Mixed-race children ‘are being failed’ in treatment of mental health problemsPosted in Articles, Media Archive, Social Work, United Kingdom on 2014-02-23 20:00Z by Steven |
Mixed-race children ‘are being failed’ in treatment of mental health problems
The Guardian
2014-02-22
Tracy McVeigh, Chief Reporter
The Observer
The fastest growing ethnic group in Britain is still being treated as if it is only integrated into black culture, says report
Children of mixed race are at greater risk of suffering from mental health problems and are not getting the support they need, says a report.
Despite mixed-race children belonging to the fastest-growing ethnic group, the research, backed by the National Children’s Bureau, found that they faced “unrealistic” expectations from teachers and other adults who did not understand their backgrounds.
While mixed-race young people are over represented in the care, youth justice and child protection systems, the authors said they were “invisible” in public service practice and policy.
The report – Mixed Experiences – growing up mixed race: mental health and wellbeing – drew on several studies and interviews with 21 people about their experiences as children.
Co-author Dinah Morley was concerned at the lack of understanding over what it meant to be mixed race, a group most likely to suffer racism. “I was surprised at how much racism, from black and white people, had come their way,” she said. “A lot of children were seen as black when they might be being raised by a white single parent and had no understanding of the black culture. The default position for a child of mixed race is that they are black.”…
Read the entire article here.