Anti-Racist Social Work in England – Wayne Reid

Episode 45
Guest: Wayne Reid, Professional Officer, Social Worker & Anti-Racism Visionary
Host: Shimon Cohen, LCSW

Wayne Reid, Professional Officer and Anti-Racism Visionary at the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), shares his bold and principled approach to anti-racist social work. He discusses how the murder of George Floyd catalyzed his advocacy, leading to numerous BASW initiatives and resources that push the profession to confront white supremacy embedded in policy, practice, and culture. Wayne emphasizes that anti-racism must be an explicit part of professional conduct—within client work, peer relationships, and institutional structures—and outlines the responsibilities organizations have to protect and support social workers of color. This conversation offers a powerful international perspective on what it means to lead with clarity, courage, and action in the face of systemic racism.

In this episode:

• How the murder of George Floyd catalyzed Wayne's anti-racism advocacy within BASW
• How white supremacy and racism are embedded in social work laws, policies, institutions, and practice
• His "pure, proactive, and unapologetic" approach to anti-racism in social work
• The need for anti-racism as an explicit standard of professional conduct — with clients and colleagues
• What organizations must do to protect social workers of color and transform into anti-racist institutions

X @wayne_reid79
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-reid
Email wayne.reid@basw.co.uk
Steps organizations can take to transform into anti-racist organizations

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Music credit
"District Four" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/