Race Equality

Tuesday 23rd February 2010, Grange Holborn Hotel, London, 09:00 - 14:00 (half day)

Tackling Race Inequality: Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society

"This Government is committed to tackling disadvantage and inequality in every part of our community. We recognise it is still the case that many black and minority ethnic people face particular challenges from discrimination and prejudice.”

John Denham MP, Communities Secretary, July 2009

Overview

The Government is committed to creating and supporting strong communities, built upon fair rules and offering fair chances and a fair say for all, so that people from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities.

The recently published report on the Government’s race equality strategy, Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society: A Third Progress Report (February 2009), outlines the significant progress that has been made in tackling race inequalities and building more cohesive communities but states that new approaches are needed.

As set out in the consultation, Tackling race inequalities: A discussion document, the Government wants to move away from a “one size fits all” approach to a more targeted approach in order to help meet the differing equality needs of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities. This new focus will be both wide ranging and multi-faceted, encompassing race equality and community cohesion issues in education, employment, housing, health, and the criminal justice system.

The Government has invested over £18 million over the last three years in projects to
tackle race inequality and bring people from different backgrounds together through Connecting Communities Plus. In July 2009, the Communities Secretary announced a £9 million Tackling Race Inequality Fund (TRIF) to address discrimination and underachievement. TRIF projects will give targeted help to disadvantaged groups and will promote a sense of shared values and fairness.

Agenda

09:00	Registration and Coffee
09:45	Chair’s Opening Remarks Jabeer Butt, Deputy CEO, Race Equality Foundation (CONFIRMED)
09:50	Tackling Race Inequality: Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society Outcomes of the race inequality strategy consultation How can Government put greater power in the hands of communities themselves to challenge and overcome disadvantage? Action needed at the local level The changing landscape of equalities work Tackling Race Inequality Fund: Supporting communities in promoting race equality Government update on the REACH programme Shahid Malik MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Communities and Local Government (CONFIRMED)
10:10	The Challenge for Local Authorities, Public Bodies & Employers Understanding and embedding the public sector duty Race equality duty Business case for equality The EHRC as an enforcer Elizabeth Bowles, Policy Manager, Public Sector Duties, Equality and Human Rights Commission (CONFIRMED)
10:30	Increasing Civic Participation Among Minority Ethnic Groups Equal opportunities for people from BME communities Increasing political engagement among black and minority ethnic communities Supporting more minority ethnic groups to move into public roles, removing the barriers Getting more minority ethnic groups to volunteer and be active in their communities Examples of best practice Simon Woolley, Commissioner, Equality and Human Rights, Operation Black Vote (CONFIRMED)
10:50	Strength in Diversity, Promoting Community Cohesion Role of school and education institutions in tackling discrimination and promoting community cohesion Achieving the balance between cohesion, diversity and race equality Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard, Senior Research & Policy Analyst, Runnymede Trust (CONFIRMED)
11:10	Tackling Crime which affects BME Young People Identifying local needs through genuine partnership between local, voluntary and community sectors Empowering local people and building social capital Divert Young People from crime, and assist them to reach their full potential Mike Jervis, CEO, Damilola Trust (CONFIRMED) Bina Omare, Assistant Director of Community Development, Circle 33 Housing Trust (CONFIRMED)
11:30	Questions and Answers Session
11:50	Coffee Break and Networking
12:10	Case Study: STEM for All: using BME role models from the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths community The roll-out of the STEM Access Grants project (funded by BIS and targeted at BME pupils) and the projects they inspired The learning from those projects The legacy of the projects – particularly how we are recruiting more BME role models from STEM Pat Langford, Director – Programmes, STEMNET (CONFIRMED)
12:30	Case Study: Working with Strategic Partners to Raise Attainment of Minority Ethnic Groups: Windsor Fellowship Realising talent from diverse communities Building partnerships with local business and voluntary sector Achieving the objectives of the Every Child Matters agenda Successful projects to help young people unlock their talent Boosting the aspirations and achievements of young people providing better and more support for parents and trained educators working with Black, Asian and minority ethnic and other students Conrad Sackey, Chief Executive Officer, Windsor Fellowship (CONFIRMED)
12:50	Questions and Answers Session
13:00	Lunch and Networking
14:00	Close

*programme subject to change without notice

Audience

The audience will be representative of the diversity of the issue and the stakeholders present will include, community safety teams, diversity and equality teams, LSPs, CDRPs, jobcentre plus, drug and alcohol action teams, youth offending teams, town centre managers, transport authorities, neighbourhood wardens, victims support, children’s trusts, ALOs, education authorities, social inclusion officers, community cohesion officers, schools, local criminal justice boards, prison/probation service, PCTs, central government departments & bodies, unions, academia, the private, legal & voluntary sectors.