VRA Network: Exploring racial inequalities in vocational rehabilitation

Black people in the UK are less likely than their White counterparts to be in employment and when employed, are more likely to occupy low paid, precarious work.

Despite Black communities making up 18% of Lambeth’s adult population, they account for 27% of people with multiple long-term conditions and develop multiple long-term conditions up to 10 years earlier than their White counterparts.

Black Thrive Lambeth has been funded by Impact on Urban Health since 2020 to improve systems to increase meaningful employment amongst Black residents in Lambeth with long-term physical and/or mental health conditions (LTCs).

Vocational rehabilitation is an intervention that could be of significant benefit to the Black people with LTCs and yet does not seem to be available to them. This presentation will explore the barriers to accessing vocational rehabilitation and invite VR practitioners to identify some solutions.

Lela is a Director of Black Thrive Global, which exists to systemically address inequalities that negatively impact mental health and wellbeing of Black people, so that thriving of Black communities is the norm.

She is a qualified accountant and was a senior leader in the public sector for 25 years, 16 of which were in Islington where she was Assistant Chief Executive for the Council until 2016.  Her responsibilities included corporate policy, strategy and performance, adult learning, community safety, arts and culture and voluntary sector. She has also been an adviser to Department of Education and NHS England on race and disability equality in national programmes.

Lela has spent a lifetime following her passion for equality and social justice in a non-executive capacity. She is currently chair of Health and Employment Partnerships (a social purpose company within Social Finance), vice chair of Place Matters, and trustee of DFN Project Search.