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by Jess Gibson

The safeguarding needs of children from Black, Asian and mixed-heritage households are not being met, according to a new report by The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel (TCSPRP). 

The report sought to understand the specific safeguarding needs of children from different racial backgrounds and how agencies helped to protect them. It focused on the cases of 53 children from Black, Asian and mixed-heritage backgrounds who died or were seriously harmed between January 2022 and March 2024. 

Overall, the report revealed a lack of talk or action regarding race and racism in child safeguarding, with many local areas failing to acknowledge the impact of race, ethnicity, and culture. 

Findings in the report identified: 

• a lack of focus on race, ethnicity, and culture in both safeguarding practice and reviews, leading to insufficient critical analysis and reflection on how racial bias impacts decisions and service offers. 

• a hesitancy to address racism and its manifestations, leading to the safeguarding needs of Black, Asian and mixed-heritage children being ‘invisible’ both in practice and in terms of learning via reviews. 

• that many opportunities to learn from serious safeguarding incidents involving Black, Asian and mixed-heritage children are missed due to a failure to acknowledge race, racial bias, and racism. 

The panel’s lead recommendations include: 

• acknowledging and challenging racism by ensuring appropriate internal systems are in place to support practitioners to recognise, discuss and challenge internal and institutional racism. 

• empowering practitioners to hold conversations with children and families about race and identity. 

• including opportunities for self-reflection to identify and challenge their own biases. 

• child safeguarding partnerships reviewing local strategies and approaches to addressing race, racism, and racial bias. 

Jahnine Davis, panel lead for the report, said: “The silence around race and racism in child safeguarding practice is deeply concerning. 

“Ensuring that Black, Asian, and mixed-heritage children are safeguarded requires a collective effort to build knowledge and understanding at both local and national levels. 

“This means challenging current policies and practices, and how services are designed and delivered, recognising how racism and racial bias impact our work to protect children. 

“We must recognise racism as a child safeguarding issue – whether it underlies the harm caused to children or hinders professionals from acting accordingly to protect them. 

“This report is a call to action for all safeguarding professionals. We need to be more willing, reflective, critical, and committed to addressing the impact of race and racism in our work. The silence must end now.”