It’s Time to Address the Racial Disparities Experienced by Black Children in the UK
By Debbie Ariyo
The recent change in the machinery of UK government presents a meaningful opportunity to address the array of issues and racial disparities faced by Black and ethnic children in the UK. At AFRUCA Safeguarding Children, we are confronted by these issues on a daily basis in our work supporting Black and ethnic children and families through our range of programmes and services in London and Manchester.
Simply put, Black and ethnic children in the UK have been failed horrifically by the system. At AFRUCA, we see first–hand the terrible impact of policy failures on children disproportionately affected by government action or inaction. The time is ripe to address the racial disparities experienced by Black and Ethnic children across the UK to help improve outcomes for children in our communities.
Policies which demonise families like No Recourse to Public Funds and the Two Child Benefit Limit must be reviewed. Research by the Runnymead Trust highlights the disproportionate implications of these policies on Black and Ethnic families. These two policies have increased inequality, caused harm and suffering to millions of children and increased child and family poverty in Black and ethnic communities. Learing from our work on child exploitation in Manchester shows these two policies are also contributory factors in the growing incidences of child criminal and sexual exploitation. A recent report by Centre for Mental Health highlights the link between poverty and child mental health.
There is strong evidence that Black children are disproportionately referred into the UK child protection system, and families with no recourse to public funds or newly arrived families are highly impacted. Each year at AFRUCA, we provide a national one-to-one support and parenting training programme for over 100 parents in the child protection system with over 80% of our parents falling within the above categories. There are reports of harsh interventions, racist and discriminatory behaviour by various local authority staff. The recent case in Harehills, Leeds demonstrates how local authorities’ responses to child protection concerns can be regarded by communities as racist, insensitive or high-handed. The new government must prioritise support for families, creating better opportunities for them to thrive so children can live in safer home environments, rather than a focus on removal into foster or residential care which often leads to poor outcomes for Black children.
A recent report by Missing People and Listen Up underscores the disproportionate likelihood of Black children going missing, with 16% of all missing children being Black compared to only 6% of the general population. The report also highlighted concerning disparities in the response to, and outcomes for Black children when they go missing. We also know from our work that many children who go missing from home are victims of criminal exploitation. Our Facebook page at AFRUCA is filled with profiles of Black children missing from home, reposted from pages of different police forces across the country. The time could not be better for a concerted effort to address this intractable problem, based on recommendations by charities such as Missing People.
There is ample data demonstrating the rates of fixed-term school exclusions are higher for Black children compared to the overall rate. Black Child SEND’s research shows that despite being more likely to be identified as having Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND), Black children are less likely to get the help they require. Charities like Young Minds have decried the dearth of mental health provisions for children. A social worker in Croydon described this as Black children experiencing “a punitive approach to mental health issues”. School exclusions, SEND and mental health are intersectional issues requiring an integrative approach to solve.
Cases of child criminal and child online sexual exploitation have increased exponentially nation-wide in recent years, based on data collated by the Home Office, our casework at AFRUCA, as well as figures from police constabularies across the country. The over-representation of Black boys in county lines trafficking is a well-known fact and there is a direct correlation with the involvement of children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as victims. There should be a National Action Plan to Tackle the Exploitation of Children, with a focus on areas of disproportionality affecting children in Black communities putting them at risk.
Lack of government interest and funding means work to address harmful cultural practices including Female Genital Mutilation, Forced and Early Marriage, Child Witchcraft Abuse and other forms of honour based abuses in affected communities has decreased significantly in the past years, creating opportunities for these issues to fester underground and putting many children at risk of harm. The new government must refocus attention on these issues and work with affected communities to help protect children.
The recent unfortunate deaths of baby Awaab Ishaq from his mould invested home in Rochdale, and of Alam Makial who fell from the window of his 15th floor flat in London underscore the nation-wide problem of homelessness and unsuitable housing. Over 145,000 children were recorded as being homeless in 2024 - the highest it has ever been. There is ample evidence from local authority caseloads of children spending months or years living in temporary accommodation, impacting their health and well-being. Reducing homelessness, addressing unsuitable housing and the impact on children must be a priority for the new government.
The growing cases of Black women dying in pregnancy or child birth is concerning, alongside reports that women whose first language is not English are 25 times more likely to die in child-birth. There are significant implications for birth mothers, Black-led families and other children in the family. We have worked with mothers who, having suffered the loss of their babies in child-birth, have had other children removed by the local authority due to child neglect - rather than supporting parent to address the underlying mental health issues. The disproportionate numbers of Black women affected by this issue is totally unacceptable and requires urgent government attention to address the underlying causes.
Alarming is the rising cases of domestic abuse and male violence in the media and from our own caseload at AFRUCA. Concerning is the devastating impact on children. There should be urgent action to address domestic abuse and male violence and their impact on children in families.
The epidemic of youth violence, gun and knife crime has reached exponential levels, putting many young people at risk as victims or forced perpetrators. This is the case right across the country. Between November 2020 and May 2023, over 10863 knife crimes were committed in the Greater Manchester area with many of the perpetrators and victims being underage. Our young service users at AFRUCA have decried lack of safe spaces for children and young people, forcing them to spend more time on the streets with all the risks involved. Again, work to tackle Serious Youth Violence should explore various strategies to prevent children and young people being groomed and recruited for criminal activities.
In addressing these and other issues, the government must ensure racial inclusivity and representation, ensuring the voices of disadvantaged and marginalised communities matter and are heard. The days of “policy-gatekeeping” by “mainstream charities” should be over. Small Black-led charities like AFRUCA have a wealth of intelligence, experience and expertise which can be brought to bear in creating meaningful change for children in our communities.
Debbie Ariyo OBE is Founder and CEO of AFRUCA Safeguarding Children, a charity working in Black and Ethnic communities to promote the protection and well-being of children.