Turn anti-racist learning into action
Understanding anti-racism matters. But understanding alone doesn’t change organisations.
You can learn about legislation, language, bias and racism. You can develop policies and make organisational commitments. But then come the harder questions:
What do I actually do? What do I say? How do I act? How do we put this into practice?
These are the questions that can be hardest to answer, particularly when leaders and managers are navigating sensitive situations, difficult conversations or trying to turn an organisation-wide commitment into meaningful change.
This is where Practice Solutions can help.
Our Developing an Anti-Racist Workforce programme focuses on the doing. Delivered by our expert team, which includes people who combine lived experience of racism with years of the highest-level organisational expertise, as well as people with extensive experience of working in the social care and wider public sector, organisational development, leadership and engagement. Together, the team has been working on the delivery of the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan on behalf of Welsh Government alongside many other transformational projects. Through this unique combined expertise, we are able to create safe, supported spaces where people can move beyond theory, practise what anti-racism looks like in real situations and develop practical steps for making change happen.
Becoming an anti-racist organisation isn’t simply about what you know.
It’s about what you do next.
Why Practice Solutions?
Lived experience. Organisational expertise. Practical change.
Our approach has been developed through years of practical work with organisations, leaders, people who experience racism and communities. Since the end of 2022, we have led on the implementation of Welsh Government’s Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan on behalf of our clients, the Association of Directors of Social Services Cymru (ADSS Cymru). This unique plan, the only one of its kind in the world, pledges to make Wales an Anti-Racist Nation by 2030.
Our team brings together people with lived experience of racism and deep roots in anti-racism work, with expertise in organisational development, leadership, change management, equalities, diversity and inclusion, engagement, workforce development and data, alongside sector-specific knowledge of social care, health and the wider public sector.
Our work with Cultural Ambassadors as part of the ARWAP programme brings lived experience into the heart of the conversation, helping organisations understand not simply anti-racism in theory, but how policies, behaviours and decisions can be experienced by real people.
This combination allows us to go deeper. We don’t simply tell you what good practice looks like. We help you explore what it means in your organisation, ask the important questions to people who understand and empathise, identify the barriers getting in the way and work out the realistic steps you can take to make things better.
‘I cannot speak highly enough of the ARWAP project team. Their strong leadership, alongside their tenacity, has delivered important work in advancing anti-racism. The team’s ability to bring stakeholders together while providing clear direction has been key to creating practical tools and fostering much-needed collaboration.
This commitment to inclusivity and partnership working is evident throughout the project and has helped ensure the team’s outputs are both meaningful and actionable for local authorities. The team has shown real commitment and courage in embedding anti-racism principles and creating practical resources that empower local authorities.’
Shagufta Khan, previous ADSS Cymru ArWAP Strategic Lead
From knowing to doing
There is already anti-racism training available to organisations. Much of it provides valuable foundations – helping people understand legislation, terminology, behaviours, policy and the principles of anti-racist practice.
But knowing what should happen and feeling confident enough to make it happen are two different things.
What do you say when a member of staff tells you they have experienced racism?
How do you respond when somebody uses inappropriate language?
How do you challenge a colleague constructively?
How do you create a zero-tolerance culture that people genuinely trust?
How do you look critically at your organisation’s systems and identify where people’s experiences don’t match your intentions?
And once you have identified a problem, what practical steps do you take next?
Our support creates the time and space to work through those questions.
Depending on the programme, that can mean working with realistic scenarios, practising conversations, critically examining evidence and organisational practice, hearing directly from lived experience, identifying barriers and agreeing tangible actions.
Theory → Practice
Translate learning into things people can actually say and do.
Intentions → Actions
Break big organisational ambitions into realistic next steps.
Uncertainty → Confidence
Create safe spaces where leaders and managers can practise rather than being expected to already have all the answers.
Evidence → Insight
Look beyond completing a process to critically understand what the information is telling you.
Insight → Change
Turn learning into actions that can make a difference on the ground.
Grounded in work that’s already making a difference
Our approach hasn’t been developed in isolation. Through Practice Solutions’ work supporting the implementation of the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan in social care, our team has spent years working alongside local authorities, leaders, Cultural Ambassadors and people with lived experience.
That work has given us a detailed understanding of both the challenges organisations face and what it takes to move anti-racist commitments forward in practice. We bring that learning and experience into our support.
Read the case study: Putting the Anti-racist Wales Action Plan into practice with ADSS Cymru →
Choose the right level of support
Anti-racist change doesn’t look the same for every organisation.
You may need a focused intervention to give managers greater confidence in conversations about race. You may need help turning a zero-tolerance commitment into something meaningful. Or you may be ready to look much more deeply at leadership, culture and workforce systems.
Our support can meet you where you are.
FOCUSED
Build practical skills and confidence
↓
DEVELOPING
Turn commitments into culture and practice
↓
IN-DEPTH
Embed change across your organisation
Alongside these developmental options, we also offer specialist investigation and organisational learning support when specific concerns arise.
01 | Navigating Conversations with Confidence and Compassion
FOCUSED SUPPORT
Know what to say – and practise saying it
Managers and leaders can understand the importance of addressing racism while still feeling unsure about how to handle a real conversation.
That uncertainty can lead to sensitive conversations being delayed or avoided altogether.
This practical programme moves beyond simply talking about why these conversations matter. Participants have a safe, supported space to explore realistic situations, examine barriers, practise conversations and build the confidence to respond.
It’s an opportunity to ask the questions people don’t always feel able to ask at work – and to practise before it matters.
You’ll develop:
- Greater confidence discussing race and racism
- Practical language for navigating sensitive situations
- Approaches for responding when concerns are raised
- A better understanding of barriers that can prevent action
- Clearer leadership and management behaviours
- Practical tools to take back into the workplace
Level: ● ○ ○ | Focused
Time commitment: 3.5 hour workshop
02 | Creating a Meaningful Zero Tolerance Culture
DEVELOPING SUPPORT
Turn zero tolerance from a statement into something people can see and experience
Saying your organisation has zero tolerance for racism is important.
But what does zero tolerance actually mean when something happens?
What can staff expect? What are managers expected to do? How will leaders respond? And do the people working in your organisation trust that the commitment will be upheld?
We work with you to turn zero tolerance from a principle into credible organisational practice – establishing clearer expectations, practical actions and stronger accountability.
You’ll work towards:
- Meaningful zero-tolerance principles
- Clearer expectations for staff and leaders
- A practical implementation plan
- Greater leadership confidence
- Stronger accountability
- A clearer connection between organisational commitments and people’s lived experience
Level: ● ● ○ | Developing
Time commitment: Tailored to your organisation
03 | Turning Commitment into Action
IN-DEPTH ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Understand where you are. Decide where you need to go. Build a practical route to get there.
For organisations ready to look beyond individual training interventions, our Organisational Development Programme supports deeper change across leadership, culture and workforce systems.
Rather than simply assessing whether policies or processes exist, we help organisations look at themselves through an anti-racist lens – asking more granular questions, examining evidence and considering the organisation from different perspectives, including the experiences of the people within it.
The value doesn’t stop at assessment. Our team brings independent perspective, critical analysis and anti-racism and organisational development expertise to help you understand what the evidence means – and what you should do about it.
Together, we translate insight into a practical roadmap for change.
You’ll work towards:
- A deeper understanding of your current position
- Leadership alignment around anti-racist practice
- Critical analysis of organisational evidence and experience
- Meaningful workforce engagement
- A practical implementation roadmap
- Clear actions and accountability
- Ways to understand and measure progress
- Sustainable culture change
Level: ● ● ● | In-depth
Time commitment: Tailored to your organisation
04 | Anti-Racist Investigation and Organisational Learning Service
SPECIALIST | BESPOKE
When something has happened, understand it and learn from it
When a racism-related concern arises, establishing what happened matters. But an investigation can also reveal important questions about culture, leadership, systems and organisational practice.
Our specialist service provides independent support for racism-related concerns, combining investigation or review with wider organisational and cultural learning.
We help you understand not only what happened, but what the findings tell you about your organisation and what needs to change.
Depending on your needs, support can include:
- Independent investigation and findings
- Specialist anti-racism insight
- Cultural and organisational analysis
- Practical recommendations
- Organisational learning
- An improvement roadmap where required
Level: BESPOKE
Time commitment: Determined following scoping.
Not sure where to start?
You don’t need to have the solution before you speak to us.
Perhaps you’ve already undertaken anti-racism training and are asking ‘what next?’
Perhaps managers understand the principles but lack confidence putting them into practice.
Perhaps you’ve made commitments but aren’t sure whether they are changing people’s experiences.
Or perhaps you know something needs to change but need an independent perspective to understand where to begin.
We’ll work with you to understand the challenge and identify the right level of support – from a focused practical intervention to a deeper programme of organisational change.
Move from knowing to doing
Talk to our team about the practical next steps towards becoming an anti-racist organisation.