NEW REPORT: 'It's Silent': Race, Racism and Safeguarding Children - CSPR March 2025

The latest report from the National Child Safeguarding Review Panel was published on 11 March 2025.  It examines the impact of race, ethnicity and culture on multi-agency practice where children have suffered serious harm or died. It raises questions about how and why issues about race, racism and ethnicity remain so marginalised, understated and under-explored in safeguarding reviews and suggests that there is a need for a sea change in how we address issues about race, culture and ethnicity in safeguarding practice. 

1. There is silence around talking about race and racism. We need to activate conversations that not only ask why there are silences but, crucially, activates our safeguarding responsibilities to think about how we might need to work differently to address the myriad ways in which race, racism and bias affect how we help and protect this group of children.
2. Leaders and practitioners need to develop their capacity to understand and use intersectional approaches to better address the safeguarding need of Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage children. An intersectional approach takes account of how social identities related to race and racism, gender, poverty and class overlap and are woven together.
3. The report seeks to increase system learning by sharing examples of good practice and addressing where critical questions are avoided, evaded and side-stepped. It states that leaders have a crucial role in naming these issues and taking ownership of professional responsibilities to recognise and address race, racism and bias in safeguarding practice.

Read the report here... Race, racism and safeguarding children - GOV.UK

There is also a short briefing note for child protection professionals that summarises the key learning points from the independent Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s report on race, racism and child safeguarding. 

Read the practitioner briefing document here... Briefing Note - 'It's silent': Race, racism and child protection