Overall, 9% of staff in social services departments are known to be from ethnic minority groups, which is slightly above the figures for the working population in England (8.4%). Compared to the overall population, social services have attracted more black people and fewer staff from Asian origin.

Ethnic minority groups, are more often to be found in children services (15%) and social work (13%) than domiciliary care (6%) or occupational therapy (5%). However, figures need to be treated with some caution as for one in ten the ethnic origin was not known.

There are also some indications that ethnic minority groups are under-represented among senior managers. More than four in ten social service staff in inner London are known to be from ethnic minority groups, and nearly one in two care assistants and home carers, compared to 31% of the population.

Source: Department of Health 2004