The call has been made by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, based on reviews of more than 50 children from black, Asian and mixed heritage at-risk children who died or were harmed between 2022 and last year.
It found that decision-making by social workers and others involved in child protection lacks “critical analysis” of how racial bias impacts thinking.
In one local review, family members’ complaints about practitioners’ racism were dismissed – with no evidence that their claims had been investigated.
The panel also found “several examples” of girls from Asian and mixed Asian background whose reports of sexual abuse “appeared either to have been disregarded as untrue or were not carefully followed up”.
-
Special Report: Family courts and care proceedings
-
Feature: Making children’s services leadership more diverse
A failure to consider and tackle racism and racial bias by practitioners has led to missed opportunities to protect children, the panel found.
“This failure to see the totality of children’s lives or to scrutinise how racial bias may have affected decision-making leaves children vulnerable and at risk of harm, without the necessary support and protection,” said the independent panel, which was set up seven years ago to oversee child safeguarding reviews.
It also found that a “silence on racism” was leaving the safeguarding needs of children “invisible” and the ability of practitioners to learn from reviews in doubt.
Where issues around race were recognised, in 19 reviews looked at, “this had not translated into action”.
“Evidence from this analysis indicates that too often critical questions are avoided, evaded and sidestepped, said Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel chair Annie Hudson.
The panel’s lead for the report Jahnine Davis added that “the silence around race and racism in child safeguarding practice is deeply concerning”.
Ensuring child protection practitioners “recognise, discuss and challenge internal and institutional racism”, is among recommendations made.
This includes offering training and “ensuring there are safe opportunities for self-reflection” around racism.
Local Child Safeguarding Partnerships also need to review their “approaches and strategies to addressing race, racism and racial bias in their work”.
Children and families minister Janet Daby said: “Racism and racial bias are completely abhorrent and should never be barriers to keeping children safe and families getting the help they need.”
Jo Casebourne, chief executive of Foundations, said the review “underlines the urgent need to address race, culture and ethnicity in child safeguarding”.
