Race Equity Consultants (Evaluation and Research)

YEF’s Commitment to Race Equity  

Children from Black, Asian and other minority backgrounds are significantly overrepresented at all stages in the youth justice system. Black children are four times as likely to be arrested as White children. And, as of May 2019, more than half of the children in youth custody were from Black, Asian or other minority backgrounds. Clearly, there is a problem – in the criminal justice system and our wider society.   

 

The Youth Endowment Fund’s mission is to prevent children and young people from becoming involved in violence. Because of this disproportionality, it is clear that if we don’t challenge the role that racism plays in young people’s experiences of youth justice, education and access to employment and mental health support, we won’t be able to make the difference we’re here to bring about. This means that – both as an employer and a What Works Centre – we need to make sure that we are considering the impact on children from Black, Asian and other minority backgrounds in our decision-making.   

 

You can find out more about our race equity commitments here and review our 1st published report on our progress here. 

 

We know that we won’t have all the answers and that we’ll make mistakes. By being transparent, we want to share what we’ve learned, where we’ve gone wrong, what we think we are getting right and what we are working on improving. We’ll work with our existing grantees, future applicants, our partners in local authorities, policing, education, youth work and central government and – most importantly – with the young people who have experienced violence. We want to be challenged, to work together and to use your suggestions on how to improve.  

 

 

 

Race Equity in YEF’s research and evaluation  

As a research organisation, we have a duty to make sure that we fund projects that build evidence on how we can reduce racial disproportionality across public services. We also need to make sure that our evaluations improve our understanding of what works for children from Black, Asian and other minority backgrounds. 

 

A key challenge in achieving this goal is that at the moment, in England and Wales, evaluators and researchers are disproportionately White. There’s a lack of lived experience of racism, which affects the design of evaluations and other kinds of research. For example, both the economics1  and psychology2 professions, which represent two major contributors to the evaluation community have demonstrable issues in ensuring diversity in both graduates and professionals. This creates recruitment challenges both for YEF and for evaluation teams. 

 

Last year, we built a pool of consultants that we pair with members of our evaluator, researcher, and project delivery organisations to advise on the race equity implications of their research designs. We are now looking to add to this pool of consultants.  

 

Adopting a race equity perspective in research and evaluation can include activities such as the following: 

 

1. Landscape Assessment: Understanding the historical and political context in which the research study will operate and provide opportunities for stakeholders to share their perceptions of the apparent issue or topic. 

1. Design and Data Collection: Carefully choosing a study design and data collection methods that promote equitable outcomes.  

1. Data Analysis: Orienting qualitative and quantitative data analysis toward uncovering root causes. 

1. Dissemination: Devising a comprehensive dissemination strategy that considers the language used, stakeholders as the key audience, and actionable results. 

 

 

For more information on adopting a race equity perspective on research evaluation see: How to Embed a Racial and Ethnic Equity Perspective in Research. 

 

Who are we looking for? 

Race equity consultants will work alongside evaluators and researchers commissioned by YEF. We hope this will achieve two interconnected objectives: 

• To support YEF in embedding a race equity perspective in all its research and evaluations. 

• To increase the diversity of researchers contributing to the design and execution of YEF research and evaluations.  

 

We are interested in applicants from a range of sectors, including research, academia, funding, government, and community engagement. 

 

We are particularly interested in hearing from applicants who have practical experience of informing and especially driving race equity within evaluations and research. Whilst we are interested in hearing from people with a broad range of perspectives on evaluation and research, experience of working on impact evaluations such as randomised control trials and quasi-experimental designs would be an advantage.  

 

Applicants can be freelancers, sole contractors or working as part of organisations, provided they can commit to a minimum involvement of five days on any evaluation or research project they are commissioned to support.  

 

In summary, we are keen to hear from individuals or organisations with experience of some or all the following: 

• Experience and proven track record working to improve racial diversity, equality, and inclusion within research and evaluation contexts.   

• Experience of carrying out research work with racialised communities. 

• An understanding of the historical and political context in which the YEF’s research and evaluation work operates. 

• Experience of charitable grant-making in the UK, either as a grantee, a grant-maker, or a grant evaluator.  

• Ability to work independently, seeking input from relevant team stakeholders throughout.  

• While not a requirement, we do encourage applications from individuals (or individuals within organisations) with Lived Experience of violence.  

 

How to apply  

To apply please submit the following information by 5pm on the 20th of September.  

 

Applicants should submit: 

 

1. A CV or organisational summary  

2. A cover letter including the following: 

• Your work and your interest in in race equity. You can link to websites and social where we can read more about you on the internet. 

• What knowledge, personal attributes or skills do you possess that you can offer to YEF’s evaluation work.  

• Short summaries of two different projects that you have been directly involved in that is relevant to this role. For each initiative or project, please describe your role (e.g., team leader, team member), the purpose of the activity (i.e., its aims), the major contributions you personally made. 

• Two professional references who are happy to be contacted. 

 

It is important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background. 

 

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact us on our recruitment inbox