For Black History Month, we spoke with Esher Williams at the Anti-Racism Hub about the challenges and opportunities that come from caring for young people of a different ethnic background. The Anti-Racism Hub work in children’s social care, youth, and education sectors to help adults around children understand systemic racism and its effects on young minds and their sense of identity. The organisation have been working with our carers, social workers and support staff to help build cultural competency among those who foster with us.
One of the strongest desires of many children and young people is to blend in with the crowd and minimise differences. This desire can be magnified if the child or young person is in care and subject to the stigma of being placed in the state’s care¹.
Likewise, experiencing racism can be a very lonely encounter, especially when those around you do not recognise it, acknowledge it or address it. Combining this with the upheaval and trauma of being removed from your primary caregivers and placed with strangers leads to immense and unique challenges.
A Black or brown, care-experienced child or young person needs their carers (especially if they are white) to really explore how they can best support those in their care, so we’ve outlined a few things to look out for below.
Black and brown children and young people can face a number of issues that are specific to them, such as adultification. This is a prejudice that these children need less care and nurturing than others, and are expected to know more about adult themes than their peers.
Code-switching is also something to look out for, where someone changes who they are, how they speak, and what they believe in depending on who they are around. We all do this to some degree but in some cases, it can be extremely detrimental to the person’s mental health and exacerbate insecurities that they can’t be their true self in their attempts to fit into the dominant group.
Education can be so challenging for those who are care-experienced and Black or brown. With over 80% of teachers and 90% of senior leaders being white in England², it’s easy for education settings of all levels to miss/ignore racism or deal with it badly (or not at all). Therefore, it’s important to listen and believe your young person when they share how hard it can be to fit in, concentrate and attain the standards set. This is a space where you must advocate for and with them.
Challenges
You may face challenges when caring for a young person of a different race or ethnicity than your own, here are a few we’d like you to think about:
- You will likely never know what it feels like to be in the shoes of the child or young person
- A child or young person may not feel like they can speak to you because you are not the same ethnicity and understand what they experience
- Racial harm may be caused by things that are said or done in your home or family
- You will be constantly and actively building an understanding that not all Black and brown people are the same
- You will be breaking down your own internalised racism around Eurocentric beauty ideals
The good news is there are many ways you can positively impact and support Black and brown children in your care. Here are some ideas and examples:
Opportunities
- By really listening you can learn, increase your awareness and notice racial issues that a child or young person is facing.
These conversations may not happen at convenient times, but when they do it’s important to give your full attention and check you have understood what is being said. Wherever possible check it’s ok before you take action against racism that has occurred. You can cause more harm if the child or young person doesn’t feel safe or is not ready to address it.
- Be proactive in determining areas of life where racial stress may occur.
This could be at school or around a particular group of people or individuals. Making a plan in advance of how to support the child or young person can ease their worries and help them imagine how the situation might go. - Prepare yourself and your child/young person appropriately.
It’s not always possible to prepare in advance as racism can occur at any time and place, however practising some scripts of what to say, how to report the incident or how to remove themselves can be helpful and bring confidence to their response in the moment.
- Be ready to advocate for the child or young person by building and maintaining an anti-racist, upstander attitude, learning to speak up in the moment.
As with all parenting and caring, leading by example is essential. Work through your discomfort and fear to speak up when racism occurs and show the child/young person that you are willing to have their back and stand in their corner against racism.
- Celebrate differences out loud and embrace the subtle nuances of the child/young person’s identity in relation to their race, whilst acknowledging it is different for everyone.
Not all Black and brown people are the same and feel the same about their race, ethnicity and racism. Get to know the child/young person and respect their thoughts and feelings. Gently support them to build self-confidence to mitigate any negative views about themselves.
To learn more about this subject check out The Black Care Experience’s research and initiatives and explore Lemn Sissay’s important work.
References
