Race, ethnicity and culture: learning from case reviews

The risks facing children and families from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic backgrounds are often poorly understood and overlooked in safeguarding practice.¹

Findings from a selection of case reviews published between 2023 and 2025, and the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s national report on race, racism and safeguarding children, highlight how structural racism, unconscious bias and a lack of cultural competence among professionals can leave children and families from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic backgrounds at risk of harm.

Learning from the reviews outlines how professionals should:

• be aware of how racial and unconscious bias can affect their practice
• seek out the voices of children from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic backgrounds
• understand the cultural and societal barriers that can prevent children and families from accessing services.