Mixedness and Mixing eConference

The CRE recently hosted a unique online conference, in partnership with the Runnymede Trust, London South Bank University's Families and Social Capital Research Group, and the Department for Communities and Local Government. The conference considered issues relating to Britain's mixed-race population ('mixedness') and mixed families ('mixing').

Mixedness and Mixing brought together a wide variety of perspectives to identify and discuss new approaches, ideas and experiences, and to consider how these can be used to formulate policy that delivers equality to all mixed-race people. In addition, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Hazel Blears addressed the conference via a podcast.

Single equality act - CRE response to consultation

The CRE has submitted its response to the government's consultation on a new single equality act for Britain. We call on the government to recognise that this consultation should be only the start of an open and thorough process towards getting equality law fit for twenty-first-century Britain.

This response is based on over 30 years of experience of working to eliminate race discrimination and promote equality of opportunities and good race relations through a wide range of activities: casework and litigation, formal investigations, one-to-one work with employers and service providers, and policy development.

This is the last year for the CRE; but race discrimination will not cease. Our final overarching recommendation is for legislation which guarantees equality as well as protecting from discrimination through effective enforcement and tough sanctions: in short, legislation fit for a modern, diverse Britain.

'Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society'

In August, the government published a second annual progress report on its strategy to increase race equality and community cohesion: 'Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society'.

The report highlighted the contribution the CRE has made to progress in a number of key areas, including education, housing, employment and the criminal justice system.

'Challenging Organised Racial Hatred' - guidance

The CRE has published a report summarising the responses of nineteen local authorities in the North East and North West of England to the updated CRE 'Defeating Organised Racial Hatred' guidance, issued in the run-up to the May 2007 local elections.

The report sets out practical examples of ways local authorities made use of the guidance to support efforts to promote and maintain good race relations. It contains helpful examples of action taken to bring key partners together, strengthen community intelligence gathering, challenge false and misleading information. Further examples explore the role of Local Strategic Partnerships and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.

To obtain a copy of the 'Challenging Organised Racial Hatred' report, please contact Macius Kurowski.

'Equal to the Task'

'Equal to the Task' is a joint publication between the CRE, the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Disability Rights Commission, and the Centre for Public Scrutiny (CfPS), on the use of scrutiny to improve the equalities performance of public sector organisations.

As well as information on the three public sector equality duties, the guide also includes examples of questions those undertaking public scrutiny can consider when assessing how equitable and responsive their services are. There are real life examples of scrutiny inquiries which focussed on an equality issue or included a strong equalities dimension.

As well as local authorities and other public bodies, this guide is useful to stakeholders in enabling them to encourage their local authority to change their overview and scrutiny practice to ensure equality is prioritised and effective.

This publication was launched at a conference on 11 September and is now available for free on the CfPS website.

'Equally Spaced?'

Research on public space, social cohesion, and interaction between diverse communities carried out by Demos, in partnership with the CRE, on the impact of public space was published at the end of July.

The report reviewed existing practice and drew a series of conclusions about the types of spaces that facilitate interaction between people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. These interactions - particularly the mundane and everyday - are the cornerstone for creating a sense of shared spaces for participation in communities all around the UK. The report shows how we can learn from the many places of potential that already exist.

The research was launched at an event at Demos where academics joined the report's authors to discuss moving the conversation on from theoretical debates about belonging and identity, into the realm of people's everyday lives and the spaces they use.

Formal investigation - Department of Health

The CRE's formal investigation (FI) into the Department of Health is now nearing completion. The CRE has garnered some extremely useful material during the course of the investigation. All interviews with individuals within the Department of Health will be completed by 11 September 2007 and the report will be completed in time for the CRE to give a final decision before we close at the end of September.

Interviews with individuals within the Department of Health have now concluded, and the report will be complete in time for the CRE to give a final decision before we close at the end of September.

The Getting Results funding programme

Getting Results is the CRE's grants programme for local racial equality work. Here we bring you a further two case studies which demonstrate the wide range of exciting and effective community-based projects it has helped support in recent years.

Soft Touch Community Arts: Building bridges between Gypsies and Irish Travellers and the 'settled' community

Soft Touch Arts, based in the Midlands, gives young people from the Gypsy and Irish Traveller community and the 'settled' community the opportunity to get to know each other through a variety of arts and media based resources.

With a grant of £20,000 from the CRE, this project recruited thirty young Gypsies and Travellers through on-site art activities sessions that aimed to provide skills and improve confidence. Five video dialogue sessions between local 'settled' youth and young Gypsies and Irish Travellers were then held, involving both communities in question and answer sessions.

As a result of this dialogue, young Gypsies and Irish Travellers made a DVD focusing on their experiences and lives, which was distributed as a peer education resource both locally and nationally.

Minority Ethnic Women's Network Wales (MEWN Cymru): Supporting ethnic minority women into employment

A project based in Wales has successfully encouraged economically inactive ethnic minority women into employment through offering skills, training and confidence building.

The project bridged the gap between ethnic minority women who were isolated and engaged them in the world of work, encouraging them to participate in society and build relations with others.

MEWN worked with ethnic minority voluntary and community sector groups and Jobcentre to establish a partnership working scheme. Alongside this, they focused on identifying the needs of the ethnic minority women through assessment and consultation, as well as researching vocational services and training that would be available to them. Educational bodies were approached in order to develop appropriate training programmes and a marketing plan targeted at ethnic minority communities in Cardiff was put in place.

Through a grant of £27,000 from the CRE, 60 ethnic minority women living in Cardiff received a tailored training to develop learning, skills, abilities, knowledge and confidence in order to prepare them for the world of work. Of the 60 women who completed the courses, all gained a qualification, and 20 entered employment by the end of the project.

More information, email the Getting Results team.