To explore professional journeys of BAME Managers, their experience and the discourses and practices used by the higher management

DfE于2019年9月进行的社会护理劳动力种族年度普查显示，78%是白人，12%是黑人，6%是亚洲人，4%是混血儿。2020年对儿童服务主任的一项调查显示，在提供数据的94个dc中，94%的人认为自己是英国白人（84%）、爱尔兰白人（3%）或其他白人（7%）。只有1%的人认为自己是非洲黑人，加勒比黑人、白人和亚洲人的比例也相同。整体劳动力和高级管理人员的民族和种族构成之间的这种差异，使人们对该行业对平等和多样性的承诺产生了质疑。学者们认为，制度性种族主义和歧视在黑人和少数民族社会工作者经常被忽视发展机会方面发挥了关键作用（Balloch et al.,1995; Butt & Davey,1997）。他们强调歧视对雇员和服务使用者的不利心理和生理后果（Williams et al. 2003, Bloefield 2004）。最近全球冠状病毒大流行的背景暴露了劣势对健康结果的系统性影响（The health Foundation 2020），以及乔治·弗洛伊德（George Floyd）被谋杀的事件，创造了一场完美的风暴，推动社会关怀组织承认制度性、固有的系统性偏见及其对有色人种的后果。学者们在试图探索这些差异的原因时，强调了围绕多元文化主义、后种族社会、移民和有问题的个人行为表现的争论，而忽视了制度性和结构性种族主义的作用（Salisbury 2020 & Dominelli 2018）。令人欣慰的是，最近有一些适当的努力，使白人领导人认识到问题的严重性和需要改变的紧迫性。因此，研究人员旨在对社会关怀组织高级领导中的种族不平等进行定性研究，以期探索维持现状的组织文化的行为，话语和社会过程。

The annual census conducted by DfE in September 2019 of social care workforce ethnicity indicates 78% to be white, 12% black, 6% Asian, and 4% mixed. A survey of Directors of Children Services in 2020 reveals that out of 94 DCSs who provided data, 94% identified as white British (84%), white Irish (3%) or other white (7%). Only 1% identified as black African, with the same percentage for black Caribbean and white and Asian. This disparity between the ethnic and racial composition of the overall workforce and senior management brings to question the profession's commitment to equality and diversity. Scholars have argued that institutional racism and discrimination play a key role in black and ethnic minority social workers being often overlooked for development opportunities (Balloch et al.,1995; Butt & Davey,1997). They highlight the adverse psychological and physical consequences of discrimination on employees and service users (Williams et al. 2003, Bloefield 2004). The recent backdrop of the global Coronavirus pandemic exposing the systemic impact of disadvantage on health outcomes (The Health Foundation 2020) and the murder of George Floyd has created a perfect storm to push social care organisations to acknowledge institutional, inherent, systemic bias and its consequences for people of colour. Scholars in their attempt to explore the reasons for these disparities have highlighted arguments around multi-culturalism, post-racial society, immigration, and manifestation of problematic individual behaviour to have ignored the role of institutional and structural racism (Salisbury 2020 & Dominelli 2018). Reassuringly there are recent efforts appropriated to enable white leaders to understand the enormity of the problem and the urgency of change needed. Hence the researcher aims to conduct a qualitative study on the racial inequality in senior leadership in social care organisations, with a view to explore behaviours, discourses and social processes of the organisational culture that maintains the current status quo.