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Shahnaz Ali

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Shahnaz Ali OBE
Shahnaz Ali in 2012
BornOctober 1961 (age 63)
United Kingdom
NationalityBritish
EducationLeeds Metropolitan University, MA Policy Studies (1996)
TitleDirector for Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights (2007 - Present)

Shahnaz Ali OBE is a British Muslim woman best known for her leadership role in equality, inclusion and human rights in the National Health Service and local government in England.[1] She is also known for her activism, as a young woman, in the anti-racist struggles in Bradford in the 1980s. She was awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours list, December 2012 in recognition of her contributions to Equality and Diversity.

Career

Shahnaz Ali was born in Pakistan and came to England with her family, at the age of 3, in summer of 1965. She grew up in Bradford and attended Leeds Metropolitan University, earning an MA in Policy Studies in 1996.

Political activism

As a teenager growing up in Bradford, Shahnaz Ali was part of a South Asian community that was increasingly subject to hostility and racist attacks from part of the white, indigenous population. She became involved in the United Black Youth League of Bradford and took an active part in its struggles for justice and the right to live without victimisation [2]. See also 1981 England riots. This included resisting the regular bouts of ‘Paki-bashing’ undertaken in the city by racists, because the police did little to protect the communities under attack. In July 1981, 12 young men from the League were arrested and charged with making explosive substances and a conspiracy to make explosive substances.[3] If found guilty, they would have faced life imprisonment. Shahnaz Ali was detained and interviewed along with the 12 young Asian men, but never charged. The 12 were found not guilty[4] by a verdict of 11-1 in 1982 after a trial lasting 31 days.

Ali was interviewed by the BBC for a documentary it made to mark the 30th anniversary of the Bradford 12 event.[5] She also describes her own involvement in these events in a Podcast interview with Christine Burns.[6]

Work history

Since December 2007, Ali has been Director of Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights at NHS North West,[7] the Strategic Health Authority for the region. During that time, she has gained national recognition[8] for her strategic leadership on equalities work.

Her work has included publishing a five-year strategy, Narrowing the Gaps,[9] for transformative change of equality outcomes at regional level.

The strategy was in turn based on original in-depth research and analysis, published in October 2008 as "A Landscape of the Region" [10]

Based on that research her programme also involved:

  • Developing the UK’s first performance measurement and improvement framework for equality outcomes in the NHS (Equality Performance Improvement Toolkit) [11][12]
  • Pioneering a sustainable approach to long-term equality stakeholder engagement for consultation and involvement in strategic programmes (The Health Equality Stakeholder Engagement programme) [13][14]
  • Creating the UK’s largest and most successful online library and portal for Equality and Diversity evidence and background knowledge (Health Equality Library Portal) [15][16]
  • Championing and leading development of the first competency framework for E&D executive leadership in the public sector [17][18]
  • Establishing a regional Equality and Diversity Leadership Forum, comprising NHS Trust chairs, chief executives and directors of partnership to lead and champion transformative regional strategy
  • Embedding equality governance into all major assurance processes at regional level, including the review of commissioning strategic plans, operating plans, reconfiguration plans, World Class Commissioning [19] assurance and the Transforming Community Services project.[20]

Ali and her team developed a philosophy for transformation over the period 2008-12 which they published in a recent peer reviewed journal paper. [21]

Previous roles

Previously Ali has worked for other NHS bodies, including the South Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority [22] (2005-2007) as Senior Director for Local Authorities and Wider Partnerships; for South Yorkshire Workforce Development Confederation (2001-2005), first as Director Of Workforce Diversity and Equality and then as Director of Education and Workforce Expansion; and for Community Health, Sheffield NHS Trust (1999-2001), as Director of HR Development (IWL,Diversity).

Before moving into the NHS, Ali worked for the London Borough of Newham (1991-1993) as Principal Health Officer and Head of the HIV Unit; for Leeds City Council (1987-1990) as Senior Policy and Training Officer; and for the Chapeltown area Citizens Advice Burea in Leeds as a welfare rights and training officer.

She also spent five years (1993-1998) working as a freelance consultant, trainer and researcher.

Voluntary sector work

Ali has been a member on the Boards or Management Committees of the following organisations:

North West Equality Strategy Group (NHS representative)

Council for Ethnic Minority Voluntary Organisations (CEMVO) (Member of Regional Advisory Board)

Sheffield Futures (Board of Directors) [23]

Black Community AIDS Team ( BCAT), Chair and Founder

Federation of Black Housing Organisations (member of Executive Committee) (folded in 2008) [24]

Newham Asian Women's Refuge (member of Management Committee member)

Leeds Federated Housing Association (member of Management Committee)

Leeds Black Women’s Refuge (member of Management Committee)

NCAB (?) Executive Committee (BME staff representative)

NALGO. National Executive Committee (BME staff representative)

Selected publications

Landscape of the Region

  • Narrowing the Gaps[25]
  • A Landscape of the Region[26]
  • 'We know diversity work saves cash, but does George Osborne?' Shahnaz Ali. The Guardian, June 4, 2010[27]
  • 'A partnership of equals'. Shahnaz Ali. The Guardian, March 18, 2009.[28]
  • Craig, G., Adamson, S., Ali, N., Ali, S., Atkins, L., Dadze-Arthur, A., Elliott, C., McNamee, S., Murtuja, B. (2007) Sure Start and Black and Minority Ethnic Populations. National Evaluation Report. Research Report 020. London: Department for Education and Skills.
  • ‘Diversity means made to measure, not mass produced.’ Shahnaz Ali. Parliamentary Brief, Vol. 7, December 2000.
  • ‘Strength Through Diversity’. Shahnaz Ali, Nursing Times, May 3–9, 2001
  • Positive Images. Shahnaz Ali. Health Management Magazine, August 2002
  • Shahnaz Ali (2002) 'Racial diversity in the NHS'. Health Service Journal, 30 September 2004.

Awards

  • Positive Image Role Model Campaign, 2003. HR in the NHS Conference award.
  • Mainstreaming diversity under best HR practice. 2000. Beacon award.
  • Responding to HIV/AIDS Through Partnerships. Award for Excellence, 1991. London Association of Authorities.
  • Homo Heroes Award for leading the way in ending homophobia and empowering people. The Lesbian and Gay Foundation, 2012.

References

  1. ^ NHSemployers.org http://www.nhsemployers.org/Aboutus/Events/Events-archive/equality_and_diversity/Pages/ShahnazAli.aspx
  2. ^ Conference "So we stand - Self defence is no offence" (July 2011) http://sowestand.com/category/blog/
  3. ^ WorkersLiberty.org: "From the Asian left" (April 6, 2006) http://www.workersliberty.org/node/6016
  4. ^ Runnymede Trust Oral Histories http://www.runnymedetrust.org/histories/race-equality/53/bradford-12-acquitted.html
  5. ^ The Asian Youth Movements (March 26, 2012) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01dtkjb
  6. ^ 30 Years on - The Bradford Twelve : Podcast interview with Christine Burns: http://podcast.plain-sense.co.uk/2011/07/12/30-years-on-the-bradford-twelve/
  7. ^ NHS Northwest (February 14, 2012) http://www.help.northwest.nhs.uk/news/id/133
  8. ^ University of Bradford: "Centre for Inclusion and Diversity Conferences" (http://www.brad.ac.uk/health/CfID/Events/Conferences/keynote-and-other-key-speakers/
  9. ^ NHS Northwest, blog (May 2, 2012) Bloghttp://help.northwest.nhs.uk/news/id/141
  10. ^ Ali, Burns & Mulchand (Oct 17, 2008) http://www.help.northwest.nhs.uk/library/item/665
  11. ^ NHS North West: Equality Performance Improvement Toolkit http://www.epit.northwest.nhs.uk
  12. ^ Just Plain Sense: Introducing the Equality Performance Improvement System - EPIT http://blog.plain-sense.co.uk/2011/02/introducing-equality-performance.html
  13. ^ NHS North West: An Equal Partnership http://help.northwest.nhs.uk/library/item/1491
  14. ^ Just Plain Sense: Effective and Sustainable Engagement with Equality Stakeholders http://blog.plain-sense.co.uk/2011/02/effective-and-sustainable-engagement.html
  15. ^ NHS North West: The Health Equality Library Portal http://www.help.northwest.nhs.uk
  16. ^ Just Plain Sense: The Health Equality Library Portal http://blog.plain-sense.co.uk/2011/02/health-equality-library-portal-help.html
  17. ^ Equality and Diversity Leadership Competency Framework to support new Equality Delivery System for NHS http://help.northwest.nhs.uk/news/2011/09/13/Equality_and_Diversity_Leadership_Competency_Framework_to_support_new_Equality_Delivery_System_for_NHS
  18. ^ Just Plain Sense: Competent Change Management is Key to Achieving Equality Outcomes http://blog.plain-sense.co.uk/2011/02/competent-change-management-is-key-to.html
  19. ^ Department of Health: World Class Commissioning - Vision http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_080956
  20. ^ Department of Health: Transforming Community Services - Enabling new patterns of provision http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_093197
  21. ^ Ali, S., Burns, C. and Grant, L. (2012), 'Equality and diversity in the health service: An evidence-led culture change'. J of Psych Issues in Org Culture, 3: 41–60. doi: 10.1002/jpoc.20095
  22. ^ Department of Health (2006): Learning for a Change in Healthcare http://www.workforce.derbys.nhs.uk/Portals/0/WF%20Strategy/Policy%20Docs/Learning%20for%20a%20Change%20in%20Healthcare%20December%2006.pdf
  23. ^ Sheffield Futures Report and Accounts, 31st Mar 2007 http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends40%5C0001044940_ac_20070331_e_c.pdf
  24. ^ Inside Housing: End of an era as BME umbrella group closes http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/end-of-an-era-as-bme-umbrella-group-closes/6502330.article
  25. ^ Ali & Mulchand (April 8, 2009) http://help.northwest.nhs.uk/library/item/666
  26. ^ Ali, Burns & Mulchand (Oct 17, 2008) http://help.northwest.nhs.uk/library/item/665
  27. ^ Ali, Shahnaz. Guardian (June 4, 2010) http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2010/jun/04/equalities-and-diversity-budget-cuts
  28. ^ Ali, Shahnaz. Guardian (March 18, 2009) http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/mar/18/equality-human-rights

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