Launch event: 11 May 2021
Through funding from Trust for London and support from the London Legal Support Trust and members of the former Black & Minority Ethnic Advice Network, the ASA has produced a research report investigating the support needs of smaller organisations working with London’s ethnically diverse communities.
Ethnic minority communities in London have been disproportionately hit by austerity, funding cuts and the Covid-19 pandemic with their problems becoming more complex. The need for advice services that meet the needs of diverse communities is more important than ever, yet these smaller organisations face significant challenges, are less likely to be networked and represented at decision making level in the advice sector. Without representation, the experience of communities are not heard at the strategic level, to the detriment of the quality of decision making and the potential perpetuation of exclusion.
The research serves as an opportunity to amplify the voices of smaller, diverse organisations who provide critical support to Londoners. The report investigates the issues facing smaller organisations such as funding, networking, sustainability, quality assurance and workforce development, identifies support needs and provides recommendations on how to meet these needs including those actions required by funders, networks and statutory bodies.
The launch event aims to inform of the research findings, portray frontline experience of these issues and discuss the wider picture of racial inequality in the advice sector.
