This month in the UK, we’re celebrating Black History Month. This year’s theme is ‘Standing Firm in Power and Pride,’ highlighting the incredible contributions of black communities across the UK.
Black History Month is an excellent opportunity to celebrate those who have come before, pay homage to the incredible work of activists and highlight the need to keep fighting prejudice when it arises. Let’s take a look at some of the ways in which we work to uplift children’s heritage here at Fosterplus and recognise the unique needs of black children in care.
Why do we need more black foster parents?
In the UK, recent data shows that children from black or multiracial backgrounds are overly represented within the care system, making up an estimated 17% of children in care. At the same time, we also have a shortage of black foster carers.
Of course, foster parents from any background can do an amazing job at meeting children’s cultural needs while caring for a child of a different race, but it’s generally accepted that children experience the best outcomes and are able to transition more easily when they are matched with families who share their identity, whether that be their culture, ethnicity, or sharing a language. This helps children to deepen their sense of identity and also helps their foster family’s house to feel more like home— whether that’s something big, like sharing a religion and observing the same daily faith-based routines, to the smaller things, like a child’s favourite meal making a regular appearance on the family dinner table.
Cultural matching can be especially important for children who have travelled alone to the UK seeing asylum. Interested in learning more about how foster care can support sanctuary-seeking children? Read Aki’s story of coming to the UK from Eritrea, and how he learned to feel at home with his foster family.
Combatting the risks of adultification for black children in care
Another unique challenge faced by black and non-white children in care is the risk of adultification. On average, children from non-white backgrounds enter care at an older age than white children, who make up the majority of children in care in the UK.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct has identified that black children are at an increased risk of experiencing adultification compared to other groups. Adultification is a type of racial bias which assumes that a child is somehow less innocent, more mature or more responsible than they really are, leading to children being treated as though they were adults. This can be harmful in many ways, including the risk that Police and law enforcement will stereotype children with black heritage, or assign adult motives to them. Another element of adultification particularly impacts black girls, that being the sexualisation of black girls which can lead to authorities putting blame on them as victims for the abuse they suffer at the hands of predatory adults.
Social worker and lecturer Nana Yabbey-Hagan gave some great insight into where adultification rears its head among professionals on an episode of The Social Worker & The Mentor Podcast. He said:
‘I’m a black male social worker and I’ve heard the language and the rhetoric of professionals, how they’re describing [black children], and I’ve had to step in and say to them, I’m quite offended by how you’re describing this child or young person. There’s a duty of care that you have regardless of [race], and what you’re doing is not taking into account the vulnerabilities of this child.’
‘The question has to be if that child in front of you was not a black child, would you be using the same language? That’s the reason why in our community you find that a lot of black families [engaging with child services] don’t trust the professionals because they feel that there’s a level of inequality and discrimination that’s at work, and that professionals have a certain view of children who are black and won’t give them the level of care they should have in comparison to their white counterparts.’
As Nana says, adultification can be both subtle or advert, and is something which professionals working with children must learn to address and combat. Read on to find out how we work to support children and families here at Fosterplus.
How we support children and families
- Staff training. Every staff member at Fosterplus, from our over-the-phone advisors to our supervising social workers, receives regular training on diversity, inclusion, and cultural awareness to help support our children and families and avoid bias.
- Proper training for foster parents. We offer advanced learning modules on topics such as adultification, cultural awareness and caring for a child with a different racial background to ensure that foster parents caring for children of a different ethnicity know how to fully meet their needs. This includes teaching foster parents about the importance of learning how to properly care for black hair and skin.
- Support for black children in care. At Fosterplus we offer a range of support for children which includes ensuring careful matching, our support groups for children and a range of online resources.
- Support for foster parents. We offer culturally-based support for our foster parents, for example our regular coffee mornings for Eritrean families. Along with our 24/7 phone support and the support of your own Supervising Social Worker, well always be right by your side when you need us.
Further reading foster parents
Having cultural awareness is an essential part of a foster parent’s role. If you feel unsure about discussing ethnicity and culture with your foster children, gaining a deeper understanding of these topics by doing additional research is a fantastic place to start. We recommend these brilliant resources by black creators:
- This episode of The Social Worker & The Mentor Podcast gives viewers excellent insight into adultification bias in the care sector. Hosts Robert and Nana have an honest, down-to-earth conversation about adultification, cultural competence and racism against children within the care sector.
- This article by Tonjie Reece, founder of the gender-based violence prevention charity eleven24, looks into the particular risks which black girls face as a consequence of adultification, and explores the intersection between racism and sexism against girls and women, known as ‘Misogynoir.’
- ‘Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?’ by Beverly Daniel Tatum is an American text which explores racial identity and the importance of being open to having conversations about race.
Reading books or watching TV together as a family can also bring up plenty of opportunities to ask questions, discuss our feelings and share our experiences. These resources are great picks to enjoy with your foster children:
- ‘The Skin You Live In’ by Michael Tyler is a lovely book for young children which celebrates diversity. It’s a great bedtime read which can prompt conversations with your little one about self-love and celebrating our differences.
- ‘Black and British: A Forgotten History’ by David Olusoga gives readers an insightful look into the rich history of black communities in the UK. There’s also a TV documentary series available for free on BBC iPlayer which delves into Olusoga’s research which could make a great watch with your foster teen.
Making a difference every day
Each year we highlight the unique needs of black children in care during October, but issues such as adultification and the need for more black and ethnic minority foster parents impact children all year round. If you’re ready to learn more about how you could make a difference by fostering a child, discover how you could begin a career in fostering with Fosterplus today by getting in touch with our team via our online enquiry form.
