Race, ethnicity and culture

Children from all cultures are subject to abuse and neglect. All children have a right to grow up safe from harm. In order to make sensitive and informed professional judgements about a child's needs, and parents' capacity to respond to their child's lifestyles and to child rearing patterns that vary across different racial, ethnic and cultural groups. At the same time they must be clear that child abuse can not be condoned for religious or cultural reasons.

Professionals should also be aware of the broader social factors that serve to discriminate against black and minority ethnic people. Working in a multi-racial and multicultural society requires professionals and organisations to be committed to equality in meeting the needs of all children and families and to understand the effects of harassment, racial discrimination and institutional racism, as well as cultural misunderstanding or misinterpretation.

The assessment process should maintain focus on the needs of the individual child. It should always include consideration of the way religious beliefs and cultural traditions in different racial, ethnic and cultural groups influence their values, attitudes and behaviour and the way in which family and community life is structured and organised. Cultural and religious factors should not be regarded as acceptable explanations for child abuse or neglect and are not acceptable grounds for inaction when there are concerns that a child is or may be suffering or likely to suffer harm. Professionals should be aware of, and work with, the stregths and support systems avaliable within families, ethnic groups and communities, which can be built on to help safeguard children and promote their welfare.

Professionals should guard against myths and stereotypes- both positive and negative- of black and minority ethnic families. Anxiety about being accused of racist practice should not prevent the necessary action being taken to safeguard and promote a child's welfare. Careful assessment- based on evidence- of a child's needs, and a family's strengths and difficulties, understood in the context of the wider social environment, will help to avoid any distorting effects of these influences on professional judgements.

All children, whatever their religious or cultural background, must recieve the same care and safeguards with regard to abuse and neglect.

This information has been taken from Working Together to Safeguard Children 2010.