The issue of racism was brought to the fore this summer by investigations into child-related controversies in Birmingham and Rotherham.
The reports into both the Trojan Horse inquiry and the Rotherham child abuse case, which involved individuals from the Muslim and Asian communities, blamed the fear of being labelled racist for delays in children's professionals reporting their concerns and in councils dealing with their allegations.
Ian Kershaw, who was appointed by Birmingham City Council to inquiry the case, found that the authority avoided dealing with the allegations for fear of being branded "racist or Islamophobic".
Similarly, Alexis Jay, who conducted the investigation into the Rotherham case, found frontline staff were "confused as to what they were supposed to say and do" in light of the ethnicity of the perpetrators, adding to a "general nervousness" among the workforce.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
