News

Statistics sadly shows that young people from BME communities are three times more likely to be in care longer than white children.

Interestingly enough, when kids from a BME background are placed, many of them are welcomed into the home of white parents due to the lack of prospective Black or Asian adopted parents. Transracial adoption, although largely unheard of, is a reality for thousands of families in Britain today.

As Cllr Stephen Sandbook for Braintree South stepped down last month after moving out of the district, Braintree Council has announced the candidates for Thursday's by-election. OBV would like to congratulate Conservative candidate Abi Olumbori.

Abi took part in the OBV Parliamentary Shadowing Scheme and will be graduating this week and we are pleased to see her getting closer to achieve a great political career.

The coalition public sector cuts are biting hard. Poor communities are watching their civic, cultural and social support and development infrastructures being swept away in a tidal wave of closures and cuts. The brutal reality is that we have seen only 15 per cent of these cuts actually be delivered; there is much more pain to come. In the context of these savage cuts a conference held by the leading voluntary sector umbrella body should have been a welcome opportunity to discuss the potential impacts and possible responses to the Government’s economic policy.

There are a number of countries within the European Union teetering at the brink of bankruptcy. Greece has just survived another nail-biting deadline to refinance its loans to avoid a complete meltdown.

As the Government prepares to change legislation to help children in care find adoptive parents faster, once again the main talking point is around white families adopting black or mixed heritage children. What is particularly depressing is how this discussion is couched which usually takes the form of: where would you rather see a black child; in a loving home with white parents or languishing in care home which too often leads them in later life to a life of crime and prison?

The best of Asian success was celebrated at the first English Asian Business Awards which was held this week.

The event recognised the outstanding business achievements of England's Asian communities, according to the organisers.

The EABAs, held at the Midland Hotel in Manchester, not only acknowledged and rewarded Asian men and women at the forefront of their industries, but also raised money for the British Asian Trust.

Today is International Women's Day, celebrated and acknowledged globally. While it's great to have a day to appreciate and celebrate the contributions, achievements and the presence of women in our lives, like mother's day, it shouldn't be the only day that we do this.

Today is a great time for all of us to reflect about the influence women have had, not only in history but in our daily lives. There are plenty of sayings and quotes including "Behind every great man, there's a great woman".

Jennifer Berbeck has tirelessly served her community, Lewisham for over thirty years. The OBV graduate is also the most recent recipient of the Star of South London award for her work in the public sector. Not only has Berbeck worked in various official roles for Lewisham council from a Housing Officer to a Nuisance Project Officer, outside of work, she has offered her expertise on to a number of committees including the Lewisham Black Staff Forum and the Marsha Phoenix Memorial Trust in Brockley.