Leading with Allyship: In Conversation with a Diverse Network Champion

20 October 2025

As part of our series shining the spotlight on our staff networks, we sat down with Director of Social Services Lance Carver – one of the Senior Leadership Team’s champions in the Diverse Network - to talk about his role as an ally and champion, and what we can all do to help foster a more inclusive workplace.

Why is being a Diverse Network Champion important to you?

“It probably started because I’ve been having reverse mentoring from Curtis Griffin (one of the Diverse Network Co-Chairs) which has been fascinating for so many reasons and really helpful and over time, we developed a good relationship.

“I’ve also been Chair of ADSS Cymru for the Directors of Social Services across Wales. During my time as Chair, two reports were published to support the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan, based on quite a lot of research into the situation in social services. 

“I ended up being the champion for those reports and was discussing with Curtis how we could take their recommendations and turn them into practical actions for the Council. So, it was really a combination of those experiences that led me to this - it felt like a natural progression.”

How have your life experiences shaped your allyship?

"I think there’s a societal expectation that if you’re from the Global Majority, you’re the one who should tackle racism, and that’s exhausting. It should be everyone’s responsibility. 

“I think it’s a duty, but I hadn’t always seen it that way. I used to think that simply identifying myself as someone wanting to be an ally would encourage people to come to me with issues or for support. But that’s quite passive, and I realise it’s better to be more active.There’s still a long way to go before we achieve a truly balanced society.

"I spent a lot of my youth in Birmingham, a really diverse city, and racism always seemed absurd to me. I was keen to oppose it. I remember going to Rock Against Racism in 1994 and the music that I was interested in almost always had anti-racist themes.

“So, standing up for social justice and making sure other people’s voices are heard has been important to me from early on."

Looking forward, what more do you think we can all do to promote diversity and inclusion further within our organisation?

"Sharing and understanding people’s experiences more would be very helpful. Hearing Curtis’s story was a real lightbulb moment for me and it would also help to describe clearly what being an ally means and how people can be better allies.”

Diverse Resource Bank

The Diverse Network has put together a resource bank for colleagues about race equality, anti-racism, and active allyship.  

Our events, blogs, guides, articles, policies, reports and videos are designed to share learning and good practice amongst Vale Council colleagues.

For more information on the Diverse Resource Bank, click here.