Alpa Kapasi

What is the point of Black & Asian led businesses or organisations? We keep talking about engaging under-served communities but what are we doing to take a lead on this? I'd love to know your view. What's the point of having Black & Asian led organisations? #leadershipmatters #equity #walthamforest #blackandasian

20

4 Comments

Pleased to be quoted in People Management magazine today on Over half of business leaders report staff absence due to problems accessing public services, TUC reveals. More than half (59 per cent) of business leaders say staff have had to take time off in the last year because they struggled to access public services, a poll by the trade union congress (TUC) revealed. The survey of more than 500 business leaders further explored the specific challenges faced by employees, finding that more than a third (35 per cent) had staff absent from work due to delays in receiving hospital treatment. To read article in full click 🔽 https://lnkd.in/ejJjwUcg 10Eighty #socialcare #business #economy #privatehealthinsurance #staffabsences #affordablechildcare #workingparents #privatehealthcare #flexibleworking CIPD

4

1 Comment

🌍 Happy International Men’s Day! 🌍 Yesterday, at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, we had the privilege of hosting a panel lunch featuring three remarkable male colleagues— Kojo Sarpong, Trevor Bowyer and Beau Stanford-Francis. Our discussion touched on critical subjects, from mental health to work-life balance, and highlighted the importance of recognising the humanity in every individual. Here are the key takeaways from our enlightening conversation: 1. **MOT for Mind and Body**: Just as we perform regular MOT on our bodies, it’s essential that we take time to check in on our mental health. Kojo Sarpong reminded us that prioritising our minds is just as crucial as caring for our bodies. We should consistently ask ourselves how we’re feeling and seek help when needed. 2. **Breaking the Stigma**: Trevor Bowyer emphasised that mental health is no longer a taboo topic, and it’s imperative we continue to foster an environment where men feel comfortable discussing their mental well-being. By encouraging open conversations and promoting available resources, we can help dismantle the barriers that prevent men from seeking support. 3. **Becoming Role Models**: Beau Stanford-Francis shared a powerful message about the importance of breaking the cycle. Even in the absence of active role models, men can choose to be mentors and positive influences for the next generation. Our circumstances do not define us; rather, how we respond to them does. We all have the potential to be role models and change-makers. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Kojo, Beau, and Trevor for their openness and valuable insights. Your willingness to share personal experiences and lessons learned plays a crucial role in fostering understanding and support within our community. Let’s continue to champion these conversations beyond today. By supporting one another and embracing vulnerability, we can create a more balanced, understanding, and inclusive environment for everyone. #InternationalMensDay #MentalHealth #Support #RoleModels #Kensington #Community #Wellbeing #ConversationsThatMatter

108

6 Comments

Productive week of partnership working on Hate Crime and today collaborating with a regional EDI colleague. Shaping solutions together and sharing good practice to drive change. #PartnershipWorking #Collaborating #Sharedideas #SharedGoals #ImprovingDecisionMaking

11

1 Comment

Proud to represent The Motherhood Group and serve as an expert panel member at yesterday's Southwark Maternity Commission report launch. The Motherhood Group was commissioned to conduct an engagement report, examining the experiences of over 100+ Black and ethnic minority mothers and healthcare practitioners in maternity services. Our findings on the Black maternal experience highlighted key areas like quality of care, communication, and support networks. The report closely aligns with themes from last week's 5th annual Black Maternal Mental Health Week, which focused on advancing and transforming care. Inspiring discussions on the panel and valuable insights from MP Florence Eshalomi made for a productive launch. I'm hopeful for the future of maternity care in our community as we work to address inequalities and empower families. Why are Black mums still facing disproportionate challenges in maternal healthcare? This question continues to drive our work at The Motherhood Group Don't let this be just a "tick box" exercise, but a real catalyst for change. It's striking how our report findings underscore the urgent need for systemic improvements in maternal care for Black women. #MaternityCare #BlackMaternalHealth #HealthcareEquality

53

4 Comments

Appointing James Timpson as the new Prisons Minister is an inspired and bold choice by the new Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer. It’s also a great example how political CVs aren’t always the answer to delivering radical reform. I’ve spoken to James a couple of times, as we share a passion for seeing more in people and looking beyond the CV, specifically prison leavers. His passion for potential, whatever the background, was evident throughout our discussions and he is both thoughtful and practical. The work of the Prison Reform Trust, where he is chair, as well hiring ex-offenders into his own business, has demonstrated how ideas can be turned into actions and positive change. Here’s one very powerful fact: 📣 Of the 1,500 or so prison leavers he has hired only 4 have gone back to prison. A 99.7% success rate!! There is no doubt that he has a tough challenge on his hands: crumbling prisons in desperate need of improvement, a lack of capacity, and regular headline grabbing stories of management failure. There will be many detractors over time who will point to his lack of political and public sector experience and actively look to challenge and undermine his plans, a natural element to our political system. But I will champion his every effort because we've had lots of politically experienced people in the role and it is still a mess. Sometimes, we have to take a different approach and the one thing an entrepreneur is used to is the comment 'this can't be done' or 'we tried that before and it didn't work'! James is not frightened of taking a different line and iterating to find a better way. Whatever change he is able to make will be for the right reasons and setting the right direction - the most important element to his appointment is that we need to take a radically different approach to the role of prisons and what we want as outcomes if we want to see real improvement. This should be an inspiration for TA leaders as well. The likes of Greene King and the brilliant Lynne Kennedy have been opening roles to prison leavers - who else is prepared to Scrap the CV and start seeing more in people?! #arcticshores #timpsons #scrapthecv #inclusivehiring https://lnkd.in/ehnTb4q7

67

29 Comments

Some reflections on NCS which the Government announced this week is shutting down. It’s much harder in life to start new initiatives than to stop them. NCS has positively impacted on thousands of young people. The plaudits should go to people I greatly admire including Stephen Greene CBE Michael Lynas Jon Yates Nick Hurd plus others who built something that made an important contribution to the youth sector, young people and wider society. NCS faced two major challenges which the current government should reflect on. Firstly, the massive, unprecedented investment in one youth programme was laudable & impressive. Unfortunately, like other Big Society initiatives, it coincided with massive cuts in youth services, which in turn meant civil society organisations had to absorb new pressures, like safeguarding referrals, without additional funding. This perceived inequity led to resentment & anger for many in the sector. Secondly, the model was too prescriptive making it hard for some (particularly uniformed) youth organisations to deliver it. So I’m not sure it did fully achieve the objective of ‘helping all the boats to rise.’ I favoured an outcomes approach, less prescriptive about delivery method, which it was moving towards under the leadership of Mark Gifford It could have been further adapted to achieve that goal. Despite these challenges NCS changed the sector. It raised the game on impact measurement. It also reached young people in ways that traditional youth organisations had struggled to, using data & tech intelligently, and being intentionally inclusive by design. Bringing diverse young people around a shared experience is even more important now than when NCS was originally conceived - as evidenced by the summer’s riots and the spread of toxic masculinity. We need to bring (young) people across lines of division to help them to understand they have more in common, developing empathy & mutual respect (see Baden-Powell’s experimental Brownsea Island camp in 1907). The risk is that the government creates something new & shiny. If that happens a future government will sweep that away also. Better to invest in what is already there, target gaps, incentivise organisations to continue to innovate, particularly extending their reach, increasing investment to achieve that. I favour the creation of an arms length body for the youth sector like Sport England or Arts Council where funding could be channeled in ways consistent with young people’s (the sector’s and the government’s) needs and ambitions. NCS could keep its Royal Charter status to bring in new funding from private sources. My thoughts are with employees of NCS and many others in the supply chain - including charities dependent on the income who are also coming to terms with the impact of rising NI costs also. It may be scant comfort, but you (and many others who delivered NCS) did make a difference and it will be felt for many years to come.

348

25 Comments

One of the charities I have grown to admire is TLC: Talk, Listen, Change . Based in Greater Manchester, TLC were formed just a few years ago after parting ways with parent-charity Relate. Since then, TLC have focused on on supporting relationships of all shapes and sizes, well beyond the ‘marriage guidance’ stereotypes. One consequence of this has been admirable growth, impact and success, all led by the impressive Michelle Hill and her team with TLC now offering services across a national geography. Another consequence of TLC’s ambition to further its impact has been a more commercial approach to growth and the launch this summer of Now You're Talking , a new trading company offering paid therapeutic support. Why do this? When I spoke to Michelle, she told me that the demands on TLC’s free support services far exceeded the charity’s resources and that a paid-for service would not only reserve TLCs charitable service for those most in-need but also generate valuable resources to boost those same free services over the long term. I loved this logic and am delighted to see Now You’re Talking launching under the leadership of Helen Stuart . Forming a trading company is a brilliant way to counter the headwinds facing funding from trusts and foundations, particularly if your organisation can deliver a paid-for version of what it does for those who can afford it. Well done to all TLC: Talk, Listen, Change and Now You're Talking ! #talkingtherapy #counselling #mentalhealth #charities #ceo #socent #socialclub #commercial #impactinvesting

11

2 Comments

How are you feeling about the information that has come to light in the recent tribunal in which Southwark Council were found to have discriminated against two black employees? As a former Southwark Council employee I have my own experiences which I have shared. But what about your experience? Southwark Council I am sure are not unique and as we go into another week - the directors have failed to make a public apology. I think that is the least that we can expect afterall they are being paid by the public purse, by your money! Whilst a number of you who are anti racist and believe in respect in the workplace have signed the open letter - we need more signatures and we need others to come forward to share their story. A number of you have DM me and arrangements are being made for your story to be heard by someone committed to highlighting historical racism within the council. I know how daunting speaking out can be, I know that you may fear for your livelihood - that's why we are assuring every whistle blower that anonymity is key. That your safety, your well-being, your livelihood will be protected by the reporter. Do not let fear stop you from sharing and naming - the hard work has been done by the two people who took their case to court - the next step is for all those who were once silenced to be given space to share. We are hear to listen, we are hear to act! #EndRacism #SouthwarkCouncil #WhistleBlowersProtected #Unison #ShareYourStory #Solidarity #TheSouthwarkTwo https://lnkd.in/e5CtrXNb

5

2 Comments

It was a pleasure to speak today for London Plus at a London Funders briefing on supporting communities affected by racism, Islamophobia and violence. Also sharing insights and information with a large group of Funders were Minnie Rahman of Praxis, for Migrants and Refugees Mudaser A. of Muslim Charities Forum (MCF) and Harbi Jama of London Community Foundation. These are a few of the themes talked about: Safety and security - of staff and premises in the front line of the sort of violent attacks we’ve witnessed Funding approaches - and the need to open up funding to organisations such as Mosques, which have strong community support streams of work Misinformation and language - the powerful impact that naming or omitting to name what is really going on has on trust and relationships The varying levels of preparedness in organisations, and the need for funders to invest in supporting this, and greater security The harm arising from the way in which hostile environment language and policies interact with how those seeking asylum are housed, and where The potency we might have working more closely together with funders on longer term system changing approaches to addressing this and building greater social cohesion

25

Tiger's Eye Advocacy Service 🐅 is joining with Inclusive Employers to open up the discussion. Are you an inclusive employer? As an advocate I hear stories of how jobs haven't worked out for individuals because employers don't know how to make "reasonable adjustments". This isn't the employer's fault because you don't know what you don't know. However, if we don't address the problem then the workforce is going to get smaller and we are going to lose valuable skills from our work force. As an advocate I feel it's valuable to get these things right from the onboarding stage onwards. This is a shout-out to employers who want to know more about making reasonable adjustments and genuinely implementing them in the workplace. #advocacymatters #employersmatter #employeesmatter

5

2 Comments

Language is important as it can inspire change - or complacence. When we define equity groups as 'resilient' we are singling out a small percentage that have overcome the barriers we have thrown at them while ignoring the majority without the tools and resources to overcome them. Ironically we are more likely to see those who we have assimilated (adapt to act like us) as resilient. We desire DEIA as we want to 'include'. This is inspiring language that ultimately we are good and doing good. We do not want to state that we need to include because we are currently excluding, those excluded are primarily from equity groups and therefore our systems are #discriminatory. The nice language we use that does not focus on the harm done now leads to visions strategies and plans for the future - because since there is no focus on current harms, it is OK to delay. Those that identify challenges today are told 'we have a plan and all will be good' supporting cultures of inaction in the moment. I always pick on the public service as they are brave enough to publish the data. Since 2008 there have been many visions plans and strategies for addressing barriers in staffing for persons with disabilities. From 2013 to 2021 hiring of persons with disabilities was flatlined below representation rates. In 2008 persons with disabilities had the lowest promotion rate - that rate dropped every reporting period and they are recruited for and remain in the lowest positions. Inclusion and accessibility are achieved each time a barrier is accepted and addressed in the moment it was identified. When we put our faith in visions and strategies, we essentially are telling equity you are not important enough. I am wondering - if we started with defining these actions as #discrimination, would there be a greater sense to act now and not depend on future plans?

4

Nothing like a lunch and learn to help inspire change, so what are you waiting for? Sign up now to dive into the results of Youth Futures Foundation Discrimination and Work survey - full info and links to the report found below.

16

2 Comments

The WHO Global Mentoring Programme welcomed three expert speakers to discuss working in Emergencies in Health. It was amazing to hear the stories of such inspiring, committed and grounded colleagues. They stayed informal, honest and personal, sharing their journey into and through emergency situations. They frankly described their diverse paths for getting there and the changes that happened to them and their careers along the way. If you are interested in working in Emergencies (at WHO and elsewhere), the top ten tips I gleaned from our colleagues were the following (please add below if you have some tips to share): 🔔 The path to working in emergencies is often not direct. 🔔 A clinical background is not essential (but can be of added value). 🔔 Good intentions are key, but technical expertise is more important. 🔔 Exposure to multiple settings is really helpful (clinical, humanitarian, development etc.) 🔔 You will realize along the way you know less than you think, and you will need to take risks and stretch. 🔔 You will see hard things and you will need to do hard things. 🔔 Difficult decisions are sometimes the right decisions. 🔔 Your intuition is important, follow your gut and your heart, trust yourself. 🔔 Sometimes it takes being in the right place at the right time (and noticing opportunities). 🔔 There is always help available, you only have to ask - we are all interconnected. 🔔 Look after relationships, your personal development, and the spiritual dimension of your life, these support you and guide you. 🔔 Enjoy where you are as you take the trip to where you are going! Thank you to our wonderful panel Sean Casey (He/Him), Elizabeth Mgamb, and Richard Brennan. We hope to hear more from you in the future. Thanks Sara Canna and khaoula ARIBI for helping make this happen! #mentoring #emergencies #WHO #careerdevelopment

85

4 Comments

Two nations collide, has had dramatic detrimental effect on our first people. And why, keep in mind this is my observation and realisation in the communities we have worked in. At every single policy ever produced it is all about how to get black people to be like us, the dominate culture. We discount that a culture 50,000 years in the making, is less than one 5,000 years old. Leadership, we spend millions on training people who have not been chosen by a nation, to be life leaders.  This is a direct insult to Aboriginal nations world view. Education . We assume if we teach kids stuff we want the community to know that this will fit into another nations world view. It doesn’t fit in ! Indig believe that children are just that until they have been initiated, at which point they must leave their childish ways of being and step into Adulthood. Educating children and not first educating adults , is a failure in recognising another nations world view and laws. Who can speak for which nation. Only the ceremonial law people of a particular nation can speak about their land. Which is why the Voice was going to be very difficult in reality.   Governance every nation I have ever been in has a serious set of laws by which the whole community abides by. Yet mainstream sees this as primitive which is a racist stance Respect , New information isn’t believed to be true , until personal respect is gained by the community . In our world view if you have letters after your name we trust you’re a Doctor or a Plumber, regardless if you’re a crook or a great person.

2

As UK Black History Month comes to a close… 1. I hope that, rather than the end of something, you will see this as the beginning of a discussion that lasts throughout the year and where you get involved in anti-racism action, read and listen to black people's perspectives, and seek to understand their experiences. 2. I hope you were able to take some time to reflect on your prejudices and how they might affect colleagues and loved ones. 3. I hope you feel confident to challenge stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination.   Together, we can really make a difference.   As a Black women, it can be easy to get caught up in the negative aspects of our history, but it is important to remember that self-care is really about self-preservation. The origins of today’s self-care industry are deeply embedded in the Black Power movement of the 1960s and ’70s, in underserved communities in the US. As the healthcare system was failing the black community, "Black women, often queer, pushed other activists toward caring for themselves as a necessary, everyday revolutionary practice" (quote by Maryam K. Aziz, Ph.D.).   This is why to conclude this month, I pay homage to self-care as a radical practice.

22

2 Comments

I have no business identifying as a ‘black person’ I’ve had the opportunity to speak at significant events, such as my keynote at one of the UK’s largest architectural firms. During that talk, I emphasised the immense opportunities for collaboration. However, I have a nuanced view on Black History Month, one that doesn’t fully align with the traditional themes often associated with it. While I understand and respect the intentions behind Black History Month, I find it can sometimes feel tokenistic. Personally, I don’t primarily identify as a "Black person," despite the world's perception of me. My first conscious experience of being identified as Black was when I arrived in the UK at 17. Before that, in The Gambia, I was simply Donnie Wolf. Black History Month often centres on historical struggles and triumphs, which are undeniably important. However, I believe our history and identity as a people extend far beyond the interruptions of colonisation and slavery. These events, while significant, do not define the entirety of our history. I want to shift the focus to the incredible achievements and innovations of people who look like me today. The conversations I engage in should highlight the transformative contributions in technology, business, relationships, and communities. It’s about exploring new ideas and celebrating the progress we are making now. I embrace the concept of being a global citizen, transcending the confines of national and racial identities. A global citizen forms connections across all walks of life, without being boxed in by societal definitions. I resist the notion of reclaiming history or narratives because, to me, these narratives have always existed. Empowering conversations should focus on shining a light on the now, creating the spaces for what is defying and a reflection of what always was. For organisations seeking a speaker who will delve into the clichés of past struggles, I am not your person. Instead, I am passionate about discussing the opportunities of the present and future, the power of collaboration, and the importance of fostering a global citizenship mindset. I don’t engage in victimhood narratives; I draw strength from our past and focus on the resources and resilience it has given us. If you’re looking to explore themes of innovation, collaboration and bravery, I’m your speaker. Warm regards, Lindani

22

🗞📰Something new 📰🗞 I want to share something important yet necessary in this climate. It is time to bring about conscious efforts ans practices to support the recruitment and retention of Black and minority carers and staff in the fostering sector. The sector talks about overrepresentation of black and minority children, poor outcomes for care leavers and underrepresented of Black and minority caraers.....but what are WE doing to address this problem???? The Cultural Compass Mark, is an esteemed award celebrating fostering organisations dedicated to diversity, inclusion, and belonging. Crafted with insights from social workers, foster carers, anti-racist practitioners, and HR specialists, this accolade is founded on 16 principles driving transformative change within organisations. Our Accreditation offers a rigorous, measurable assessment framework recognising fostering organisations' steadfast commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and equitable practices. Embarking on this journey showcases not just a dedication to honoring diversity but also an acknowledgment of the profound impact inclusion, diversity, and belonging have on foster carers and the children they support. Through our tiered accreditation system, organisations signify the depth of their commitment to fostering inclusivity and diversity. We belive that this front facing accolade, demonstrates your active efforts to support the infrastructure to recruit and retain black and minority carers and staff. Which will support the sector and the children we serve!! "Embracing innovation often leads to new and unexpected outcomes. Remember, doing the same things yields the same different opens the door to fresh possibilities and untapped potentials." BFCA Interested in learning more, feel free to DM ro arrange a meeting. #DiversityandInclusion #CulturalCompassMark

18