Progress updates

Additional updates

Reverse mentoring

• reverse mentoring is being re-launched as a proof of concept in Children’s and Families. Concurrently we are collating expressions of interested from the leadership network of leaders who would like to be reverse mentored
• reverse mentoring aims to highlight biases and prejudices in a non-threatening way to improve inclusion. The programme is about exposure to different people, different views, and building relationships, which help us, understand, challenge and change our perceptions as leaders and decision makers
• reverse mentoring is where a senior officer (listener) is mentored by a BAME employee (adviser)
• the outcome for the Listener will be having an understanding of the challenges and barriers faced by individuals and how current policies and practices can be improved to reduce the adverse impact and also having a perspective of different cultural backgrounds and how it impacts on individuals
• the outcome for the adviser will be the opportunity to share life and work experiences; barriers, challenges and behaviours, how they overcame the issues and what motivates them to reach their career potential

Workforce targets

• overall the council’s workforce is broadly representative of the local working age population
• this is not currently true at the top of the organisation. 22% of senior council officers at Grade 14 (Head of Service or equivalent) and above are black, Asian or from minority ethnic groups, compared to 38% of London’s working age population. Whilst this gap has closed over recent years the rate of progress remains slow.
• taking account of these issues, the October report asks Cabinet to agree a new commitment to ensure the top of the council’s workforce is representative of the ethnic diversity of the local working age population by 2030
• exact parameters for this target are being developed, taking account of the breakdown of different ethnic groups, agreed scope in terms of locality and projected comparator groups
• other targets will be developed as part of wider Workforce Report
• detailed work to be undertaken to put in place the actions to achieve this and other ambitions as well as medium and long term success measures

New values

• October’s Cabinet Paper proposes, for consultation and engagement with staff and the wider community, a refresh of the fairer future values with the following additions that reflect our commit to tackle inequality and discrimination, that as a Council we will:
  • always work to make Southwark more equal and just
  • stand against all forms of discrimination and racism 
• if adopted, these values are proposed to be included in the refreshed Council Plan for adoption by Council Assembly in November 2020
• this will inevitably impact a range of activities including a review of the Southwark Ways of Working (our behaviours framework) which will have to be updated to reflect these new values and will be incorporated into our communication strategy and training programme

Page last updated: 19 November 2021