Disrupting the Discourse on Racial Disparities and Disproportionalities: Reframing narratives, shifting power, advancing equity

The discourse on racial disparities and disproportionalities in the UK, is laden with data and statistics which evidence that lived experiences can be negatively affected because of an individual’s race. Often conflated with ethnicity, culture, religion and migration, race can become sidelined, and the importance of it being a critical root of disadvantage and discrimination can become blurred, vague and even denied. These additional intersections are certainly relevant and important, but there is an absolute need to confront the racial aspects of such experiences head-on.

We inhabit communities, societies, and a world, which is becoming increasingly polarised, with discussions about racism being presented as woke, unwanted, and unnecessary, becoming all too familiar. This risks undoing the intense work that has been achieved to address these forms of discrimination, and threatens future concerted efforts to resolve consequential disparities.

This keynote connects these points directly to the lived experiences of racially minoritised children and young people in our child protection system, discussing the need to remain committed and dutybound to challenge relevant areas of practice and policy.