improving UK social relations essays

improving UK social relations essays Will the passage of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 lead to improved social relations in Britain? The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 is concerned with outlawing discrimination on the grounds of race in public life. It extends the Race Relations Act 1976, which was concerned with outlawing racial discrimination towards individuals and thus tackling individual wrongs, by emphasising the responsibility of public bodies to tackle institutional racism. It was passed in November 2000 and while some of its provisions came into force in April 2001, others did not take effect until 31st May 2002. In 2003 it appears to have had some success, with two thirds of public companies having complied with the legislation 1. As yet little case law exists. As it emerges, it will help to establish how the courts will regard the workings and meanings of the Act in practice. However because the Act builds upon earlier legislation and is a response to the findings of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, one can make some reasonably intelligent guesses about the impact of the Act on social work and socia l care. Of particular interest to people exploring social work and social policy are the ways in which the Act links with social work values and social concerns, such as Howe's (2000) distinction between 'intrinsic values', which are good in themselves (such as personal well being) and 'instrumental values', which are linked to ends (such as laws which uphold rights). The Act can thus be seen as embodying the instrumental values of racial equality and of freedom from racial discrimination. The Act uses stronger, more positive language in requiring public bodies to promote racial equality. It therefore requires bodies, including social work agencies, to put into practice at an institutional level some of the values that all people working in the social care sector are required to demonstrate at an individual level. There should therefore be no c...