3 things our research discovered about Black children in care

Black children are facing inequalities  

From previous research, we knew that Black children faced inequalities in their interactions with the criminal justice system and in accessing appropriate support when leaving prison.  

“One area stood out: that Black care experienced young males were overrepresented in the criminal justice system. After looking for evidence of why this was the case, we found that there was little, if any, research into this in the UK available.”  

Due to this lack of research, Rod explains, there was a need for a better understanding of Black children’s experiences.  

To do this, we commissioned a report to explore the intersections of being in care and in prison. 

“There is a line in the report, ‘we cannot hide the obvious’, the question is what is the obvious? It is Racism”, Rod emphasises. 

The importance of Black-led research  

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We commissioned Listen Up, a Black-led organisation, to carry out research with Black care-experienced young people who are currently serving prison sentences in England.

“We wanted a Black organisation to conduct the research, that shared a lived experience, this was important to give credibility to the research and ensure Black young people were talking to Black researchers”, Rod explains. 

From this research, Rod explores three of our key findings: 

1. Systemic racism led to Black care-experienced young people being treated differently by many of the services they came into contact with

2. Young people’s experience of being in care was rarely considered as a factor that may have impacted them, particularly when navigating the criminal justice system

3. Young people often had mental health issues as a result of past experiences but struggled to access the support they needed  

1. Systemic racism led to Black care-experienced young people being treated differently by many of the services they came into contact with  

When exploring the impact of racial bias and discrimination in the report, Rod noted “20 out of the 22 young people said they had experienced racism and/or prejudice during their journey in the care system or whilst navigating the criminal justice system.” 

Rod also noted that these Black children were “treated differently to White peer[s]” and that “the young people also talked about professionals having low expectations for them and receiving inconsistent support, with some saying they had to be the proactive ones to ask for visits from their Personal Assistants or Social Workers.” 

“The report [also] brings to light the impact of not seeing racism as an intersection for young people who are in or who have left the care system, this resulted in Black young people being placed in areas or families where they were the only Black person.”  

Rod emphasised the importance of understanding the impact of racism, “whether micro or macro aggressions”, on Black care-experienced young people. The report found, that for many Black young people it was common for them to have experienced discrimination, and this has to change.

2. Young people’s experience of being in care was rarely considered  

The report highlighted that for Black young people in the criminal justice system, their experiences in the care system were rarely considered or recognised as a reason they may need more support. 

This finding highlighted the double discrimination these young people are facing, that of the colour of their skin and their experiences in care. In “viewing these two realities as separate”, as Rod described, Black children are not being offered the appropriate support. 

“[A] standout statistic from the report was that none of the young people felt their care experience was considered a vulnerability” Rod noted. This suggests that when navigating the criminal justice system, none of the 22 young people felt their experience of being in care was seen as a possible factor for them being more in need of help and support.

“A frightening and saddening finding from the report was that while a yearning to be loved, accepted, held, nurtured, and seen is a reality for many care-experienced children and young adults, for this group, there was a ‘knowing’ that being Black further reduced the possibility of experiencing such care”, Rod continued. 

"Instead, rejection, humiliation, criminalisation, adultification (treating children as adults), low aspirations and misinterpretations about their behaviour were the common experiences.” 

Rod explains why this is significant, notably that the “young person’s experience of care and trauma were not factored into their experience, journey, or support in the criminal justice system.” 

3. Black young people often struggled to access the mental health support they needed

A further finding of the report was that the mental wellbeing of Black care-experienced children was often not given the priority it needed.  

While previous research has shown that children in care are more likely to have a mental health issue and often struggle to access the support they need, this report highlighted that based on the experience of the young people we spoke with, this was an even greater issue for Black young people due to experiences of racism and prejudice.

“White young people are more likely to access mental health support services than Black and racially marginalised young people. In addition, Black children are less likely to be seen as needing mental health support and in turn referred until they reach crisis”, Rod explained. 

“The presence of racialised stereotypes, adultification, the invisibility of vulnerability, and how Black young people can be seen as ‘streetwise’ arguably all have a collective role to play in how Black care experienced young people have to find ways to cope, survive or manage trauma.” 

In light of this, Rod argued that attitudes towards mental health support needed to change, noting a need for more mental health services to support children who are in or have recently left care to cope with any past trauma. “The need to have support identified as a ‘must’ for this group of young people is imperative”, he continued. 

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What should change 

Change should be aimed at better supporting Black children throughout their time in the care system, as well as ensuring that those who come into contact with the criminal justice system are treated fairly, and do not face double discrimination based on being both Black and having a history of being in care.  

Based on this research’s findings, we are calling for changes to be implemented. You can read more about the report, and our key recommendations, here.