Race Forward: our plan for change
Race Forward is our plan for change. It sets out the Taskforce’s ambitions for tackling race inequality in the West Midlands.
How we developed Race Forward
The Taskforce was set up in Spring 2022. It spent its first year bringing partners together to develop a plan for change. The result was Race Forward, the Taskforce’s independent strategy.
Race Forward starts by setting out evidence of race inequality in the West Midlands. It then outlines the changes the Taskforce want to see and how we will work with partners to make these real.
Yetunde Dania was the first chair of the Taskforce. She led the creation of Race Forward and presented it to the WMCA Board in March 2023. It was backed by the region's political leaders, who all shared their support.
Read more about how we developed Race Forward here (link to the developing Race Forward page).
Priorities for action
Race Forward highlighted a number of priorities for action. These are areas where we want to create change. These ideas have been shaped by hard evidence, people’s real experiences and engagement with public service leaders.
Our aim is to remove barriers and build inclusive jobs, skills and education pathways.
Priorities for action include to:
- Develop targeted jobs and career pathways.
- Invest in community hubs that connect people to opportunity.
- Tackle underemployment.
- Shape what good work looks like.
- Promote cultural intelligence in schools.
Our aim is to champion culturally intelligent health and wellbeing services.
Priorities for action include to:
- Address disparities in life expectancy and access to care.
- Improve practitioner awareness on how to help racialised communities.
- Improve community awareness of how to get help and stay healthy.
Our aim is to develop fairer access to housing choices and build homes and neighbourhoods that help people to flourish.
Priorities for action include to:
- Help people with housing choices.
- Explore regional guidance on housing allocations.
- Investigate race inequality in homelessness.
- Increase the supply of suitable and affordable homes.
- Shape the West Midlands Design Charter.
- Identify other opportunities to tackle inequality in housing.
Our aim is to connect lives with sustainable and accessible transport.
Priorities for action include to:
- Explore race based budgeting in transport.
- Strengthen equalities and community voice in decision making.
- Experiment with better transport for all.
Our aim is to create a fairer criminal justice system that considers race and makes every community feel safe.
Priorities for action include to:
- Strengthen equality impact assessments with community voice.
- Help to build trust.
- Tackle disproportionality in youth justice.
- Improve data sharing.
- Implement recommendations to tackle race inequality.
- Prevent race hate crime.
- Reduce re-offending among racialised communities.
Our cross-cutting priorities are to improve:
- Data and evidence
- Leadership diversity
- Cultural intelligence.
The principles that will guide us are to:
- Value coproduction.
- Take an intersectional approach.
- Build trust among and in communities.