Barnardo’s has reported on the action it has taken following an investigation into a failure in their fundraising department’s leadership to adequately address a racist and discriminatory culture.
In 2021, an independent investigation found racist and discriminatory behaviour in the charity’s fundraising department. At the time, alongside formal independent investigation into individual behaviour, Barnardo’s committed to reviewing all race-related grievances in the fundraising department over a two-year period.
The charity has now taken action to implement the recommendations from the investigation through a new people and culture strategy. There is an EDI action plan which takes stock of the internal and external factors which affect their work; investment in the internal EDI team; the publication of the first ethnicity pay gap report; anti-racism training with an external partner, forming part of their induction programme for recruiting managers; and learning and development opportunities for all staff and volunteers. Also, within the fundraising and marketing areas at Barnardo’s there is an anti-racism working group, ensuring that there is an action-focused approach, including rating and critiquing progress against the actions on a quarterly basis.
