The report into institutional racism within the structures of the Diocese of Southwark was presented to the Diocesan Synod on Saturday 11 March. The report recommends that the Diocese should aim to change its culture "to one where greater participation and involvement by people from widely different ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds becomes the norm.".

The 75 page report (summary follows) notes that the Diocese of Southwark is one of the first institutions and certainly the first Church institution to take up the challenge of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report, 'to examine their policies and practices to guard against disadvantaging any section of our communities'. Sir Herman Ouseley, who chaired the panel which produced the new report, acknowledges the Diocese's efforts in his Foreword, but says, "If our report were to be summed up in a single sentence, it would probably be: 'We must all try even harder'."

The members of the panel were Sir Herman Ouseley, who was Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality until his retirement on 31 January 2000, Mrs Glynne Gordon-Carter, Secretary to the Archbishops' Council's Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns, and the Revd David Haslam, former Secretary of the Churches Commission for Racial Justice and now a local Methodist / United Reformed minister in Southwark. The panel conducted a review of documentation and interviewed a number of individuals, including diocesan staff and local church leaders. They also invited contributions from anyone in the Diocese.

The report will be sent to all parishes in the Diocese for discussion, and the Diocesan Synod will debate the report fully at its July 2000 meeting. Synod strongly supported the establishing of the independent inquiry panel in March 1999, shortly after the Macpherson Report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, which took place at Eltham within the Diocese.

The Bishop of Southwark said, "I welcome this report very warmly. The Diocese will seriously consider these proposals and our response, and I look forward to a greater involvement of people from minority ethnic communities in all aspects of diocesan life."

SUMMARY OF THE REPORT ON RACISM IN THE DIOCESE OF SOUTHWARK

The report recommends prompt action to deal with the minority ethnic under-representation within diocesan structures. It encourages co-option in the short term of suitably qualified people onto boards, committees and other bodies, and suggests a more flexible approach to appointing lay persons, including the introduction of non-geographical forms of representation.

Bishops and clergy should more actively encourage minority ethnic vocations to ordained ministry, says the report. It notes that "only a small number of people from minority ethnic groups are commended by parish priests, and even fewer go on to National Selection Conferences.". The panel also believe that recruitment for clergy appointments in the Diocese and in the wider Church "may work against equality of opportunity and the creation of a positive multicultural, multi-ethnic environment". They recommend a review of procedure, and question whether the Church should remain exempt from the Race Relations Act 1976. Parish clergy and other ministers should in addition receive training in racism awareness and cultural diversity.

The report encourages ethnic monitoring, which it describes as "vital in order to have basic information about the involvement, participation and representation of minority ethnic communities." The panel supports the initiative of the Diocese of Southwark, approved by the General Synod of the Church of England in November 1999, to call for the collection of statistics on the ethnic origin of church members, officers and synodical representatives throughout the Church of England. This is due with the next general revision of church electoral rolls in 2002.

A central recommendation is the establishment of a diocesan Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns, to take forward the work of the Race Relations Commission, which was founded in 1983. The report commends the Race Relation Commission's work especially with young people, but finds that the commission is now perceived to have 'no real standing'. The new committee, if accepted, would work with and influence the diocesan structures at all levels, promote racial justice concerns and ensure that the programme for 'empowerment' of minority ethnic communities and educational work with schools and parishes continued. It would also promote and monitor further action and training in a variety of ways.

Several people interviewed by the panel commented that local clergy have a crucial role to play in encouraging minority ethnic Anglicans to get involved in committees and go forward for ministry. Parish audits are recommended as one way to check on progress.

Several pages are devoted to the Board of Education and its care of the 107 church schools in the Diocese. The panel point to the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report's insistence on tackling racist attitudes in the fields of education and family life, and recommend appropriate training and policy agreements for schools. They encourage the Board to increase its own minority ethnic membership and urgently seek to increase the number of minority ethnic teachers in diocesan schools. The over-representation of minority ethnic pupils in exclusions from school should be addressed, and to assist in this the panel recommend monitoring all exclusions and pupil behaviour by ethnicity. Finally, the panel say the Board should review its mission statement and include a reference to celebrating diversity and meeting the needs of diverse communities.

The report outlines a strategic approach to equal opportunities and positive action within the Diocese, with implications for training and management. "Almost everyone we spoke to said that they had great faith in the Episcopal leadership of the diocese. However, it will take more than the honourable intentions of the Bishops to achieve equality of opportunity within the diocese." The report recommends that while the Diocesan Bishop has lead responsibility for equal opportunities a senior committee or team be given responsibility for overseeing implementation of the policy.

In an appendix, the Bishop of Croydon, the Rt Rev Wilfred Wood, who has been among the foremost champions of racial justice for many years, writes a review of race relations work in Southwark Diocese, 1969-2000.

Ends.

Full report (316kb PDF file)

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