You can read more about CRT here
https://globalsocialtheory.org/topics/critical-race-theory/
Colourism
An article introducing colourism, the practice of discrimination by which those with lighter skin are treated more favorably than those with darker skin. This practice is a product of racism.
https://www.nccj.org/colorism-0
11 Terms You Should Know to Better Understand Structural Racism
This glossary from the Apsen Institute describes terms related to structural racism and terms used to promote racial equity and justice. It was created by the Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change, a group that worked with leading innovators to produce strong and reliable frameworks for successful and sustainable community change and development.
The Seven Dimensions of Oppression
This image shows the seven dimensions of oppression, and how they can function in workplaces, organisations and institutions to create systemic and structural racism (with credit to Jean Samuel and Kristen Roe, Hamilton Children's Aid Society, Canada for the image, h/t Kempe Center International Virtual Conference A Call to Action to Change Child Welfare)
Which of these dimensions of oppression do you connect with most and why? In what ways might these dimensions affect the families we're working with? Why is it important that we reflect on that when we're helping families? Why not discuss the 7 dimensions of oppression in a team meeting and see how many examples you can come up with.
The Continuum of Cultural Competence
The Cultural Competence Continuum describes healthy and unhealthy values and behaviors of people and organisations The continuum can help people to assess where they believe they (or their organisation) are now in being culturally competent and responsive, and where they would like to be.
You can read more about the Cultural Competence Continuum here
https://ccpep.org/home/what-is-cultural-proficiency/the-continuum/
and you can watch a short explainer film here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JNUxwHh7j8
Where are you on the cultural competence continuum? Where would you like to be? Where is your team or service on the continuum? Where would you like it to be? Where is Camden as a council on the continuum? Where would you like it to be?