Race Action Plan 2022-2025

Aim and objectives

The Race Action plan at AU will complement the objectives and aims of our Strategic Equality Plan 2020-2024.

Themes for the Race Action Plan in priority order:

  1. Governance structures, action, and transparency
  2. Accessible reporting structures for discrimination and harassment
  3. Supporting our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students: retention, closing the awarding gap, diversifying the curriculum
  4. Supporting our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff: recruitment, mentoring, raising the profile, reward and recognition
  5. Raising awareness and increasing the knowledge of all staff on race and racism
  6. Communication and sharing best practise

Management and the Executive will be responsible for:

  • Delivering promised actions
  • Holding difficult conversations about race that include the understanding of micro-aggressions, white privilege, and intersectionality
  • Ensuring that all our Senior Leaders have the right skills and understanding to introduce and support anti-racist work
  • Using the lived experience of different groups to engage, involve, and co-create different and creative solutions to old problems
  • Recognising that Black Asian and Minority Ethnic people are not responsible for and should not carry the emotional burden of racism

Race Action Plan (2022-2025)

Theme Actions Person / Team Responsible Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Progress
1. Governance structures, action, and transparency 1.1 Set up internal Race taskforce/ task and finish group to work on all actions relating to this work. Include staff from specific depts. and student voice representatives. Invite Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff in for lived experience perspectives if they are willing  1.1 Diversity and Inclusion Manager with Exec Lead on Ethnicity  1.1 Select colleagues from specific Departments and devise Terms of Reference (TOR) and schedule meetings for   1.1 Keep meeting, continue with work on actions AND any new actions  1.1 Keep meeting, continue with work on actions AND any new actions    Complete - Race Action Group
1.2. Ensure that race equality is included as a standing item on AU Executive agenda and is discussed every 6/8 weeks  1.2. Diversity and Inclusion Manager with Head of VC’s Office  2. Set up and implement  1.2 Continue  1.2 Continue Complete - through Sub-Committees
1.3. Vice-Chancellor and Chair of Council to commit to appointing a certain number of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Council members  1.3. Diversity and Inclusion Manager with Exec Lead on Ethnicity to advise  1.3. Set up timeline and wording   1.3. Implement and continue   1.3. Evaluate and continue   In-Progress
2. Accessible reporting structures for discrimination and harassment  


 2.1. Improve the visibility of the student reporting tool on AU website and improve signposting to the tool  2.1. Race taskforce team with Student Support & Careers Services    2.1. Complete within year 1        Complete - Report + Support
2.2. Improve the language used in the reporting tool i.e. less of a health focus and use language that acknowledges trauma of reporting harassment  2.2. Race taskforce team with Student Support and Careers Services  2.2. Complete within year 1        Complete - Report + Support
2.3. Investigate whether we can implement an anonymous reporting tool for staff in a similar manner to the student tool  2.3. Race taskforce team with the Deputy Director of Human Resources  2.3. Work with AHE and HEFCW on how to make this work whilst still ensuring compliance with GDRP and legal  2.3. Test, trial, write guidance, training  2.3.Implement system  In-Progress
2.4. Devise single point of storing cases of harassment and discrimination from staff and students   2.4. Race taskforce team with Governance and Information Services  2.4. Work with Info compliance and Information Services colleagues on how this might work, in line with new staff system   2.4. Test at same time as staff reporting system trials   2.4 Implement  In progress and linked to 2.1 and 2.3
3. Supporting our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students: retention, closing the awarding gap, diversifying the curriculum 3.1. Diversifying the curriculum.  Work with student voice reps, academic departments, and faculties on information gathering on how we go about diversifying the curriculum.  3.1. Race taskforce team   3.1. Information gathering, collating ideas, background research   3.1. Trials on selection of Departments across Faculties  3.1. Implement changes   Pilots complete and agreeing next steps
3.2. Work with student voice reps, and Academic Registry to add compliance around ‘diverse curriculum’ in to standard reviewing structures   3.2. Race taskforce team and Academic Registry 3.2. Work with Academic Registry on how this would work best to ensure its meaningful and not just a ‘tick box’ exercise  3.2. Trials on selection of Departments across Faculties  3.2. Implement and evaluate   In-progress - task group from Academic Board
3.3 Work with Race Taskforce team to devise closing the attainment gap strategy. Look at the impact no detriment policies have had on lessening the gap  3.3. Race taskforce team   3.3 Information gathering, collating ideas, background research   3.3 Trials of methods and best practise  3.3 Implement any success measures permanently   In-progress as part of REC application
4. Supporting our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff: recruitment, mentoring, raising the profile, reward and recognition       4.1. Mentoring for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff to support progression and career development  4.1. Diversity and Inclusion Manager and Head of Organisational Development and Learning
 		 4.1. Complete within year 1
 		 4.1. Evaluate
 		   Not started
4.2. Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Staff Network to have a half day away day with AU Exec to help formalise what they want to do with network going forward  4.2. Diversity and Inclusion Manager with Head of VC’s Office

 4.2. Complete first time within year 1  4.2. Repeat session   
4.3. Formalise funding for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Staff Network to support events etc 4.3. Diversity and Inclusion Manager and Exec lead on Ethnicity 4.3. Complete within year 1  4.3. Evaluate funding    Complete (and ongoing) - Black Asian Minority Ethnic Staff Network
4.4. Aim to recruit Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff in to University in line with student figures. We will seek evidence from other Universities on successful initiatives and work closely with GMSR.  4.4. Race taskforce team with Head of Employee Services Team in Human Resources 4.4. Aim to increase numbers each year  4.4. to increase numbers each year  4.4 Aim to increase by 1% each year
 

Ongoing - Equality Reports

Since 2020 - Ethnic minority staff have grown from 5.4% to 6.0%
4.5. Devise mock promotions round for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff to increase success when it comes to actual promotions   4.5. Diversity and Inclusion Manager with Head of Organisational Development and Learning  4.5. Start design of programme with advice from colleagues at other HEIs  4.5. Roll out 1 cohort on programme  4.5. Evaluate, adapt and roll out 2nd cohort on programme  Not started
5. Raising awareness and increasing the knowledge of all staff on race and racism       5.1. Implement race equality/ anti-racism training course/module for all staff.  5.1. Diversity and Inclusion Manager with Head of OD and L
 		 5.1. Research and scoping  5.1 Implement  5.1. Evaluate and amend if required
 		 Complete - Let's Talk about Race in the Workplace - Equality Training
5.2. Introduce reverse mentoring for senior and middle managers including Executive, to learn more about the lived experience of our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff  5.2. Diversity and Inclusion Manager with Head of OD and L  5.2. Research and design   5.2 Implement  5.2. Implement for second year and evaluate and amend if required  In-progress
6. Communication and sharing best practise    6.1. Internal race equality audit - scoping what is already happening internally (to include Student Union)
 		 6.1. Race taskforce team  6.1. Begin exercise
 		 6.1. Present findings and devise portal to store information and other items of interest
 		   Complete and ongoing
6.2. Communicate with all staff and students on progress and gaps in relation to race and race equality 6.2 Race taskforce team  6.2. Work with communications team on communications strategy  6.2. Evaluate progress and improve if necessary  6.2. Evaluate progress and improve if necessary
 		 Complete as part of EDI annual update in Equality Reports and Staff updates
6.3. Gap analysis exercise of how we present ourselves as a University. Marketing and student recruitment, HR, Communications   6.3. Race taskforce team  6.3. Work with key Departments with responsibility for the image of the University on how we may diversify and implement changes/improvements  6.3. Evaluate progress and any changes in data – implement further changes if necessary  6.3. Evaluate progress and any changes in data – implement further changes if necessary  Ongoing