An analysis of families of African origin, who feel at risk of accusations of abuse, whether investigated or not, and stakeholders’ perspectives

This thesis was motivated by a desire to understand Black African children's disproportionate representation in the care system. It also explores why care leavers are overrepresented in the youth criminal justice system and in custody. The overrepresentation of African children in the social care system has been empirically linked to child abuse and neglect and the child protection team's cultural incompetence. The stakeholders respond to abuse/neglect through intervention, which, in some cases, leads to the removal of children from home. Henceforth, the thesis demonstrates that the care system has not benefited African children and revealed systematic inequalities within the social care and criminal justice system. Both the existing literature and the findings of this study offer consistent indications about parents' perception of a thin line between child abuse and discipline. Parents exceed the expected threshold while applying physical discipline, chastisement potentially reaching the abuse threshold. The research explores some of the reasons the social workers ultimately felt compelled to remove children from their homes.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted over the course of one year in first-generation African immigrant families, social workers, and other professionals involved in the multiagency concerning child safeguarding, such as the police and psychologists. Under the parenting findings, five main themes emerged, mainly about parenting methods and parent’s expectations of their children. In the context of long-established culture and beliefs, respecting one's elders was the central expectation of African families. The study highlighted the discipline methods used by African parents on regulating children's behaviours, encouraged by cultural and Christian beliefs. It also stressed the tension between parents and their adolescent children, resulting in drawing social services' attention. African parents expressed their discontent over being stigmatised as incompetent parents within the Eurocentric approach. They argued that the system sets them up to fail because nothing prepares migrant families about the British expectations of childrearing. As a result, they believed it to be an intentional, systematic way to disempower migrant parents from efficiently raising their children without fear. This thesis exposed the tension between the parents and stakeholders, which left social workers' jobs interpreted as 'people who are purposely hunting for children and put them into the care system.' The interviews with parents emphasised the helplessness of parents, the fear instilled, and suspicions of stakeholders.

Four main themes emerged from professionals' findings, which stressed social workers' conflicts in their profession. Mainly, the conflict lies with African social workers who find it challenging to remove African families' children. Such social workers argued that such parents’ child-rearing methods were the same methods which their own parents applied, and that they were convinced of the approach's effectiveness and ultimate positive outcome. Social workers were categorised into two groups, one of those in academic settings particularly social worker trainers and researchers; whose views suggested that overrepresentation of African children in the care were mainly caused by large disparities and deprivation. African children in the care as mainly caused by large disparities and deprivation. They argued that Africans were most likely to have lived in poor neighbourhoods. Contrarily, the front liners emphasized the combination of social workers' cultural incompetence and poor parenting as a significant factor of disproportionate African children's care.

As to the disproportionate numbers of care leavers in the youth criminal justice system, psychologists suggested that such groups lacked bonding experiences with their parents. This implies that lack of attachment at an early age encourages deviant behaviour. The research exposed the tension between African pupils and teachers. Moreover, psychologists suggested that schools were seen as institutions where African children experienced discrimination at an early stage of life. Furthermore, psychologists concluded that African boys were disadvantaged in various ways, including the pressure of meeting family expectations and being prone to school exclusion or suspension. This thesis concluded the existence of Eurocentric approach on safeguarding, interventions, and cultural incompetence of some practitioners. This contributes to the overrepresentation of African children in the care system.

This study suggests that reforms in the child protection approach are unlikely to succeed without considering and rewriting laws that accommodated other cultures. African parents must be educated on the expectations surrounding child-rearing prior to any intervention. The research findings aimed to contribute to both parents' and practitioners' knowledge and the experiences of children who are involved in safeguarding concerns.

The research took a broad approach to an analysis of African origin families, who felt at risk of accusations of abuse, whether investigated or not, and stakeholders' perspectives.  This research acknowledges that many people in the field of social work do outstanding work.