Recognise and challenge inequalities, exclusion and discrimination

‘Unpacking’ the Principle and why it matters

Children, young people, parents and carers can face discrimination in a number of ways, including racism, sexism, classism, ageism, homophobia, transphobia and ableism, amongst others. Latest data shows that disparities continue to exist between ethnic and social groups in a number of areas, including safeguarding, childhood outcomes, and criminal justice.

Inequality and marginalisation can be both a driver for, and a consequence of, exploitation and extra-familial harm, and professional efforts can inadvertently reinforce inequity. An effective response therefore attends to both the interpersonal discrimination and inequalities facing children and young people, parents and carers, communities and many of the professionals supporting them. Addressing this means creating an inclusive culture for professionals and those they support, in which everyone is respected regardless of their social, ethnic, or gender characteristics. It requires those who do not face discrimination to ensure that marginalised voices are heard and injustice is not tolerated.

I am seen, respected and accepted for who I am, professionals can relate to me, and they challenge any discrimination I face.

How it should feel for a child / young person being supported

What this Practice Principles asks of...

Direct Work
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Operational Management
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Strategic Leadership
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Direct Work

Access and use a variety of individual and peer reflective learning opportunities to understand how inequality, exclusion and discrimination:
- manifest in practice, systems and society
- impact on children, young people, families and communities.
Be aware of disproportionality, i.e. the under and over-representation of some groups of children and young people and the assumptions and negative stereotypes that underpin these.
Remember not all minority identities are visible (for example, faith, neuro-divergence, and some learning and behavioural needs), but can have a significant impact on how children and young people experience harm, how they are perceived by others, and how they perceive and are able to access support.
Recognise that everyone has biases, makes assumptions and can be influenced by stereotypes, including in ways they may be unaware of. Use the support of peers and managers to reflect on your own identity and experiences, and how these shape your perspective and practice.
Demonstrate a clear understanding of, and commitment to, anti-discrimination law, guidance, and practice, including in your work with colleagues across the partnership. Challenge discrimination and negative stereotypes wherever found.
Use accessible language and methods and safe spaces and social environments for building trust with children, young people, parents and carers, recognising that what constitutes a safe space will differ for different children, young people, parents and carers.
Remember that a child or young person’s identity is multifaceted and can be informed by a range of multiple, overlapping characteristics; listen to how children and young people define and describe their own identities and what’s important to them.
Offer support in ways that are inclusive, respectful and attuned to children and young people’s identities; remember some protected characteristics can change over time:
- Children and young people may still be exploring and understanding their own emerging identity, especially around sexuality and gender.
- Children and young people may have undiagnosed or unmet learning and / or neuro-divergent needs.
- Children and young people’s behaviours may be driven by a learned response or developmental coping strategy related to trauma.
Advocate for children and young people from minority social, faith, and ethnic groups where they feel they have been treated unfairly and want to challenge this.
Acknowledge children and young people’s experiences of discrimination. Proactively seek feedback from children and young people, families and communities about their experiences of professional involvement and how it could be more inclusive or accessible.

Operational Management

Understand how disproportionality and under or over-representation manifests within your team or service, including considering what data is and is not collected, how it is used and shared, and how this could contribute to disproportionality and / or under or over-representation. Have a clear plan to address this, including challenging the biases that underpin it.
Raise disproportionality in partnership meetings and ask questions about any gaps or concerns more widely than your own team or service or area of responsibility.
Recognise that everyone has biases, makes assumptions and can be influenced by stereotypes, including in ways they may be unaware of. Set an example by reflecting on your own identity and experiences and how these shape your perspective and management practice.
Prioritise management and supervision approaches that help staff to develop their confidence in identifying and challenging discrimination and negative stereotypes, including within inter-professional working, and support them to notice and address gaps in knowledge.
Ensure that a collective effort is made by all to fully understand and address issues relating to inequality and inclusion.
Model and proactively support staff to develop anti-discriminatory practice which is informed by a robust understanding of anti-discrimination legislation including through formal learning and development, group and individual supervision, and reflective spaces.
Pay attention to unintended consequences, including where professional intervention inadvertently replicates and / or compounds discrimination. Support staff to recognise the impact of their decision-making.
Where inequalities are contributing to a child or young person’s risk of harm, capture evidence of this and raise it with senior colleagues to inform local strategic approaches.
Strive to attract and retain a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community it serves, and create an inclusive culture for staff from all backgrounds:
- Pay particular attention to recruitment and retention approaches to ensure fairness and inclusion in access to learning and development and progression opportunities.
- Establish accessible and safe routes for staff to report discrimination. Act swiftly and decisively where discrimination is proven to have occurred.
- Be alert to the potential that individuals working with children who have faced discrimination and / or other traumatic life experiences may themselves be emotionally impacted by this, especially if they relate to those experiences. Ensure adequate support for colleagues who may experience this.
- Invite critical feedback from staff to inform continuous improvement in relation to the above points.
Ensure there are clear and accessible ways for children, young people, parents and carers to raise concerns about discrimination and bias experienced from professionals. Respond sensitively and act decisively where concerns are substantiated, recognise the importance of responding with empathy where experiences of discrimination are not substantiated, and create opportunities for shared learning with other teams or services.

Strategic leadership

Proactively identify and challenge discrimination and negative stereotypes within your organisation and across the partnership. Explore under or over- representation of key groups (both in terms of children and young people and the workforce) and use this information to underpin local strategy.
Look for patterns of disproportionality and under or over-representation across different service pathways, invite challenge from staff and communities in order to create greater equity.
Proactively seek to understand how marginalised groups experience support, and what could be done to make this inclusive and equitable.
Recognise that everyone has biases, makes assumptions and can be influenced by stereotypes, including in ways they may be unaware of. Lead by example, reflecting on your own identity and experiences and how these shape your perspective and leadership.
Model courageous and transparent leadership, challenge discriminatory attitudes and negative stereotypes and promote the embedding of anti-discrimination practices.
Ensure that a collective effort is made by all to fully understand and address issues relating to inequality and inclusion.
Model an evidence-based understanding of how discrimination, inequality and exclusion affect children, young people, their families and communities, in all conversations with colleagues and partners.
Create an organisational or partnership culture where diversity is celebrated, inclusion is paramount and everyone is respected, heard and understood.
Proactively encourage greater diversity of perspectives and experiences within the workforce and strategic leadership across the partnership. Put in place robust measures to ensure people from minority groups are represented at a strategic level.
Create opportunities for qualitative evidence from those who have experienced discrimination and disadvantage to directly inform the strategic approach to redressing discrimination and promoting diversity and inclusion, alongside professional expertise and research evidence.
Establish accessible ways for professionals, children and young people, parents and carers and communities to have their views heard and to safely raise concerns.
Act collectively, sensitively, and decisively where discrimination has been experienced and / or identified. Be transparent about any decisions taken.

Download the Research summary for this Practice Principle

Download the chapter of the Research summary to explore the evidence underpinning this Practice Principle. Each chapter is to provide an overview of the key issues by summarising the most salient points from the review process, considered specifically in relation to their relevance and application to responding to child exploitation and extra-familial harm. As the Principles are intended to be high level and applicable to all professionals involved in responding to child exploitation and extra-familial harm, each one covers a relatively wide area of knowledge and learning.

Download Summary

Further learning & resources

Listed below are some further resources that may be helpful in considering how to enact each of the Principles. They are not a comprehensive list, nor are they designed to replace any helpful resources you already use. The resources reflect the views and expertise of the original source, and their inclusion does not infer that they are endorsed or validated by the Tackling Child Exploitation Support Programme, Research in Practice, University of Bedfordshire, The Children’s Society or Government.

Recognise and challenge inequalities, exclusion and discrimination

‘Unpacking’ the Principle and why it matters

What this Practice Principles asks of...

Direct Work

Operational Management

Strategic leadership

Download the Research summary for this Practice Principle

Further learning & resources

British Association of Social Workers (BASW): Anti-Poverty Practice Guide for Social Work

Check Your Thinking: Anti-racist practice in children’s safeguarding

College of Policing: Police Race Action Plan

Department for Education: Equality Act 2010: advice for schools

Family Justice Young People’s Board (FJYPB): FJYPB's top tips for respecting children and young people's diversity

Government Equalities Office and Equality and Human Rights Commission: Equality Act 2010: guidance

Listen Up: Professional Inter-Adultification Model

Practice Supervisor Development Programme: Exploring Unconscious Bias & Racial Microaggression in the Workplace

Practice Supervisor Development Programme: Becoming an anti-racist supervisor and ally

Practice Supervisor Development Programme: Exploring Diversity in Supervision

Practice Supervisor Development Programme: Social GGRRAAACCEEESSS and the LUUUTT model

Practice Supervisor Development Programme: Developing cultural competence

Mencap: Disability Inclusion Toolkit

Research in Practice: Supporting young people who identify as LGBTQ+

TCE Support Programme: ‘County lines’, inequalities and young people’s rights: a moment of pause and reflection

TCE Support Programme: The hyper-visible and invisible children

TCE Support Programme: Unseen? Overlooked? Stigmatised? The role faith organisations can play in tackling child exploitation

TCE Support Programme: Using data to explore equalities, diversity and inclusion

The Traveller Movement: BESTIE: A toolkit for working with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller young people

More from TCE...

See the other principles

1. Putting children and young people first

3. Respect the voices, experiences and expertise of children and young people

4. Be strengths-based and relationship-based

5. Recognise and respond to trauma

6. Be curious, evidence-informed and knowledgeable

7. Approach parents and carers as partners wherever possible

8. Create safe spaces and places for children and young people

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