| Tuesday 17th March, 12pm - 1:30pm, MS Teams Online |
Change is happening all around us – and we need to act now! Across our communities and workplaces, the political climate is reshaping the environments where social workers live and work. Many are facing racism and discrimination head-on, while others are navigating spaces where hostility simmers beneath the surface. Even if you haven’t personally experienced discrimination, you may be supporting individuals, communities, or colleagues who have – and striving to uphold the core values of social work in challenging times.
What to expect;
• Panel discussion
• Audience participation
• Presentation
Who will be speaking?
• Shantel Thomas, Co-Chair: Director of Anti-Racist Movement
Shantel Thomas moves at the intersection of courage and change. Social work leader. Activist. Founder and director of the Anti-Racist Movement (ARM) CIC- an award-winning, sacred space where Black women are seen, affirmed, and healed. Born in England, raised in South London, daughter of Jamaican migrants, Shantel’s life is lived experience made radical. Her career began in youth justice, was shaped in safeguarding practice with children and families, rose through academia, she now raises the profile and voice of social work(ers) and students as head of discipline and MA course lead at Tavistock & Portman NHS Trust. Anti-racism is not a side hustle for Shantel. It's her life's work, her charge, her calling. As BASW UK’s former anti-racism lead and current acting chair for BASW England, she continues to challenge oppressive policies, to influence national discourse and champion wellbeing within our workforce. Through her PhD research, mentorship, and fearless advocacy, especially for Black women in leadership, Shantel disrupts, reimagines, and transforms social work through an unapologetically anti-racist lens.
• Mark Lynes, Co-Chair: Expert by Experience
Marks has been a user of Social Services on and off throughout his life and currently manages his own care team.
Mark has been a member of various Birmingham Service User Structures over the last 25 years. He has been an Expert by Experience (EBE) at Birmingham City University (BCU) between 2003 – May 2023 taking part in teaching in the Social Work programme, Quality Assurance and interviewing etc. Including as year 1 Lead for the last 2 years, and also been Expert by Experience on all health care related courses at BCU.
Over the last 10 years Mark has also been involved with several West Midlands Universities and also had much involvement with British Association of Social Workers, particularly in regard to Students and Professional Development work streams. As well as being a BASW England committee member, he has been Co-Author on 2 articles over the years, that were published in the Association Journal. For the last two years Mark has been appointed as a non-voting member of BASWs UK Council.
Mark Volunteers at Birmingham & Solihull Healthwatch and is a member ofThree Guinea trust funding panel which provides legal advice funding etc. to Disability organisations.
In his spare time, Mark enjoys sports, audiobooks, and YouTube podcasts.
• Colleen Simon, Panel Member: Central & North West London Mental Health Trust
Colleen is the head of Social Work, Social Care & adult safeguarding, for the Central & North West London Mental Health Trust and is National Co-chair of the Principle Social Worker and NHS Social Work Leads Networks. The bulk of Colleen’s professional experience is in mental health and substance misuse. She has been a practising social worker since 2003 in a variety of community mental health, criminal justice and substance use roles. Colleen is currently a lecturer practitioner on the Bournemouth Approved Mental Health Professional qualifying course; delivers training for Edge. Colleen is a passionate advocate for minoritised and disadvantaged communities, and her training focuses on mental health and anti-racist/discriminatory practice.
• Antonia Ogundayisi, Panel Member: Essex County Council Childrens Services
Antonia is a qualified social worker who is dedicated to social justice and advocating for racially oppressed groups. She has worked across the public and voluntary sector, and currently oversees Essex County Council Children Services’ Anti-Racist practice strategy and leads Anti-Racist initiatives across the Eastern Region.
• Nicole Grant, Panel Member: Global Ethnic Majority Network Lead
Nicole has worked as a Global Ethnic Majority Network Lead for 2.5years, working alongside senior leadership to support inclusive practice. During this time, Nicole has organised diversity events, hosted debates and liaised with external agencies, to support an inclusive workplace culture.
• Naomi Jackson, Panel Member: Social Workers Without Borders
Naomi Jackson is the Managing Director of Social Workers Without Borders (SWWB). Naomi is an experienced social work expert witness for matters related to immigration and asylum law. She has guest lectured on numerous social work programmes. Additionally, she is a Post-Graduate Researcher in the School of Law and Social Justice at the University of Liverpool, where her research focuses on children's rights in the context of parental deportation.
Social Workers Without Borders is a social work charity working for migration justice. SWWB believe social workers should work in solidarity with people impacted by borders. Mobilising a network of social workers and social work students to practice in a way that is rights-based, upholding the inherent dignity, worth and humanity of every person.
• Kyla Chandler, Panel Member: National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum Practice Lead, Catch 22
Kyla is a care experienced Social Worker and Practice Lead and currently works for the National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum (NLCBF) at Catch22. The forum has over 135 local authorities leaving care team members and works to share best practice and improve support and services for young people leaving care. Kyla’s approach to social work practice is rooted in social pedagogy and trauma-informed care. Known for creativity and compassion, Kyla champions relationship-based practice and strives to foster trust and resilience among care-experienced young people.
Kyla is vice chair of the Association of Care Experienced Social Care Workers and currently sits as a Independent foster panel member at Reading Brough Council. Kyla began her career in her early 20’s in youth justice, later supporting young people in supported housing. Inspired to make a deeper impact, Kyla entered social work in her late 30s and was a senior social worker in a Local Authority before joining the forum.
Kyla lives on the Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire border with her family, In her free time, Kyla loves taking her children and dog Luna and on adventures through the Chilterns, where she is always searching for colourful mushrooms
Maff Potts, Camerados
Camerados is a social movement that gets people through life's tough times using radical mutuality, by helping them create friends and purpose via grass-roots led, informal, no agenda spaces in communities called Public Living Rooms. These Public Living Rooms are unique places that create relaxed, non-judgmental spaces for people to come together to "look out for each other" by using the six principles of what it means to be a Camerado to someone, which creates the opportunity for greater community cohesion and connection. Founded by Maff Potts in his spare bedroom in 2015, the movement has now grown to all 4 UK nations and is also present in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Sierra Leone and USA.
Maff went from having his own challenges with mental health and homelessness to running the largest homeless provider in the UK. He spent 20 years working and volunteering in the social justice sector, including turning the Millennium Dome into a homeless shelter as head of Crisis at Christmas; working as a government advisor - heading up the “Places of Change” programme which built a new generation of homeless centres in England; as CEO of a national charity, a housing association and also “Power to Change” the community business funder. Maff is also a semi-pro Jazz piano player and teaches primary school kids about funk and soul music.