Girl Q: Tips for tackling racism in schools

No one could fail to be horrified by the violation experienced by the young woman strip searched in her school, known as ‘Girl Q’. Dismayed, shocked, outraged; whomever you spoke to about this awful event was clear; it should never be allowed to happen again. It should never have happened in the first place.

The truth is, in order for something like this to be allowed to happen (in a place of assumed safety), there were a variety of factors at play that could oh so easily be translated to any number of environments.

• Lessons on tackling inequalities from Child Q case

• Tackling the trauma of racism

Youth workers from a wide range of settings and backgrounds were talking about this. Everyone that I spoke to was getting emails, texts and calls about it. It rightly fed into every interaction. And because of this, we decided collectively to take action.

The facilitation of a Brave Space event for youth sector colleagues on the 24th March was an initial opportunity for practitioners to explore their views, feelings and experiences related to Girl Q. And, to hold open dialogue about what we as those that work with young people could or should do moving forward. Esther Horner-Aird, deputy director of youth work at NYA facilitated a panel discussion and open conversation with attendees.

The panel comprised of women with different professional and cultural backgrounds, all with specific safeguarding expertise.

• Milka Fisiha is a youth and community practitioner, focusing on a therapeutic and trauma informed perspective.

• Laurelle Brown is a safeguarding expert consultant who also leads Kijiji, an organisation for Black safeguarding professionals.

• Camilla Gordon is an independent consultant and facilitator with specialist expertise in safeguarding, and refugee/asylum seeking young people.

• Xyna Prasad is the manager of the NYA Safeguarding and Risk Management Hub for the youth sector.

What was immediately apparent was the depth of feeling and impact of this situation.

People talked about trauma, and the impact of this on individuals, and communities. For those working with young people who may have had similar experiences; for those who worked with – or are members of – communities that are disproportionately affected by institutional and systemic racialisation and adultification; there is a need to respect and support the individual and secondary trauma that events like this stir. 

There was a recognition of the structural and systemic oppression that allowed this event to happen. 

There were questions raised about the power dynamics and imbalances experienced by different professionals. What led to no adult in that space being able to voice their views that every single aspect of this event was wrong, abusive and wholly damaging? How were no adults able to challenge the legitimacy of this event? What turned the young woman, Q, from being someone at risk to posing a risk in the minds of the adults around? This was a safeguarding incident, not a criminal one. Or, it should have been treated as such.

What are the unmet support needs of Girl Q post that event, and of her peers, contemporaries and community? For many young people, school doesn’t feel like a safe place. What is the message to young people about school and safety, when they hear stories like this one?

There was consideration given to the different professional competencies and practices; how might this event have been changed by the presence of youth workers in the environment? People skilled and equipped to appropriately deliver 1:1 interventions on difficult topics (such as substance misuse, and risk of exploitation).

There were lots of takeaways from this Brave Space. There is no easy answer to solving the wider systemic problems that lead to events like this occurring, but there are things that each of us can do to be a part of the solution.

1. Check in with your people. Events like this are triggering and traumatising. Checking in with people that you work with, support and care about gives legitimacy to the feelings it evokes. It creates space for people to say if they’re not ok.

2. Remember these are children first. Young people are children; young humans, the most vulnerable in our society. Holding that as priority in your mind is key to assess any actions that might occur.

3. Ask difficult questions. If something doesn’t feel right, say so. We are all responsible for safeguarding, whatever our role.  Just because someone is in an assumed power position (such as the police) doesn’t mean they can’t make mistakes or do harm. Call it out if it doesn’t feel right.

4. Use the power you have for good. Some of us hold privilege and power by default. For example, as a White woman I hold privilege which might make it easier for me to challenge. It is my responsibility to use this to support others who experience discrimination and oppression.

5. Ask about (or offer) training. Can you provide or access support or training on any of the factors that led to this event happening in your workplace? Knowledge brings power, we can collectively challenge if we are equipped with the information we need to do so.

6. Talk more, connect and collaborate. Some people don’t have networks of support. If we aren’t exposed to others, then we can’t check things out as easily, and have fewer opportunities to learn and evolve. Build your network, and your tribe, so that you have solidarity and support to challenge and make a difference in your own environments.

This event barely scratched the surface of the complexities of issues that were highlighted by the attendees and the Safeguarding Review Report for Girl Q. As the national body for Youth Work, we will commit to facilitating further Brave Spaces on this topic to bring together our youth work community around this. 

We may be a month on from the publication of the report (and two years on from the events occurring), but for Girl Q and many others like her this event has become part of her trauma and lived experience. We have a duty of care, and a responsibility, to keep this alive in our minds and work together to ensure that we tackle the inequitable systems that allowed it to happen in the first place. 

Abbee McLatchie is director of youth work at the National Youth Agency (NYA)