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Culture, heritage and safeguarding

Learning from local and national safeguarding reviews highlights that while a family's ethnicity is often recorded, there can be insufficient exploration of culture, heritage and identity within assessments. This can result in practitioners missing important information about a child's lived experience, misunderstanding family circumstances, or failing to recognise safeguarding concerns.

Effective safeguarding requires practitioners to move beyond recording demographic information and develop a meaningful understanding of the child's cultural background, family history, heritage, beliefs, traditions and experiences. By doing so, practitioners can build a fuller picture of the factors that may influence a child's safety, wellbeing, identity and development.

Why culture and heritage matter

A child's culture and heritage form an important part of their identity. They can influence family relationships, parenting approaches, communication styles, expectations of children, attitudes towards education, help-seeking behaviours and experiences of discrimination or exclusion.

Understanding culture and heritage helps practitioners to:

  • Better understand the child's lived experience
  • Recognise strengths and protective factors within families and communities
  • Identify risks and safeguarding concerns that may otherwise be overlooked
  • Build trust and engagement with children, young people and their families
  • Ensure assessments, plans and interventions are responsive to individual needs

Practitioners should be curious about each family's unique experiences and avoid making assumptions based on ethnicity, religion, nationality, language or cultural background.

Going beyond ethnicity

Recording a family's ethnicity is important, but it should not be the endpoint of cultural understanding.

Assessments should seek to understand:

  • What culture and heritage mean to the child and family
  • Family traditions, customs and values
  • Languages spoken at home
  • Religious or spiritual beliefs and practices
  • Migration history and settlement experiences
  • Experiences of racism, discrimination or social exclusion
  • Community networks and sources of support
  • The child's sense of belonging and identity
  • Differences in cultural views and expectations between generations

The aim is not to become an expert in a particular culture, but to understand how culture shapes the experiences of this child and family.

Understanding safeguarding in diverse communities

Reviews have identified examples where safeguarding concerns were not recognised because practitioners lacked understanding of the family's cultural context. In some cases, professionals were hesitant to explore sensitive issues for fear of causing offence. In others, assumptions led to concerns being minimised or overlooked.

Safeguarding concerns should never be dismissed as simply being part of a family's culture, tradition or belief system.

Practitioners should remain professionally curious and consider:

  • What is the impact on the child?
  • Is this practice affecting the child's safety, wellbeing or development?
  • Are there indicators of harm that require further exploration?
  • Would the same concern be viewed differently if it occurred in another family?

A culturally informed assessment recognises and respects diversity while maintaining a clear focus on the child's welfare and safety.

Working with families who may be wary of support

Some families may be reluctant to engage with services due to previous experiences, fear of authority, concerns about discrimination, immigration experiences, language barriers or stigma within communities.

Practitioners should make active efforts to build trusting relationships by:

  • Taking time to understand the family's perspective
  • Listening without judgement
  • Being open about the purpose of involvement
  • Using interpreters when needed rather than relying on family members
  • Explaining processes clearly and checking understanding
  • Recognising and challenging their own assumptions and biases
  • Building on family strengths and existing support networks

Families are more likely to engage when they feel respected, heard and understood.

Questions to support assessment

Alongside other assessment tools, practitioners may find it helpful to ask:

Identity and heritage

  • How would you describe your family's cultural background?
  • What traditions or customs are important to your family?
  • What does heritage mean to you and your child?
  • Are there important cultural events or celebrations in family life?

Family and community

  • Who provides support to your family?
  • Are there community groups, faith organisations or cultural networks that are important to you?
  • Who would you turn to in a crisis?

Experiences and understanding

  • Have there been experiences of racism, discrimination or exclusion that have affected your family?
  • Are there cultural beliefs that influence parenting or family life?
  • How do children learn about their culture and identity?

The child's voice

  • What is important about your culture, heritage or identity?
  • Do you feel connected to your culture and community?
  • Who helps you understand where you come from?
  • Is there anything that makes you feel different, excluded or unsafe?

Reflective questions for practitioners

Before concluding an assessment, consider:

  • Have I explored culture and heritage beyond recording ethnicity?
  • What do I know about the family's lived experiences?
  • Have I considered the impact of racism, discrimination or exclusion?
  • Am I making assumptions based on my own beliefs, experiences or cultural norms?
  • What strengths exist within the family's culture, heritage and community networks?
  • Have I considered whether cultural factors may be influencing engagement with services?
  • Can I evidence how cultural context has informed my analysis and decision-making?
  • Does my assessment demonstrate a clear understanding of the child's identity and lived experience?

What good practice looks like

Good practice means practitioners:

  • Explore culture, heritage and identity as part of every assessment
  • Understand the child's unique lived experience rather than relying on assumptions
  • Remain professionally curious about family circumstances
  • Recognise both strengths and risks within cultural and community contexts
  • Consider the impact of discrimination, exclusion and inequality
  • Use culturally responsive approaches to engagement and support
  • Ensure safeguarding concerns are identified and addressed consistently for all children
  • Keep the child's voice and experience at the centre of assessment and decision-making

Understanding culture and heritage is not an additional aspect of safeguarding practice. It is an essential part of understanding the child, their family and the world in which they live. A culturally informed assessment enables practitioners to identify need, recognise risk and provide support that is both effective and meaningful.

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