Race and racism

Racism can be significant factor in cases of abuse. The experience of racism is also likely to affect the responses of the child and family to assessment and enquiry processes. Failure to consider the effects of racism undermines efforts to protect children from other forms of significant harm. The effects of racism differ for different communities and individuals and should not be assumed to be uniform. Attention should be given to the specific needs of all children. Evidence from research and previous abuse enquiries suggests particular issues for children of mixed parentage and refugee children. The need for neutral, high quality translation or interpretation services should be taken into account when working with children and families whose preferred language is not English. All organisations working with children, including those operating in areas where black and minority ethnic communities are numerically small, should 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'.

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