Black students need black mentors

Black students undertaking social work training would benefit from black mentors, according to a Glasgow Caledonian University study that raises questions of institutional racism.

Researchers from the social work division of GCU's school of social sciences launched the study into the experiences of black students on the social work diploma course after UK-wide research showed a disproportionate number of black students do not complete social work training. The findings, revealed at a GCU conference this week, showed students learned better and felt more supported when they had access to a black mentor.