An arm’s length project of the Elizabeth Casson Trust exploring diversity, inclusion and equity within the profession.
The second in our Focus on… series was a Focus on…Starting your Career held on 11 January 2023.
Participants came from a range of organisations, including universities and therapy services, as well as a range of professional backgrounds, including Human Resources. Many brought their own personal experiences of being minoritised and a newly qualified occupational therapist. Together, the group considered the experiences of minoritised occupational therapists as they transitioned from university to starting their careers and the first two years in practice.
The event was co-chaired by Lord Victor Adebowale and Prof Jane Melton and generated ‘valued contributions from colleagues [both experts and newly qualified OTs] through rich conversation’ leading to ‘tangible outcomes’ (participant feedback).
To add more information to the event, the Trust engaged with NQOTs at The OT Show in November to hear about their experiences. The mentimeter above shares some of their thoughts on belonging.
For this event, the themes we discussed were:
Small group discussions concluded with each group identifying two potential projects they believed would positively change experiences for minoritised NQOTs. All participants then voted to select their priority projects.
The top four are:
The following projects are either completed or underway:
We plan to tailor this framework to occupational therapists specifically and produce a poster. This work will commence after HCPC has finished their public consultation of the Preceptorship Principles. Find more information here: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/allied-health-professions/education-employment/national-allied-health-professionals-preceptorship-foundation-support-programme/preceptorship
Anita drew from these conversations the behaviours that demonstrate allyship in practice. These have been captured in the image below. We encourage you to download the image add it to your signature strip, use it is a poster within your service and discuss within your teams what the opportunities are for allyship in your professional setting:
This project was led by human resource consultants Caroline Waters OBE and Helen Chipchase, who both specialise in diversity and inclusivity at work. Over several months, Caroline and Helen engaged with a range of organisations, including universities and therapy services, and individuals from a range of professional backgrounds, to understand how well the bridge between education and employment is working and whether it effectively embraces the needs of all newly qualified OTs regardless of their background.
From how vacancies are advertised to how successful candidates are onboarded, this guide prompts human resource teams and occupational therapists recruiting newly qualified occupational therapists to consider how working within their existing recruitment practice, they can become advocates and allies for candidates from diverse backgrounds.
