Racially minoritised children and families known to UK child protection services and agencies are reported to experience more punitive treatment from statutory services, receive interventions which are less supportive and more accusatory, and have limited or no access to support services. UK-based research has documented this over several decades, and despite some good action to address anti-oppressive practice, there is little evidence demonstrating that positive change is being achieved for children young people, and for their families.
The conference will remind us of this very real social problem, and the inadequacies of practice and policy. It will examine the intersections that children and young people of colour experience, which amplifies their experiences of racism. Intersections such as gender, sexuality, disability, and socio-economic factors.
Keynotes speakers will tackle the problem head-on, and a series of presentations will share the strengths and limitations of child protection practice, and provide everyone attending with the means through which a more active and structural approach can be adopted.
To encourage participation, in an event that requires as many voices and perspectives as possible, affordable prices have been set for the event. Remember, such change requires challenging and courageous conversations, and we hope that you can be a part of these with us on the 18 June.
Learning Objectives:
| Time | Session | Speaker |
| 9.30 - 9.45 | Chair's Welcome | Dr Bridget Ng’andu, Head of Social Work, University of Kent |
| 9.45 - 10.15 | Keynote: Disrupting the Discourse on Racial Disparities and Disproportionalities The discourse on racial disparities and disproportionalities in the UK, is laden with data and statistics which evidence that lived experiences can be negatively affected because of an individual’s race. Often conflated with ethnicity, culture, religion and migration, race can become sidelined, and the importance of it being a critical root of disadvantage and discrimination can become blurred, vague and even denied. These additional intersections are certainly relevant and important, but there is an absolute need to confront the racial aspects of such experiences head-on. We inhabit communities, societies, and a world, which is becoming increasingly polarised, with discussions about racism being presented as woke, unwanted, and unnecessary, becoming all too familiar. This risks undoing the intense work that has been achieved to address these forms of discrimination, and threatens future concerted efforts to resolve consequential disparities. This keynote connects these points directly to the lived experiences of racially minoritised children and young people in our child protection system, discussing the need to remain committed and dutybound to challenge relevant areas of practice and policy. | Dr Vanisha Jassal, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Child Protection |
| 10.15 - 10.45 | Lived Experiences of Children: Parallel Presentations 1) Navigating Adulthood: Cross-Cultural Young Adults' Journeys from Child Welfare to Independence Nawar Sayyad, doctoral candidate, Department of Health Promotion and Development, University of Bergen This presentation explores how young adults with cross-cultural backgrounds experience aftercare in the Norwegian child welfare system. It highlights the need for culturally responsive and flexible support and offers take-home insights for practitioners on how to better promote agency, inclusion, and dignity in aftercare. 2) Examining the Support and Care of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Girls and Young Women Hattie Pierce, doctoral candidate, University of Kent This research considers the experiences of care, as shared by unaccompanied asylum seeking girls and women. Examining the intersections of gender and ethnicity, it evidences how the meaning of care, as interpreted by the females, is important in how care is provided for them. 3) Security Implications of Cross Border Migration in Southwestern Nigeria (Case of Child Protection and Safety) Oluwasegun Ogunsakin, doctoral candidate, Ekiti State University, Nigeria The presentation is centered on the security implications of cross-border migration in Southwestern Nigeria (child protection and safety). Many children are confronted with the issue of child trafficking in other West African countries, including Europe. The presentation will observe the nature and implications of cross-border migration, including the weak status of government policies to protect children from exploitation and how these policies can be strengthened. | |
| 10.45 - 11.00 | Comfort break | |
| 11.00 - 11.30 | Keynote: Family Group Conferencing as an Indigenous Model to Decolonise and Reframe Child Protection Social Work Practice Through an Intersectional Lens This keynote will outline a research based systematic literature review exploring the Family Group Conferencing experiences with racially minoritised families in England. This review found that racially minoritised families felt that Family Group Conferencing was empowering and met their cultural needs at times, but suggested caution about how culturally adaptable the approach is for this population. The keynote will explore that FGC could be presented as an Indigenous model of engaging with family networks with relevance for social workers working with racially minoritised communities in England, and highlight how Family Group Conferencing aligns with aims of decolonisation and cultural competence with a need to explore how Indigenous knowledge can be valued more effectively in global social work debates. | Omar Mohamed, Children and Families Social Worker, a lived experience activist and a Churchill Fellow |
| 11.30 - 12.00 | Keynote: Child Sexual Abuse and the Intersections of Race, Ethnicity and Culture: Findings of the 2024 CSA Centre Report Although the likelihood of being sexually abused in childhood does not vary significantly between ethnic groups in England, children who come into contact with statutory services because of sexual abuse concerns are disproportionately White. Moreover, in 2022/23 26% of children in state schools and nurseries were of African, Asian and Caribbean heritage (Department for Education, 2023a) but African, Asian and Caribbean heritage children accounted for only 10% of those coming into contact with sexual assault referral centres, and for only 13% of victims of child sexual abuse offences recorded by the police. Sukhwant will draw out insights for practitioners from a recently completed knowledge review of the research evidence on the sexual abuse of African, Asian and Caribbean heritage children. She will provide a brief outline of the shape of the current literature and then hone in on two key contexts that inhibit reporting and effective service responses: racism/racialisation and family/communal pressure. This is intended to encourage a discussion of how to improve service responses. | Dr Sukhwant Dhaliwal, Senior Lecturer, Child & Woman Abuse Studies Unit, London Metropolitan University |
| 12.00 - 12.45 | Lunch | |
| 12.45 - 13.00 | Welcome back Afternoon session kick off Home: a BAFTA nominated short film illustrating lived experiences of care Introduced by King, an expert by experience | Steve Myers, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, AoCPP King Simpson, BAFTA-nominated creative writer and care-experienced advocate |
| 13.00-13.30 | Examples of Current UK Practice: Parallel Presentations 1) The Feather & The Shell: Insights from Alaskan and Canadian Responses to Sexual Harm in Indigenous People Dr Michelle Cutland, Consultant Paediatrician, University Hospitals Bristol & Weston NHS FT Michelle will talk about her learning from a Churchill fellowship in 2023-4 that took her to Canada and Alaska to explore how sexual abuse services engaged with indigenous Canadians and Native Alaskans. She will reflect on the importance of understanding historical context and the application of cultural humility in practise comparing and contrasting with practise in the UK. 2) Ethnic and Religious Differences in the Healthcare Use of Children Receiving Care and Support in Wales Dr Yongchao Jing, Research Associate, Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE), Cardiff University By examining the intersections of ethnicity, religion, and child welfare, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of healthcare access and equity. Findings highlight concerning disparities and provide a foundation for developing targeted interventions to address these inequities. 3) Chelsea's story: Child Criminal Exploitation and Exploring the Vulnerabilities of Adultified Children Emma Soutar, Child Protection Trainer, Centre for Child Protection, University of Kent “Crossing the Line" was developed by the Centre for Child Protection (CCP) to address the growing concerns of child criminal exploitation, county lines, and knife crime. In this session, participants will follow Chelsea’s story, exploring how adultification can create significant vulnerabilities that lead to harmful life course trajectories. By navigating Chelsea’s journey through an interactive street map, we will highlight key moments where adultification has led to missed safeguarding opportunities, examining its profound impact on her life and the lives of others. By unpacking the complexities of adultification we will explore its role in creating vulnerabilities to criminal exploitation. | |
| 13.30 - 14.00 | Keynote: Cultural Humility as Opposed to Cultural Competency: Sharing Practice from the USA Global child welfare disparities are both deep and persistent. Despite these inequities being well-known and a variety of evidence-based models being deployed to address them, our systems and policies have not been fully optimized to generate meaningful and sustainable reductions in cases, reunification, and adverse health outcomes. These disparities have been particularly and uniquely resilient in immigrant and racial/ethnic minority populations, highlighting the need for more thoughtful and practical cultural humility initiatives. Paradigms like cultural humility represent a potential solution to improving practitioners’ engagement with diverse populations. As part of this keynote, the qualities and follies of cultural responsiveness in child welfare will be explored, and new approaches to practitioner reflexivity and cross-cultural clinical engagement will be discussed. | Professor Jerel Ezell, Centre for Cultural Humility, University of California Berkeley |
| 14:00 - 14:30 | Examining Statutory and Organisational Responsibility: Parallel Presentations 1) Juvenile Justice in Pakistan Waheed Ahmad, Legal Advisor/Training Officer, Sanjog, Pakistan This presentation will discuss the vulnerability of children experiencing the juvenile justice system in Pakistan. Over 80 per cent of juveniles in the system are awaiting trial but are being subjected to mistreatment, with intersections of class and religion resulting in some children experiencing harsher treatments and unequal access to justice. 2) Promoting Anti-Racist Practice Across Family Justice Augusta Itua, Lawyer and Chair of Racial Justice Family Network The family justice system plays a critical role in safeguarding children and families, but research and lived experiences consistently highlight persistent racial disparities in applications, outcomes, and decision-making. This presentation will explore these inequities and focus on tangible strategies for change. 3) Developing Anti-Racist Leaders within Child Protection Organisations: Where Do We Begin? Antonia Ogundayisi, Service Manager for Anti-Racist Practice, Essex County Council, and Doctoral Researcher This presentation explores systemic racism in child protection organisations and the urgent need for anti-racist leadership. It draws on real-life anti-racist leadership experience, and showcases a model for embedding anti-racist practice in children’s services. | |
| 14.30 - 15.00 | Actioning Change in Your Workplace: Practical Guidance, Tips and Takeaways Always seeking to move beyond simply discussing data, research, and what is commonly known, Vanisha Jassal return to provide delegates with tangible and concrete means of developing their practice in this area. This will include evidence-based working examples that have made a positive impact on children and families. They will be joined in this final session by King and the parallel presenters who will share their own practice examples and how they have navigated and challenged organisational practice to overcome systemic barriers that impede anti-racist practice. There will also be a final opportunity for questions and answers. | Dr Vanisha Jassal, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Child Protection & Dr Aravinda Kosaraju, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Child Protection |
| 15.00 - 15.15 | Chair's Close Dr Ng’andu will summarise key points from the conference and offer some concluding reflections. | Dr Bridget Ng’andu, Head of Social Work, University of Kent |
Student discounts available, see below:
