Improving understanding of people from ethnic minority groups and adult social care
Healthwatch North Yorkshire has been reaching out to ethnic minority communities to better understand the views and experiences of people who need extra support to stay safe, healthy, and cared for.
We’re hard from:
- People who need extra help with daily life (for example, health, safety, or personal care).
- Family members or unpaid carers who provide support.
- Staff, volunteers and organisations that support people who need extra help.
Who we heard from
We gathered feedback from people with lived experiences of migration, including those from African, Chinese, Fijian, Indian, Latvian, Nepalese, Pakistani, Polish, and Ukrainian backgrounds.
Feedback was welcomed from across the county, with a special focus on areas such as Skipton, Harrogate, Catterick, Richmond, Scarborough, and Northallerton, where some of these communities live and don't always feel part of the conversation about social care and decisions.
What we tried to understand
The project aimed to explore two main areas:
- Community resources: What support do you or your community use to stay safe, healthy, and cared for? This could include help from friends, family, or community groups.
- Your experiences: Have you received support that worked well for you? Have you struggled to access support? What challenges have you faced?
We wanted to hear about good experiences as well as areas that could be improved.
What difference has it made?
Whilst we await the full impact, your feedback has helped us:
- Understand the unique challenges faced by ethnic minority communities.
- Identify resources and practices that are working well.
- Share recommendations with North Yorkshire Council and local organisations to improve support for everyone.
North Yorkshire Council's social care service has pledged to share the insights from this report with staff, care providers, and the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board. This board is a partnership of local organisations—like North Yorkshire Council, Healthwatch, NHS, North Yorkshire Police, that work together to protect adults from abuse and neglect in North Yorkshire. They set policies, review serious cases, and make sure that services work together effectively to keep people safe.
They will ensure staff training includes cultural responsiveness, religious literacy, and the experience of carers from different ethnic backgrounds.
