Supporting people in communities affected by violence

We have been deeply concerned by reports of racism, violence, intimidation and fear affecting children and families in Northern Ireland, as well as distressing events and misinformation in England following the recent trial relating to the death of Henry Nowak. These escalations come amid an already hostile political and social environment for Black and Global Majority communities.

As an organisation working across the UK, we stand in solidarity with colleagues, partners and communities affected. We recognise the fear and uncertainty that many are experiencing and the impact this has on children’s wellbeing, safety and rights.

At the heart of this are children and families whose safety and sense of belonging are being affected. We are dismayed by reports of Black and Global Majority families being targeted and displaced, and we are extremely concerned that children are not being adequately protected.

We strive to advance inclusivity, equity and diversity through our work at the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) and our NCB family, including addressing misinformation and our commitment to becoming an anti-racist organisation. 

This means looking to address the systemic racism that we know children, adults and families face and compounds many of the other challenges we try and support them with. We want to take every opportunity to highlight this and offer evidence-informed solutions that take an anti-racist approach and trauma-informed approach.

The violence and fear in recent weeks is a high-profile version of a general reality for too many people – an undercurrent of racism and anti-immigrant scapegoating that is tacitly accepted, if not actively encouraged, by politicians, media and others in power. 

All too often this is evident in the forms of violence and intimidation – but it also shows up in less obvious but still extremely harmful forms, such as government policy. At NCB we will continue to highlight these and call for change, such as campaigning to end the ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ rule that drives many children of migrant families into poverty. 

We also know that communities currently have less legal protection from racial harassment in Northern Ireland (NI) than in the rest of the UK. The Equality Act 2010 offers greater protection in law, however in NI the Race Relations (NI) Order 1997 is still relied upon.

The equality commission have pointed out these gaps and we agree with their recommendation for a 'reform of race equality law'. Specifically, to 'clarify, simplify, harmonise and strengthen legal protections against discrimination'.

Active support 

All those not directly affected can be supporting people as friends, colleagues and communities during racist and Islamophobic violence. Resources such as this one have helpful recommendations on how. Organisations such as the UK Trauma Council also have resources to directly support children and young people after potentially traumatic events and Contact are available to offer support, advice and information to families of disabled children in NI.

We know many professionals across the children’s and adults’ workforce are working to support communities affected. We have brought together the following resources from across the NCB family to focus on violence prevention, supporting people at risk, practitioner wellbeing, trauma-informed leadership, and addressing systemic racism. 

At NCB we are also continuing to work to improve diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) across our organisation. Following the launch of our four year DEI plan last year, we have updated this with a continued focus on becoming anti-racist. We are looking at our own recruitment practices to ensure we remove as much bias as possible and making sure all our staff feel a sense of belonging and inclusion during a difficult political context.

Our resources 

Violence prevention, supporting at risk groups, practitioner wellbeing, trauma-informed leadership, and addressing systemic racism

We have brought together resources from across the NCB family to support professionals and those in communities with some of these issues:

Addressing systemic racism and promoting anti-racism

Tackling the roots of racism is challenging and complex. A Strategic Briefing on anti-racist systems leadership to address systemic racism aims to support leaders in understanding how racism is constructed and can be perpetuated in policies, tools and practice. The Research in Practice briefing signposts to research and resources, and shows the multi-layered impact of racism in communities, workforces, and public systems.  

The promoting anti-racism in social work presentation also examines key issues around racism and inequality, inviting us to reflect on our own thoughts, feelings and behaviours as practitioners, leaders and allies.  

Listen to podcast about the key elements of anti-racist systems leadership. Dez Holmes talks to Meera Spillett, former Director of Children’s Services and social worker, with over 40 years’ experience in social care, education and public sector partnerships.

Leading and embedding trauma-informed practice

A Strategic Briefing on embedding a trauma-informed approach to support staff wellbeing in children’s social care considers what a trauma-informed approach looks like at an organisational level and why the approach is important for the organisation, the workforce and the children and families that professionals work with. It also contains many applicable messages for adult services. 

A Leaders' Briefing on developing and leading trauma-informed practice offers a framework for a common set of values, knowledge and language across services, including social care, health, education, housing and criminal justice.  

Supporting at risk groups

Some children and young people are more likely to experience bullying. The Anti-Bullying Alliance has brought together resources and tools to help you support them. This includes children and young people who are refugees and racist and faith targeted bullying. 

These are designed to raise awareness of the experiences that children and young people may face in schools, to improve understanding of what constitutes racist and faith targeted bullying, and to support schools, families and others to take appropriate action to prevent and respond accordingly.

Supporting practitioner wellbeing

A guide on supporting practitioner wellbeing aims to support you to repair, maintain, grow and sustain your mental health and wellbeing, to allow you to flourish and continue to support others effectively in your professional practice.  

Drawing on research and resources this guide will help you develop a self-care action plan and assemble a personalised toolbox of strategies that will support your physical, mental and social wellbeing. 

Violence prevention, crisis and conflict

The Violence Prevention Toolkit offers a summary of the best available research evidence on approaches to preventing children and young people’s involvement in violence. It tells you about the average impact of each approach, the quality of the evidence, and the average cost.

This work is in partnership with the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) as an Evidence Synthesis Partner. 

The Child Bereavement Network also signposts to sources of support for children and families affected by crisis and conflict in different circumstances.