We have partnered with Fawcett Society to research the institutional harms caused to women and girls, in particular Black women and girls, across our public services.
This project will draw together women’s experiences across three themes: mental health, policing and education, and amplify the experiences of Black women who face the greatest harm within these institutions while also connecting with the broader experiences of women from other backgrounds, to reimagine a feminist, anti-racist and anti-discriminatory model for public services.
Phase 1 of the project is funded by the Barrow Cadbury Trust and runs from October 2023 to June 2024. This phase involves the establishment of an Experts by Experience advisory group, a thematic review of reviews looking to draw out similarities and shared learning from reports such as Ofsted, Casey, and Modernising the Mental Health Act, and a call for evidence.
“We have seen Black people being let down and suffering at the hands of public services. We have been failed by institutions whose purpose it is to serve and protect the public. Working together on this project to gather evidence and understand Black women’s experiences of using public services, and what may be needed to make these services safer for women is vital and will make an impactful change on our public services.”
Timi Okuwa, CEO of Black Equity Organisation
“[Public services] have been built around a particular set of needs and perspectives, a predominantly white male perspective, and that means they can’t properly serve us…we’re at a moment where there is potential to rethink the ways that we deliver public services: for women, with women, and anti-racist.”
Jemima Olchawski, CEO of Fawcett Society
For more information about this project, write to us at info@fawcettsociety.org.uk
