Advancing Ethnic Minority Women in Leadership: A Reflection on the Unsung Heroes Awards.

A month has passed since I attended the Unsung Heroes Awards celebrating the work being done to advance ethnic minority women into leadership across health and social care.

I often give myself time to reflect before writing about events like this. As someone with dyslexia, I find that reflection allows me to process experiences more thoughtfully rather than responding immediately. The British Dyslexia Association highlights how many people with dyslexia process information through reflective thinking rather than immediate response.

Taking time allows me to think more carefully about what an event meant and why it matters.

It also feels particularly fitting to share this reflection today on World Social Work Day. Social work values are rooted in equality, advocacy and challenging systemic barriers, and the event itself reflected many of those principles in action.

Now working as founder and CEO of Prior Mindset, I continue to stay connected with initiatives that support inclusive leadership and representation across health and social care.

A Professional Connection That Goes Back Years.

My personal connection with the organiser of the event, Angela Assor, goes back several years to when we worked together in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) within Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Angela is now a Strategic Safeguarding Lead for CAMHS inpatient services at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. During our time working together, we collaborated closely on complex cases involving children and young people experiencing significant mental health difficulties.

Much of our work involved risk management, safeguarding decision-making and multi-agency coordination. A key focus was supporting young people who were at risk of being admitted to psychiatric inpatient units. Wherever possible, we worked intensively with families and services to keep young people safely supported within their communities.

When admissions did occur, the focus often shifted to helping young people transition safely out of inpatient care and back into community services as quickly as possible. This required careful care coordination, collaboration between services and a shared commitment to achieving the best outcomes for vulnerable young people.

On World Social Work Day, it feels particularly important to recognise the many social workers who continue to advocate for equity, representation and inclusion across health and social care systems

Angela and I are both social workers by background, and during our time working together in CAMHS we often approached cases through that shared lens of safeguarding, advocacy and systemic thinking. Social work training places strong emphasis on equality, social justice and challenging structural barriers, which is why seeing Angela build a professional network focused on advancing ethnic minority women into leadership within health and social care is something I have always supported.

Supporting Leadership and Representation in Health and Social Care

Angela founded the Advancing Ethnic Minority Women into Leadership Network after witnessing the barriers that many professionals continue to face within the sector.

Her mission is to promote equality, diversity and inclusion across health and social care, support leadership development, and create a professional community where ethnic minority women can connect, share experiences and support one another’s progression into leadership roles.

The wider context across the NHS highlights why this work is important.

The NHS is one of the most diverse workforces in the UK, with around 28–30% of staff coming from ethnic minority backgrounds. However, representation at senior leadership level remains significantly lower, with around one in eight senior NHS managers from minority ethnic backgrounds. These figures highlight the continued importance of initiatives that support leadership development, visibility and opportunity across the sector.

Professional networks like Angela’s play an important role in helping to address this gap by creating spaces for mentorship, discussion and leadership development.

Alongside her NHS leadership role, Angela is also involved in community work through the Young Crown Foundation, which supports youth empowerment, education and menstrual health awareness for girls and young women.

Continuing the Conversation.

This was not the first time I had attended one of Angela’s leadership events.

In September last year, I was invited to attend an earlier gathering focused on supporting ethnic healthcare professionals into leadership roles. The event took place at Manchester Royal Infirmary, hosted through Postgraduate Medical Education at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.

Even then it was clear that something important was beginning to grow, a professional network rooted in shared experience, advocacy and leadership across health and social care.

The Unsung Heroes Awards built on that momentum. The atmosphere in the room reflected solidarity, respect and a shared commitment to improving representation and opportunity within the sector.

Events like this are not simply about recognition, although celebrating achievements matters. They are also about visibility, representation and creating space for honest conversations about equality, leadership and lived experience.

Leadership Beyond Traditional Roles.

Attending the event also prompted reflection on my own professional journey.

After many years working within NHS services and safeguarding systems, I established Prior Mindset, where I now work as a CBT clinician, safeguarding consultant and founder supporting mental health, neurodiversity and wellbeing.

The practice brings together my background in social work, mental health and safeguarding with a wider commitment to inclusion, accessibility and evidence-based psychological support.

Diversity and inclusion are not abstract ideas within this work. They influence how services are delivered, how neurodiverse individuals are supported, and how environments can be created where people feel psychologically safe and able to thrive.

As a social worker, CBT clinician and business founder, I continue to believe that leadership across health and social care should reflect the diversity, experience and strengths of the workforce itself.

A Reminder of Why Community Matters.

One of the most powerful aspects of the evening was simply meeting and connecting with so many professionals who share a commitment to improving leadership and representation within health and social care.

Leadership does not develop in isolation. It grows through collaboration, shared purpose and communities that support people to progress and succeed.

Angela’s work in building this network is helping to create exactly that kind of space.

Events like the Unsung Heroes Awards are about more than a single evening. They are about building momentum for change and ensuring that leadership across health and social care continues to evolve in ways that are inclusive, representative and forward-thinking.

A Note from Prior Mindset...

Prior Mindset Services provides psychological therapy, coaching and consultancy services supporting mental health and neurodiversity across children, young people and adults.

The practice works extensively with individuals and families navigating neurodivergent experiences, including ADHD, autism and related emotional wellbeing challenges, alongside wider mental health support.

Alongside clinical work, Prior Mindset also provides a growing library of free evidence-informed resources designed to support parents, young people and professionals. These can be accessed here: www.priormindset.com/resources

Prior Mindset has received numerous testimonials from families and professionals and is proud to hold five-star reviews on Google, reflecting the trust placed in the service by those it supports.

Prior Mindset is not a crisis service. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact your GP, NHS 111 or emergency services.

With Warm Wishes,

Miss Jerri Prior

BABCP Highly Specialist Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist

Registered Social Worker.

Founder, Prior Mindset- Putting Your Mental Health First