Our Anti-Racism Commitments
Our belief in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) runs deep in Barnardo’s DNA. Our language, framing, and the depth of our understanding has changed over time but the goal remains the same – Barnardo’s must be a charity where everyone can belong – whatever your background or circumstances.
In 2020, we published our first anti-racism commitments, in acknowledgement that as Barnardo’s we had a responsibility to do more to support our colleagues, children and young people we work with who face racism.
In early 2023 we consulted with colleagues, volunteers, children and young people about what they think we need to do to enhance our focus on being an anti-racist charity.
This collective feedback has been the cornerstone to forming our new anti-racism commitments which reflect and restate our intent to challenge racism where we see it. The importance of listening to the voices of those we work with who experience racism has been a critical factor in their creation, and will be an essential part of ensuring the actions which come from the commitments are effective.
To support each of the commitments, we have produced detailed actions that will guide our work, help us measure progress and hold us accountable for ongoing anti-racism work.
Download the Anti-Racism Commitments document at the bottom of this page to see the actions in full.
Our Anti-Racism Commitments:
We are responsible
For speaking up and speaking out against racism.
For living our values, behaviours and purpose.
For marbling anti-racism into everything we do.
We are all committed
To our Learning and Development being anti-racist.
To making the places where we work safer, inclusive and representative.
To championing and celebrating our anti-racism achievements.
We are all accountable
For supporting colleagues and children, young people and families we work with who are impacted by racism.
For deleting racism where we see it.
For recognising, reporting, responding to and learning from racism.
Racism: Our Understanding, Definitions and Terminology
Our understanding
We recognise that we can all be implicated in the continued perpetuation of racism and that racism is a deep-rooted issue in society maintained by acts of discrimination and prejudice but also by cultures of silence and appeasement. Racism survives through the ability to find a presence in actions and behaviours, in systems and processes and in how we see ourselves and how we see other people.
Our definitions
Racism
This when a person is treated worse, excluded, disadvantaged, harassed, bullied, humiliated, victimised, segregated or degraded because of their ethnicity.
Institutionalised racism
At an organisational level, it can be the collective failure to provide an inclusive and professional working environment to people because of their race or ethnicity. This includes policies, processes, and decisions.
Racist Incident
“Any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person”.
Anti-racism
An active consideration of thinking, behaviour and expressions which lead to actions that transform societal, organisational and workplace inequities based on race or ethnicity.
Our terminology
We have used Black and Minoritised Ethnic as a collective term throughout. We acknowledge that colleagues may describe themselves in diverse ways, including as Black, Brown, as ‘people of colour’ and/or as members of Global Majority Communities. Our commitments support all Barnardo’s colleagues and service users who experience racism.