Positive Identity when Caring for Children and Young People - Ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality

The Children's Act 1989 states that any needs a child has arising from their culture, religion and language must be taken into account. The Equality Act 2010 came into force from October 2010 providing a modern single legal framework with clear, streamlined law to more effectively tackle disadvantage and discrimination. The Act replaces the existing anti-discrimination laws with a single Act which protects all equality characteristics such as ethnicity, gender and transgender, disability, age, faith or religion and sexual orientation.

The new Children’s Homes Regulations and Quality Standards stress the importance of providing individualised care for children and young people and emphasise the diversity of children’s homes settings.

Having the opportunity to express and enrich one’s own self and identity can greatly impact upon the way in which children grow and develop.

In order to help children to grow into healthy adults who are confident and proud of whom they are, homes need to foster a culture where children of every race and ethnicity are understood, valued and respected equally.

No form of racism or prejudice towards adults or children within or outside the home is acceptable. Any expression of racism or prejudice will not be tolerated and if found will be managed under the Disciplinary Procedure.

For each child we need to understand how we can provide the best care and support to give the child a positive sense of ethnic background, so that they feel confident and proud of whom they are. This may be achieved through understanding and supporting their interest in spirituality, their family, community groups and history, and by providing opportunity and resources to enable children to identify strong role models from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

For all children in our care it is important to help them feel like they belong. We need to be aware of cultural needs that are relevant to the individual child including language, dietary requirements and any hair or skin care needs (for example African and Caribbean children may need certain creams for skin care). We also have a responsibility to understand and provide the opportunity for the social and emotional needs of the child, including self-awareness, respect, and identity and we should encourage and support the child in taking part in community activities and cultural events.

Children will be encouraged to gain knowledge and appreciation of different races through education, sports, drama, music, and literature, visual and culinary arts. They are supported in sharing and exploring values with one another. The group living experience offers a great opportunity to share and understand the beliefs and culture of those from different backgrounds and we encourage individuals to celebrate and be proud of their differences.

The aim should be to ensure that we value the children and young people in our care, for example:

• Care for them in a way that is sensitive to their needs, including the need to be an ordinary child;
• Avoid stereotyping or pigeon holing children categories of problems;
• Integrate into the whole package of care provision and good practice;
• Ensure their needs are met adequately and sensitively;
• Ensuring to treat all children and young people as individuals, i.e. treating everybody the same is not good practice and is likely to result in some groups being treated less favourably than other where there are different culture groups in the home; Children and young people should be treated individually and equally according to their needs;
• Not assume that only staff from another culture are the only ones who can care for children and young people from another culture and be responsible for everything concerned with ethnicity.

Most children who live in our homes have very acute feelings of being on the outside of a group, for various reasons, but particularly because they are living away from their families and outside the mainstream of society. In addition to this many children originally come from families who have found it difficult to fit in and have lived on the margins of society; these experiences of being 'outside' have often been compounded for the child by multiple placement moves and experiences of rejection. Some of these experiences will have racial, ethnic, religious and cultural components.

We embrace diversity as positive and enriching and we encourage staff and children to share their thoughts and feelings concerning aspects of their lives within and out of the home and to communicate their understanding about the world around them through regular open discussion.

Inevitably feelings of difference, of being part of a minority, of being misunderstood, can form a significant part of these discussions. Where this occurs, children are helped to reflect upon and process instances where they have been made to feel different and may have been subject to others' prejudice. Where staff experience is not sufficient to help the child/ren to understand and manage their feelings and responses to incidents of racism or prejudice external resources will be sought and made available to the child and, where necessary, to staff and other children in the home. Significant discussions will be recorded as appropriate so that Care Plans can be suitably adjusted and parents and social workers can be included.

Each child's individuality and identity in terms of their history, experience, racial origin, ethnicity, religious belief and cultural and linguistic background will be promoted at all times and will be reflected in the care that they receive. We respect the dignity and privacy of each child, with due regard for these factors as well as gender and disability.

The provision of day to day care ensures that the needs and wishes of all young people are ascertained, respected and met wherever possible, particularly bearing in mind ethnic, religious and cultural factors. Individual time with Key Carer's and other staff as well as frequent group meetings ensure that staff are able to keep abreast of developing needs and wishes of each individual child and for the group as a whole.

It is the role of all staff to support all young people to recognise and feel pride in their ethnic origin so that they are able to carry a sense of history and of their roots, both of which are important in forming a positive identity. Significant discussions will be recorded as appropriate so that Care Plans can be suitably adjusted and parents and social workers can be included.

Assessing the needs of children of mixed parentage can be complex for a number of reasons. They may identify themselves as white, black or dual heritage. Staff should respect the child’s own definition but at the same time assess whether or not children have an understanding of their heritage from both birth parents and the impact of racism on their lives. The use of terminology is important, and  terms such as “coloured” or “half-caste” are offensive and should not be used.

The principle that a child’s needs are most likely to be met in a family that matches his or her ethnicity; religious, cultural and linguistic background applies to black children of mixed parentage.

While the ideal situation would be to provide a family where the parents / carers are of a similar background to the child’s birth parents and therefore able to offer a positive role model of managing a bicultural change, it should not be assumed  that staff/carers from a different culture are unable to undertake this role.

Where it is not possible to place the child with parents / carers of a similar background, consideration should be given to placing the child with black and minority ethnic foster carers who can offer contact with the black community and help in managing racism. If, following an assessment, it is decided that the child should be placed with white carer the reasons for this should be recorded in full. In this instance it is essential to set up links with the child’s communities of origin.

We deliver services that recognise and build on the strengths of children and young people from all cultures, religions and backgrounds in ways that meet their needs and help them to achieve their full potential.

Every effort is made to ensure that the home is welcoming to all children and to others significant in their care and wellbeing; this effort is reflected in the communication around the home. In addition to this:

1. All children are given the opportunity to be cared for and educated. Where possible this is alongside their peers in order to develop their full potential;
2. Children are encouraged and supported to understand their rights and be well-informed about ways of challenging discrimination;
3. Home’s managers are expected to identify local community resources that contribute to meeting the needs of individuals - these are highlighted and promoted and where they do not meet required needs alternatives are sought and suitably identified regardless of geographical location (for example locating hairdressers who specialise in braiding or cutting African Caribbean hair);
4. Children are cared for by staff who have been suitably trained in all aspects of equality and diversity and caring for children from minority ethnic groups including relevant legislation and underpinning responsibilities;
5. The home’s manager will ensure that assessment of the child and the family’s specific needs is carried out with an aim to support and develop their full potential;
6. The home’s manager is expected to examine ways in which diversity can be valued and activities adapted to meet the individual child’s needs including food preparation and menu choices for example is the child a vegetarian? If they do eat meat are they restricted to which animals they can eat; for example, Muslims, Jews and Rastafarians do not eat pork;
7. Staff are expected to acknowledge the importance of maintaining a link between the child’s home and the Children’s Home in meeting the individual’s need;
8. Staff are expected to offer appropriate support to aid inclusion and ensure that the children can fully participate in the home’s activities. If necessary seek additional support in order to do this;
9. Additional support is offered to staff and/or children who are finding difficulty in understanding diverse or complex situations;
10. Positively promote and support children and young people to develop an understanding and retain pride in their cultural heritage and feel comfortable about their origins. Encourage links to appropriate communities and culture as daily routines and activities can create self-worth and confidence can be incredibly important to their cultural norms and lifestyle;
11. Ensure the home is a welcoming environment that does not need to make huge changes in order to welcome and accommodate children and young people for another ethnic origin as working practice should take account of cross cultural relationships for example by cultural and religious festivals and events becoming part of the homes annual events in order to be valued and recognised.

The care plan for a Looked After Child addresses both immediate and longer term needs. It must take account of all information available on ethnic origin, religion and cultural and linguistic background before any decisions regarding the child are made.

These issues should be considered again when the plan is reviewed.

For instance:

• Has the child been able to discover and express views about his or her ethnicity or cultural background?
• Is the child in touch with his or her community or cultural or ethnic heritage? If not, what plans are there to keep the child in touch?
• Is the child helped develop a sense of belonging to his or her own culture?
• Have staff or carers received relevant help and guidance?
• Should outside organisations and individuals be involved in planning for the child’s future?

Children are encouraged and given the opportunity to practice cultural, religious or ethnic customs and characteristics without interference or prejudice. Where religious practices require special clothing or special diet children are properly equipped and advice is sought from either the young person's family or local religious leaders, where necessary.

Children are enabled to celebrate their own religious festivals and are assisted in understanding and acknowledging the religious festivals of others. It is recognised that it is natural that some young people may express doubt about continuing their religious beliefs or practices; whilst having regard for their wishes, it is important that they are helped to recognise and discuss their choices and are given the opportunity to consider the implications of deferring from these practices (for example implications on their relationships with their family and wider community).

Prayers

Where special privacy is needed in order to pray during the course of the day consideration will be given to how best to provide this, whilst also considering the impact on other children and the group as a whole.

Clothing

Some children and young people from minority ethnic communities will have particular clothing that they are required to or choose to wear which identifies them with the culture of their community, where this is the case staff must respect and support the child. Where possible, staff should familiarise themselves with the way in which the garments should be worn and how the articles should be laundered.

Some children from minority ethnic groups choose to dress in clothing like other young people which also reflects their identity with music, sport and so on; however adhering to the dress code of the child’s culture may still include restrictions on the child’s appearance, for example, Islamic law requires that Muslim women keep their bodies and figures hidden.

Medical Implications of Religious Background

Where a religion or religious sect prohibits certain forms of medical treatment or requires disfiguring or disabling operative or mutilating treatment, a balance needs to be reached between a parent's legal rights and responsibilities, the relevant authority’s view of the young person's best interests and the views of those who know the young person well. Efforts will be made through the social worker to obtain written information with regard to health rules of any particular religion or any medical health rules proposed and, if necessary, legal advice will be sought.

Girls, boys and transgender young people who are receiving a service from Children Services should be given equal encouragement to pursue their talents, interests and hobbies. Sexist stereotypes of behaviour must not be imposed or condoned. These principles will be achieved by:

1. A wide range of activities being offered to both sexes and attempts being made to overcome peer group pressure, if it prevents a child pursuing his or her interests;
2. Having equal expectations that boys and girls will participate in domestic tasks;
3. Counselling all young people, regardless of gender, not to embark upon sexual relationships until they can do so maturely, safely and  without exploitation. Levels of concern and criteria for action, where children are deemed to be in “moral danger” should apply equally to boys and girls. All young people have a right to information and counselling around sexual issues, including HIV;
4. Encouraging staff and carers to model behaviour to children that demonstrates that there are no specifically male and female roles. Whilst individual members of staff or carers will have different talents, interest and skills, the imposition or toleration of sexually stereotyped roles is not acceptable;
5. Some children, because of their previous experiences, may be fearful, angry or acutely self-conscious with staff, carers or other children of a particular gender. Children should be given choices and should not be pressurised to work with, or live with someone of that gender because it is deemed that this will counteract their previous negative experiences. This is unlikely to be the case until the child himself or herself feels ready to make such a relationship. Some children may be so shocked or traumatised or lacking in self-confidence that they are unable to make these choices. In such situations, staff must assess the individual child’s likely reactions based on knowledge of their past experiences and make the choice on the child’s behalf;
6. The toys, books, games, posters, works of art, music videos, etc.  used in children’s centres, residential homes, foster homes and offices should be non-sexist and should portray positive and varied images of girls and boys. The display or circulation of sexist or pornographic material, either by adults or young people, is totally unacceptable.

A number of young people to whom we offer services will be lesbian or gay or unsure of their sexual identity. Gay or lesbian young people applying for or in receipt of our services should be able to expect acceptance and sympathetic understanding from staff and carers. This aim should apply equally to those people who express uncertainty about their identity. This aim will be achieved by:

1. Recognising that gay and lesbian young people exist. Not only will they be represented amongst Looked After Children in proportion to their statistical occurrence in the population as a whole but they may be over-represented either due to family or peer group rejection or the prejudice and hostility which is causing depression and confusion. This may lead to such behaviour as self-harm or putting them at risk of sexual exploitation;
2. Heterosexist discrimination, abuse and jokes being totally unacceptable and, so far as is achievable, providing protection from such behaviour by their peers or other adults;
3. Making counselling  available when requested by young people who may identify as gays or lesbians or are questioning their sexuality to help them with their uncertainties or feelings, develop their self-esteem or identity or to establish a lifestyle and relationships which are safe, legal and with which they should feel contented and comfortable. Gay young people may also require counselling concerning their fears, which may or may not be justified, about HIV.

Where gay or lesbian parent applies for a service on behalf of their child or the family as a whole, his or her sexual identity will only be relevant to the assessment or service offered where it is apparent that it is presenting difficulties for the parent or child.

Where a gay or lesbian person or couple apply to foster carers, adopters or childminders, their application will be taken up in the same way as any other applicant. As with any other assessment, the quality of their relationship or their acceptance of their singleness will be considered during the assessment process in the context of the skills, experience and care they will or will not be able to offer to a child or children. It is recognised that prejudice on the part of some children or parents may make their caring task more difficult but their positive strategies for coping with and dealing with prejudice will be considered as part of the assessment.