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Paragraphs: 16.1 - 16.9 | 16.10
- 16.13
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"There is some evidence to suggest that one of the consequences
of an exclusive focus on 'culture' in work with black children and
families, is [that] it leaves black and ethnic minority children
in potentially dangerous situations, because the assessment has
failed to address a child's fundamental care and protection needs."
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Ratna Dutt, director, Race Equality Unit"
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16.1
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Victoria was a black child who was murdered by her two black carers.
Many of the professionals with whom she came into contact during
her life in this country were also black. Therefore, it is tempting
to conclude that racism can have had no part to play in her case.
But such a conclusion fails to recognise that racism finds expression
in many ways other than in the direct application of prejudice.
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16.2
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One of the ways in which race may play a part in a case involving
a child is highlighted by the observation quoted above. This was
made by Ratna Dutt, director of the Race Equality Unit, during the
course of one of the seminars in Phase Two of this Inquiry. I believe
it makes an extremely important point. Several times during this
Inquiry I found myself wondering whether a failure by a particular
professional to take action to protect Victoria, may have been partly
due to that professional losing sight of the fact that her needs
were the same as those of any other seven-year-old girl, from whatever
cultural background.
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16.3
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I do not for one moment suggest that the ill-treatment of Victoria
by Kouao and Manning was either condoned or deliberately ignored
by those responsible for Victoria's case. However, it may be that
assumptions made about Victoria and her situation diverted caring
people from noting and acting upon signs of neglect or ill-treatment.
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16.4
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Examples of such assumptions at work may include the following:
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Lisa Arthuworrey said that when she heard of Victoria "standing
to attention" before Kouao and Manning she "concluded that this
type of relationship was one that can be seen in many Afro-Caribbean
families because respect and obedience are very important features
of the Afro-Caribbean family script". Victoria's parents, however,
made it clear that she was not required to stand in this formal
way when she was at home with them. Therefore it seems Ms Arthurworrey's
assumption was unfounded, in Victoria's case at least.
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Pastor Pascal Orome told me that he attributed Victoria's potentially
concerning behaviour to the fact that she had come "freshly" from
Africa. This of course was not the case - Victoria had been in Europe
for almost a year by the time she came to his attention.
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On more than one occasion, medical practitioners who noticed marks
on Victoria's body considered the possibility that children who
have grown up in Africa may be expected to have more marks on their
bodies than those who have been raised in Europe. This assumption,
regardless of whether it is valid or not, may prevent a full assessment
of those marks being made.
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16.5
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The danger of making assumptions of this kind is clear. Cultural
norms and models of behaviour can vary considerably between communities
and even families. The concept of Afro-Caribbean behaviour referred
to in Victoria's case illustrates the problem. The range of cultures
and behavioural patterns it includes is so wide that it would be
meaningless to make generalisations, and potentially damaging to
an effective assessment of the needs of the child. The wisest course
is to be humble when considering the extent of one's own knowledge
about different 'cultures' and to take advice whenever it is available.
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16.6
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Of course, it is impossible to assess after the event the likelihood
of a particular step being taken in Victoria's case if she had been
a white child. There were so many instances of bad practice in this
case that one simply cannot begin to determine which of them may
have been influenced by some form of prejudice, and which were due
to incompetence or a lack of attention. However, it may well be
that, at some point, the focus may have shifted from Victoria's
fundamental needs because of misplaced assumptions about her cultural
circumstances.
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16.7
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There is another way in which race may have had an impact in Victoria's
case. As Counsel to the Inquiry perceptively pointed out in his
opening statement to the Inquiry, "Race can affect the way people
conduct themselves in other ways. Fear of being accused of racism
can stop people acting when otherwise they would. Fear of being
thought unsympathetic to someone of the same race can change responses."
He urged the Inquiry to keep an open mind on such matters.
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16.8
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Applying an open mind to the evidence I heard, I detected some
hints of the sort of difficulties to which Counsel referred. The
evidence of Dr Mary Rossiter provides one example. She said, "I
was aware that as a white person I had to be sensitive to the feelings
of people of all races and backgrounds, both clinically and with
professionals. Maybe some social workers felt they knew more about
black children than I did."
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16.9
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Those involved in the protection of children perform vital and
difficult work. They should never feel inhibited from acting in
a child's interests on the grounds that they are felt by others
to have an insufficient grasp of the child's particular circumstances.
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Paragraphs: 16.1 -
16.9 | 16.10 - 16.13
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16.10
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The basic requirement that children are kept safe is universal
and cuts across cultural boundaries. Every child living in this
country is entitled to be given the protection of the law, regardless
of his or her background. Cultural heritage is important to many
people, but it cannot take precedence over standards of childcare
embodied in law. Every organisation concerned with the welfare and
protection of children should have mechanisms in place to ensure
equal access to services of the same quality, and that each child,
irrespective of colour or background, should be treated as an individual
requiring appropriate care.
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16.11
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There can be no excuse or justification for failing to take adequate
steps to protect a vulnerable child, simply because that child's
cultural background would make the necessary action somehow inappropriate.
This is not an area in which there is much scope for political correctness.
In my view, Dr Nnenna Cookey, a participant in the Phase Two seminars
and a consultant paediatrician, put the matter very eloquently during
the course of one of the seminars. She said, "I do take huge issue
with the emphasis that black families should be assessed by or given
the opportunity to have a black social worker. For me that detracts
from the whole process. A child is a child regardless of colour.
I think the social and cultural differences or backgrounds ... of
these families is crucial and should be taken into account as part
of a general assessment. But I think if we are not careful we'll
lose the whole emphasis on the child's welfare. I think if we are
not very careful we will send out the very wrong message that non-black
social workers do not have the capabilities, the standards and everything
that goes with it to assess black families. That would be a mistake,
that will be wrong, and I think it does fly in the face of lots
of social workers who are Caucasian, or whatever ... who are doing
a very good job. I say that not because I want to be anti-establishment.
I do not do political correctness when it comes to children. I really
do think that these children may be further disadvantaged if we
go down that track. I also feel that it means in some ways non-black
social workers do not feel able to access the information they need
regarding a child's cultural background."
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16.12
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I agree entirely. A child is a child regardless of his or her colour
and he or she must be kept safe. Cultural issues must be considered
but the objective is the safety of the child. The success of Ms
Ackah and Avril and Priscilla Cameron in identifying the worrying
signs that prompted them to seek the intervention of the authorities
may have had much to do with the fact that they treated Victoria
like any other little girl.
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16.13
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This was not an Inquiry into racism. But what cannot be ignored
is that we live in a culturally diverse society and that safeguards
must be in place to ensure that skin colour does not influence either
the assessment of need or the quality of services delivered. That
is the challenge to us all.
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