ROTA (December 2013) Shaping the future: Getting the best for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Children and Young People – Seminar series report

Between November 2011 and October 2013 ROTA delivered the Shaping the Future seminar series, which considered some of the main challenges facing London’s Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) children and young people, following a difficult economic period and wide-spread policy reforms and public spending cuts. The 500 participants agreed some progress had been made in addressing racial inequality in our country since Stephen Lawrence was tragically murdered in 1993. However, there was overwhelming consensus that this progress was not enough; BAME children and young people still face unequal outcomes in many key areas of life. Of particular concern were inequalities faced in relation to education, training, employment, criminal justice, mental health and well-being and the lack of BAME Voice in the development of policy and practice.

The final report is now available here.The report provides an overview of the seminars and summarises the broad ranging discussions that took place along with the solutions posed by participants to some of the key challenges identified. It includes a range of recommendations for various stakeholders including national government, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the Greater London Authority (GLA), Ofsted, the public sector, initial teacher training institutions, local authorities, the BAME voluntary sector, school alliances, academy sponsors and chain, schools and parents. ROTA has already begun work to progress a number of these. We hope this report will support others who took part in the seminar series to do the same and that it acts as a source of evidence of need and ideas for projects they seek to develop.