Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan (ARWAP) – Implementation Programme 2025–26
Turning commitment into action across local authority social care in Wales
Overview
The ARWAP Implementation Programme 2025–26 supports Directors of Social Services in local authorities across Wales to embed the recommendations from ADSS Cymru’s reports on eliminating racism in recruitment, career progression and complaints handling.
This next phase of work is about putting learning into practice through leadership, lived experience, and shared resources. Funded by Welsh Government, this part of the programme runs from April 2025 to March 2026 and is delivered in partnership with local authority leaders, Social Care Wales, the WLGA, and the HRD Network.
The work is guided by the Welsh Government ARWAP Workforce Goal:
"To ensure that minority ethnic people seeking a career or role within social care in Wales will experience no barriers to employment. They will have access to high quality training throughout their career, feel safe within their workplace, and have full confidence in their leadership to operate a zero-tolerance policy of racism and any other form of discrimination or inequality."
Interpretation and translation services
This workstream explored how interpretation and translation services are used in social care and identified barriers faced by people from ethnic minority backgrounds. The findings aim to improve access and ensure everyone can fully engage with social care services.
Recruitment and career progression
This study focused on the experiences of social care staff from ethnic minority backgrounds, examining recruitment, career development, and progression. Insights from over 100 surveys and interviews inform recommendations to create fairer, more inclusive workplaces.
Racism in the workplace
This workstream investigated racist behaviours in social care workplaces, from microaggressions to overt discrimination. The report sets out actions to promote a zero-tolerance approach to racism and build inclusive, equitable environments for staff and the communities they serve.
Our approach
The programme focuses on three interconnected workstreams:
1. Leading the Change
A series of reflective workshops with Directors and Heads of Service, exploring the leadership qualities, behaviours and cultural shifts needed to lead anti-racist change from the top.
- 46 leaders attended workshops in June–July 2025
- Workshop Summary Report and Leadership Resource Pack available to support local action
- Designed to support alignment with WRES and Welsh Government’s Maturity Matrix
2. Cultural Ambassador Network
Each local authority is invited to nominate a Cultural Ambassador: this is a frontline leader, practitioner or manager who will support local implementation of the ARWAP recommendations and act as a bridge between strategy and lived experience.
- The Cultural Ambassador Network launches in September 2025
- An Information Pack and Terms of Reference will be issued in August 2025
- Quarterly peer learning sessions to share progress and challenges will be arranged
Download Cultural Ambassador Info Pack
3. Exchange and Knowledge Hub
A digital space to share good practice, tools, case studies and co-developed resources across the social care sector in Wales.
- Development begins Autumn 2025
- Pilot version to launch by end of 2025
- The Hub will be informed by feedback from the Ambassador Network and the workforce
Meet the team
- Shagufta Khan – Strategic Lead, ARWAP Implementation and Social Work Lead, Bridgend County Borough Council
- Glenda George – ADSS Cymru ARWAP Project Lead
- Sy Joshua – Project Associate
- Humie Webbe – Project Associate
- Harriet Coleman – Communications Lead
- Hannah Thomas – Project Associate
- Tina Mathias – ADSS Workforce Business Support
Working in partnership
This programme is aligned with wider anti-racist work across Wales and builds on the foundations laid by ADSS Cymru’s previous projects on recruitment, progression, complaints, and interpretation services.
We are working collaboratively with:
- Welsh Government
- Social Care Wales
- British Association of Social Workers (BASW Cymru)
- Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA)
- Local Authority Corporate Teams ie. Human Resources Teams
- CIW, HIW, and other sector partners
For more information on earlier phases of this work, visit the original ARWAP ADSS page
Project Timeline
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| April 2025 | Programme launched |
| June - July 2025 | Leading the Change workshops |
| July - August 2025 | Cultural Ambassador framework developed |
| September 2025 | Cultural Ambassador Network launch |
| October - December 2025 | Knowledge Hub developed and piloted |
| March 2026 | Final outputs and reporting |
Contact us
For questions, feedback or to get involved, contact us at: workforce@adss.cymru