Comment on the importance of anti-racist and anti-discriminatory...

Steve Crocker, ADCS President, said:

“A child’s place of learning should be a safe place where children feel comfortable, secure and protected, and where children’s rights are protected and safeguarded. Where this goes wrong, the repercussions for children, their families and the wider community can be devastating.

“As directors of children’s services, it is our role to work closely with multi-agency partners who work with or interact with children and young people and to hold them to account when behaviours fall short of what is expected. Where there have been failings, a commitment to learning is key if we are to adequately safeguard and protect all children. Children deserve nothing less.

“There are lessons from practice which help us to develop and influence change for the better but let us be clear, racism and discrimination have no place in our practice, our workplaces or communities and will not be tolerated. All leaders across public services have a role to play in shining a light on social injustices faced by children. We know that children from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds are overrepresented in the youth justice and care systems and in school exclusions. We have suggested that this disproportionality be explored in detail by the independent review of children’s social care as a first step to addressing it. We must do more as a sector and as a society to stand up for change, to challenge ourselves and each other and to ensure anti-racist and anti-discriminatory practice is at the heart of our work with children and young people if we are to achieve a fairer, more tolerant society.”

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