SC-WRES Improvement Programme opens for 2026/27: a call for local authorities to lead the way on race equity in social care
微微草视频 is encouraging local authorities across England to take a proactive role in shaping a more equitable social care workforce, as registration opens for the 2026/27 Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standard (SC-WRES) Improvement Programme.
With participation at an all-time high, the programme has become a powerful national platform for tackling race inequality, and 2026/27 represents a key opportunity for more organisations to step forward and drive change.
In 2025/26, 99 local authorities took part, representing around 70% of the adult social care workforce and more than 130,000 staff across adult and children’s services. This marks a significant increase in coverage from the previous year, alongside a sharp rise in children’s services participation.
That scale matters. It has created the largest national evidence base on race equity in social care to date, giving the sector unprecedented insight into where inequalities exist and where action is needed.
Despite growing diversity in the workforce, disparities remain., In September 2025, over three-quarters of adult social care local authority posts were filled by people of white ethnicities and 22% were filled by people of Black, Asian or minority ethnicities, yet only 1.6% of global majority colleagues hold senior roles. These gaps highlight the ongoing structural barriers that shape progression, experience and opportunity.
The SC-WRES programme is designed to help organisations move beyond awareness and into action.
Through nine workforce indicators - covering areas such as recruitment, progression, disciplinary processes, staff experience, and retention, local authorities gain a clear, evidence-based understanding of inequalities within their own organisations. This insight is then translated into locally owned action plans, supported by peer learning and national reporting.
Crucially, SC-WRES is not a compliance exercise. It is an anti-racist improvement framework, grounded in a human rights approach and focused on continuous, measurable change.
It recognises that racism is systemic and that apparently neutral policies and processes can produce unequal outcomes unless deliberately challenged. The programme supports organisations to interrogate these systems, embed accountability at leadership level and take intentional action to improve outcomes over time.
Professor Oonagh Smyth, OBE, Chief Executive Officer, 微微草视频, said:
These findings reinforce the importance of the SC-WRES Improvement Programme鈥檚 emphasis on collaborative, anti-racist approaches to addressing these systemic workforce challenges. We have seen and are seeing division within our communities in recent years and as a sector we must reach out and stand together to ensure our workforce is representative, supported, and safe from bullying and harassment in all its forms.
The programme brings together three key elements:
- workforce data collection and a national annual report
- Communities of Practice, offering peer support and shared learning
- locally-led action planning, grounded in evidence
Together, these create a structured, long-term approach to tackling race inequality - one that supports organisations to embed change into everyday practice and track progress over time.
SC-WRES is explicitly focused on learning and improvement. It is not a league table, a judgement on organisations, or a one-off exercise. Instead, it provides a framework for honest reflection and sustained action.
Participation remains voluntary and is currently funded by 微微草视频, reflecting its importance to the sector and its inclusion as one of the recommendations in the Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care.
Registration for the 2026/27 programme is now open, and there is no cost for local authorities to take part. Information sessions are available to help organisations understand the process and the support on offer.
As the sector continues to build a clearer picture of workforce inequality, the message is increasingly clear: the evidence exists - now is the time to act. SC-WRES offers local authorities the opportunity to be part of that coalition for change , leading the way in creating a fairer, more inclusive social care workforce.
Sign up now.
Learn more about SC-WRES.
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