Racism

Many children and young people who come from Black, Asian and minoritized ethnic communities experience racism, bias, stereotyping or cultural misunderstanding as they grow up. It might happen at an individual, institutional or societal level and might be displayed consciously or unconsciously. This can result in some children being more likely to come to the attention of child protection services, while other children are less likely to receive effective support (Nuffield Foundation, 2020).

When we talk about people from Black, Asian and minoritized ethnic communities we are referring to a wide range of people from a variety of backgrounds with different individual experiences, including different experiences of racism. This includes groups such as Romani and Traveller communities.

Racism does not constitute a separate category of abuse, although it can be a source of significant harm and can be an aggravating factor in other incidents of abuse (see SPB Bullying).

Children and their families from Black and minority ethnic groups are more likely to have experienced harassment, racial discrimination and institutional racism and in the UK disproportionately over-represented in the child protection system (NSPCC).

Racism includes stereotyping individuals or groups, because of their difference, bigoted assumptions about abilities, motives and intentions and stigmatising individuals or groups because of their ethnicity.

Children and Young People must be protected against all forms of unlawful discrimination, and the following characteristics are protected from discrimination under the Discrimination (Jersey) Law 2013:

• Race;
• Sex;
• Sexual orientation;
• Gender reassignment;
• Pregnancy and maternity;
• Age;
• Disability.

To make sure children from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities get the help and support they need, the adults working or volunteering with them and their families need to:

• Understand the challenges they face;
• Build trusting relationships;
• Take appropriate action to help keep children safe;
• Use a strength-based approach to empower parents and carers from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities to take steps to keep their children safe.

NSPCC Safeguarding Children from Black and Asian Minoritised Ethnic Communities have pulled together learning from research evidence, case reviews and best practice guidance to help mitigate racism and bias in your work with children and families from Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnic Communities.

The experience of racism is likely to affect how the child and family respond to and feel able to participate in the assessment and enquiry processes. Failure by practitioners to consider the effects of racism undermines efforts to protect children from other forms of Significant Harm.

Working with minority cultures in the context of a child protection investigation may be an unfamiliar experience for practitioners and specific advice about the cultural needs of a child may be difficult to obtain at short notice. There is a difficult balance to be struck between how to maintain respectful and culturally sensitive practice with a child-centred focus.

See The Continuum of Children’s Needs – as guidance to help practitioners identify a child’s level of need and how to respond appropriately.

If adults working or volunteering with children are unaware that they have unconscious bias or do not act to mitigate it, this may have a negative impact on their ability to identify and respond appropriately to child abuse (IICSA, 2020).

For example, practitioners may sometimes have preconceived concerns about whether a child’s parents or carers are legal immigrants (IICSA, 2020). By focusing on the parents’ residency rather than their child’s welfare, practitioners might not consider the lived experience of that child and miss indicators of abuse. 
Unconscious bias might also lead practitioners to interpret behaviour differently depending on the ethnicity of the person displaying it. For instance, if a child from a Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities shows fear around a family member, this may be interpreted as a cultural expression of respect rather than an indicator of abuse (SCRA, 2018).

Practitioners might also have unconscious bias about who experiences different types of abuse, for example by connecting specific abuse types with specific groups of people. 

Adultification is a form of bias where children from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities are perceived as being more ‘streetwise,’ more ‘grown up,’ less innocent and less vulnerable than other children. This particularly affects Black children, who might be viewed primarily as a threat rather than as a child who needs support (Davis 2022).

Children who have been adultified might also be perceived as having more understanding of their actions and the consequences of their actions. For example, an analysis of case reviews found that practitioners assumed Black boys who were involved in gangs would be able to protect themselves from harm, even after they had been reported missing from home or care. This resulted in the practitioners not acting to protect the boys from sexual exploitation, youth violence and drug and alcohol misuse (Bernard and Harris, 2019). perceptions, practitioners might overlook the risk to children who do not fit the stereotype.

Having conscious or unconscious bias can lead to practitioners not taking child protection concerns about children from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities as seriously as they might do for children from other communities. Practitioners might dismiss certain behaviours or practices as being part of that community’s culture and as a result does not take the necessary protective action (IICSA, 2020). Some practitioners might worry about being perceived as culturally insensitive or racist if they raise concerns about children in Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities. This can also lead to them ignoring child protection concerns (IICSA, 2020; SCRA, 2017). Because they are worried about stereotyping, some people might try not to acknowledge another person’s race or ethnicity. They might believe this helps them treat everyone equally. But this can result in practitioners applying a ‘universal’ approach to all families, without considering or finding out about parenting practices and beliefs in the child’s family and culture (SCRA, 2017). This can prevent practitioners from asking open questions about a child’s lived experiences, building up a picture of the child’s life and identify any concerns.

Data shows that Black and mixed-race children are disproportionately represented within the youth justice system (Ministry of Justice and Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, 2021). There are many complex reasons for this disparity between groups of children (Lammy Review, 2017). One reason might be that Black and mixed-race children are sometimes adultified and held to a more mature standard of behaviour than their peers. This might lead to children receiving a criminal justice response from the adults around them, rather than a child protection response (Davis and Marsh, 2020 cited in Davis 2022). There are higher than average rates of school exclusion amongst children from some communities – particularly those from Black Caribbean, Romani and Traveller backgrounds; whilst there is lower than average rates amongst other communities (Commission on Rae and Ethnic Disparities 2021).

These include Chinese, Indian and Bangladeshi communities. Being excluded from school can lead to long-term negative outcomes for a child, including:

• Criminal exploitation;
• Exposure to anti-social behaviour;
• Mental health issues;
• Behavioural issues.

 (SecEd, 2018 cited in NSPCC).

School staff, including teachers, see and interact with children daily. This means staff are often well placed to monitor and understand a child’s wellbeing and respond to any child protection concerns. Exclusion from school makes it harder for teachers to understand what may be going on in a child’s life and how to support them.

Some communities place high importance on female honour, linked to virginity and marriage. Girls who have been sexually abused might worry that family and community members would consider them to be “damaged,” or that they will be blamed for behaving in a way that is perceived to be immodest or provocative.

Boys might feel ashamed if their culture places value on male strength or has a strong belief that only girls experience sexual abuse. Some adults who experienced sexual abuse in childhood have reported that they felt unable to speak out about their experiences because they felt they needed to uphold their family’s honour (IICSA, 2020).

Children may also be worried that speaking out about abuse will result in their community’s reputation being damaged. This may be because they have experienced racist stereotyping in the past (IICSA, 2020). 
In any community, people might believe that problems should be dealt with in the community or their families. This can make people less likely to report concerns about abuse to child protection services and feel wary about bringing in ‘outsiders’ such as the police.

Within some communities and cultures, there are taboos around discussing sex, relationships and abuse, either within families or the wider community. This might include topics such as:

• Puberty and periods;
• What healthy relationships look like;
• Anything related to sex or sexual relationships.

Not all communities have the language to describe sexual abuse or the language they use might not distinguish between consensual sexual activity and abuse. If these issues are not discussed openly, children might have less understanding of what is abuse and what is not. They might also feel less able to speak out if something happens to them, they are not comfortable with. Adults who have been raised in communities where sex, relationships and abuse are not spoken about might also be unaware of how to identify or raise concerns about abuse. As a result, practitioners might find it challenging to start conversations about keeping children safe (NSPCC).

There are steps you can take to mitigate conscious and unconscious bias in your direct work with children and families. Make sure the needs of each individual child remain paramount. All children are vulnerable and need protection and support.

If a child is displaying behaviour perceived to be challenging, consider the reasons behind it and explore what is happening in their life that might be having an impact on them. When you are carrying out risk assessments with children and families from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities, make sure:

• You use the same process for all children;
• You include all the factors that affect the child’s life;
• Your decisions are evidence-based.

Acknowledge that child-rearing practices may be different between and within communities. Find out about the practices and beliefs being followed by each child’s parents or carers and consider how this may impact on the child’s safety (Bernard and Harris, 2019). Talk and listen to parents and carers to understand what is happening in their family and empower them to make decisions that will help keep their child safe.

Talk and listen to the children and young people you work with, directly or through an appropriate third party. Aim to understand the lived experience of each child.

All families and children have different barriers to speaking out. Through building an understanding of their lives, you can find out if there are any specific barriers that might affect the children and families with which you are working. You will then be better placed to consider how you can overcome these barriers.

Think about how to build trust with individuals in a culturally sensitive way. For example, if you are a male practitioner who needs to speak to a mother and it is not appropriate for you to do so alone, you could arrange a suitable chaperone. If you are working with a child, it might help to meet them with a trusted non-abusive adult, such as a school counsellor, youth worker or a family member.

You could also ask people to suggest a meeting place or activity, on their terms. This may help them feel more comfortable and help to develop a trusting relationship, which helps to promote an anti-racist culture (Community Care 2020).

Acknowledge the challenges that children and young people might face and ask them about their lived experience.

When you are working with any community, make sure children, young people and families know who to contact if they have any child protection concerns. This might include:

• Your organisation’s nominated child protection lead;
• How to refer to the Children and Families HUB.

Voluntary, charity, social enterprise (VCSE) and private sector organisations and agencies play a key role in safeguarding children through the services they deliver. Some of these will work with particular communities, with different races and faith communities. They may, as part of their work, provide a wide range of activities for children and have a key role in safeguarding children and supporting families and communities.

Like other organisations and agencies who work with children, they should have appropriate arrangements in place to safeguard and protect children from harm. Many of these organisations and agencies as well as many schools, children’s centres, early years, and childcare organisations, are subject to charity law and regulation by the Jersey Care Commission. Charity trustees are responsible for ensuring that those benefiting from, or working with, their charity, are not harmed in any way through contact with it.

The effects of racism differ for different communities and individuals and should not be assumed to be uniform. Specific attention should be given to the assessment of the needs of children of mixed parentage and refugee children to ensure that their welfare is promoted.

Where a child (including an unborn child) or young person presents with a health or development need) or where there is a  safeguarding Need (see Statutory Guidance – Levels of Need) practitioners must:

• Follow the SPB Child Protection Procedures, the SPB Children and Young Person Safeguarding Referrals Procedure;
• Refer to the Children and Families Hub;
• Where there is immediate risk of harm, practitioners must call the police on 999;
• Where racist or discriminatory abuse is related to a vulnerable adult, practitioners must raise a safeguarding concern with referral to the Single Point of Referral for Adults at risk of harm.

Children who have at risk of Modern Slavery and Child trafficking or unaccompanied asylum seekers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and maltreatment (see SPB Core Procedures). There may be a e need for interpreters or advisors on cultural issues.

Where written information may also be needed in a different language and different easy read formats, this should also be considered at an early stage because there is almost always a delay in organising this. Family members or members of the same community should not be used as interpreters; in no circumstances should children be used to translate for their parents.

All interpreters and translators should be DBS checked and have received some basic child protection training.

All organisations working with children and young people within the Safeguarding Children 
Boards’ arena must address institutional racism: defined in the Macpherson Inquiry Report, 2000 as: 
“The collective failure by an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people on account of their race, culture and /or religion.”

All assessments, enquiries and meetings such as Child Protection Conferences and Core Groups must ensure that they are inclusive and respectful to all participants and address any issues of racism, culture and religion whether it concerns the child, family or any other participant.

All staff or clinical supervision and training must consider the issues not only of institutional racism but also of the effects of racism in relation to the child and his or her family.

Practitioners should have access to regular Internal Agency Safeguarding Supervision. Agencies should consider multi-agency reflective supervision where cases are complex, stuck or drifting.

Professional challenge should be welcomed and partnership working depends on resolving professional difference and conflict as soon as possible. Where staff experience professional differences, they must follow the SPB Resolving Professional Difference/Escalation Policy.

NSPCC Safeguarding Children from Black and Asian Minoritised Ethnic Communities

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