Influencing race equality policy for over 30 years
Action for Race Equality has been shaping national and local race equality policy since 1991. Policy and research is a key cornerstone of the work that we do.
Spanning across education, employment, criminal justice, and Windrush justice, our dedicated policy team seek to highlight and end institutional and systemic racism and promote the voices of Black, Asian, and Mixed Heritage people in policy change across these areas.
We believe in collaborating with partners across sectors to improve the evidence base and achieve change.
If you are interested in collaborating with our policy team, please get in touch with us via hello@actionforraceequality.org.uk
What are our policy priorities?
Whilst we have several priorities which cut across all our work, Action for Race Equality’s key priority is drawing attention to and ending institutional racism.
We also prioritise the need to: ensure better funding for by and for services, improve ethnicity data collection and transparency, encourage cross agency and stakeholder strategic working, evidence what works to tackle racial disparities, and promote intersectional policy response.
Criminal Justice
ARE has worked in the criminal justice system (CJS) for over 15 years. We believe that equal treatment under the law is a fundamental aspect of the criminal justice system that is being consistently denied to people who are Black, Asian or Mixed Heritage. Our priorities are; to end racial disproportionality in the CJS, including the over policing of Black, Asian, and Mixed Heritage people and the racial disparities in the prison and probation system; to keep young people out of the CJS; and to improve prevention and diversion programmes for Black, Asian, and Mixed Heritage people.
Education
Through our flagship project Routes2Success, Action for Race Equality has developed a deep insight into the impact that role model and mentoring programmes can have, as well as the challenges young Black, Asian, and Mixed Heritage children are currently facing in schools, including the early criminalisation of young people in schools. Our priorities are; increasing the use of positive culturally competent interventions; ending the disparate use of punitive measures and the criminalisation of children and young people in schools; and improving educational attainment of young Black, Asian, and Mixed Heritage people. We are also promoting improved apprenticeship accessibility.
Employment
For ARE, having a more equal society means young people will believe that their race, ethnicity or faith won’t limit what they can achieve in life – and employment is central to this. Our priorities are; embedding good leadership in government, local authorities, and with chief executives; championing good employment practice; promoting positive action; and encouraging employer transparency and responsibility.
Windrush
The full list of priorities under our Windrush Justice programme of work is set out in the Manifesto for Windrush Justice. We are currently prioritising; making the compensation scheme faster and fairer; implementation of the Wendy Williams Lessons Learned recommendations; and securing legal support for claimants.
How do we create impact?
Our policy work, programme delivery and consultancy services are fundamentally intertwined with our community and solutions-led ethos. Expand the drop-down menus below to find out how aim to want to create impact.
Providing critical advice
Action for Race Equality holds several advisory roles across various public bodies, such as the Ministry of Justice, HMPPS, the Home Office, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, the Metropolitan Police Force, and more. This ‘critical friend’ function is crucial to maintaining oversight of key policy developments and ensuring the best outcome for our communities.
Embedding anti-racism
We have been providing a range of public, private and community sector organisations with equality, diversity and inclusion support for over 30 years. Our services range from providing independent recruitment panellists to a carrying out a whole systems review.
In addition to providing strategic thinking and practical approaches to EDI through our consultancy service, we seek to embed anti-racist practice.
Ensuring accountability
Investment into tackling racial inequality has varied over the years. In 2020, we saw a resurgence in a commitment to the work of anti-racism, but we have since seen a concerning decline. We seek to ensure that investment in this important work is maintained across our priority areas, and hold public and private bodies to account on their commitments and responsibilities.
Changing behaviours
We publish practical briefs and guides that seek to change behaviours. This includes resources such as our Positive Action Guide for London’s Chief Executives and The Mayor of London’s Inclusive Employers Toolkit.
Producing evidence
Action for Race Equality actively contributes to international, national, and local consultations and seeks to produce evidence on what works to end racial disparities. We provide informed comment on education, training, employment, criminal justice, and Windrush justice.
We are currently partnered with ADR UK Research Fellow Dr Kitty Lymperopoulou on the research project ‘Cumulative Disadvantage in the Criminal Justice System’. Taking advantage of unique cross-justice datasets created by the Data First data linking programme led by the Ministry of Justice, the project will examine disparities in the CJS across multiple decision-making points, how earlier decisions in the CJS shape later outcomes, and the ways they are mutually conditioned by individual circumstances and case factors, to address ethnic inequalities in effective and tangible ways.
Are you a researcher interested in collaborating on a project with us?
Please get in touch via meka@actionforraceequality.org.uk
Working Collaboratively
We believe that working collectively with partners across sectors will achieve change more effectively. We are glad to be a member of a number of partnerships and networks, including:
Alliance for Police Accountability (APA)
ARE is delighted to be the Secretariat of the Alliance for Police Accountability, which is made up of a collective of Black-led organisations and dedicated individuals
Alliance for Racial Justice (ARJ)
A collaborative network of organisations, supported by the Race Equality Foundation, is working across systems to eliminate racial inequality in England. Find out more.
Better Justice Partnership
This is a project which aims to increase government support for early intervention and rehabilitation by building an alliance to advocate for evidence-based policymaking. Find out more.
National Independent Advisory Group
A panel of experts challenging policy and practice that disproportionately impacts Black, Asian, and Mixed Heritage people in the Criminal Justice System. The group is a legacy of the 2014 Young Review.
Upcoming events
Policy
Latest blogs
Evidence led, community focussed
ARE Publications
A better way to tackle institutional racism – Alliance for Racial Justice
The Home Office Scandal: A Manifesto for Windrush Justice
Ethnic Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System: a briefing paper
APA Policing & the Black Child Conference Report 2024
Consultation Papers
MoJ Independent Sentencing Review 2024-2025: Call
for Evidence
DfE Curriculum and Assessment Review: Call for Evidence
MoJ Diversionary and Community Cautions Draft Code of Practice consultation response
APPG Children in Police Custody inquiry response
ARE Comment
Staff at Action for Race Equality have a wealth of expertise to share. If you are a journalist looking for a trusted voice to comment on a race equality story covering education, employment, criminal justice or Windrush, or a researcher looking for input into an upcoming project, we welcome you to get in touch.