Identity

In order to understand other people’s identity we need to understand our own. This helps us to identify whether there are differences between us and the children that we care for and their families and whether there are gaps that can be bridged. You and your family should try and spend some time thinking about this before you start caring.

A person's identity is important particularly for black and minority ethnic children and can be made up of a mixture of the things below:

• How we look including our skin colour;
• How we dress;
• How we sound;
• Our views;
• Our family values;
• Our religious beliefs;
• Our family history and background;
• How we form relationships including our sexual orientation.

It is important for you to develop and promote a child/young person's identity. It is vital that you uphold and develop the child's identity particularly when they are not living with their own family or else they lose who they are. Within our own culture we often do this without thinking.

This will be helped by understanding the child/young person's background and should be addressed in the Placement Plan at the start of their placement about how this will be done.

Where children are placed with you from different backgrounds or cultures, the Fostering Service will provide additional training and support and information. This will make sure that the child/young person receives the best possible care to develop a positive understanding of their background and heritage.

You should endeavour to:

• Provide an environment in which a child is comfortable;
• Promote positive black and minority ethnic images and role models;
• Provide visual illustration which promotes discussion of issues of difference; ethnicity, culture, religion and language;
• Talk about issues of identity.

Black children will have particular practical needs in relation to their identity. Their hair and skin care may be different, toys and educational material such as books and DVDs should reflect black people. These will promote their sense of black identity.

You should look for ways in which you can promote the child's identity. Discuss this with your Supervising Social Worker and the child's Social Worker. This information will be important should the child return home or move to another carer. 

Culture is part of a child's/young person's identity and heritage. You should respect and value a child's cultural heritage.

Culture describes the way people live their lives. Culture is based on many different factors, memories, common experience, background, language, racial identity, class, religion and family attitudes etc.

Sometimes conflicts arise in foster homes between the way you are used to living and the ways that the child/young person are used to. Dilemmas arise about what is the right thing to do for example when a young person doesn't want to follow the way that is expected of them and there are rarely easy answers when sorting these problems out. You should talk to the child and their family (where appropriate) to try and understand what their views are and find a way forward. Help can also be provided by your Supervising Social Worker and/or the child's Social Worker.

Some Looked After Children may reject their cultural and religious background, for some it may be mixed with feelings about abuse or negative past experiences. Every effort though must be made to give the child a positive sense of their heritage and culture, as this is central to their sense of personal identity.

Where it has not possible to make a placement which entirely reflects the child's race and culture, an Independent Visitor could provide a link with the child's racial and cultural background.

The religious upbringing of a Looked After Child is very important.

The right to determine the child's religion is one of the rights all birth parents retain for whatever reason the child comes to live with you.

In many cases, parents do not express strong preferences, but when they do this will be reflected in the choice of a foster family for the child.

A placement with a family of similar ethnic origins and culture is most likely to meet a child's needs as fully as possible, and to safeguard their welfare most effectively.

Black and minority ethnic children will have particular practical needs in relation to their identity. Their hair and skin care may be different, toys and educational material such as books and DVDs and birthday cards should reflect black people, culture and identity in a positive way. These will promote a positive sense of identity.

When the child is placed with you, it would be useful to talk to the child’s birth family or their social worker about the kind of things that are important to them and that they may be used to having in the family home. This may be to do with food or it may be their skin and hair care. You could find out how to cook particular dishes and introduce them to the rest of the family which also helps to extend their understanding and experiences.

Skin care is generally important to everyone but is really important to black children as it is naturally dry and needs to be creamed regularly, more so in winter months. You should try and find out what they already use or try oil based products e.g. cocoa butter.

Hair care for black children and mixed heritage children is different to European children and should generally only be washed once a week and will usually need special products. Again try and talk to either the birth family or the child’s social worker for specific details. Some children because of religious beliefs should not have their hair cut e.g. Rastafarians and Sikhs.

You should be aware that it is possible that a child whose first language is not English may be placed with you. Language is an important part of a child's identity and culture. Every effort should be made to preserve a child's linguistic and communication skills, otherwise they may lose a large part of their culture.

If you need more information or advice about a child's cultural and linguistic needs contact the child's Social Worker or your Supervising Social Worker.

Ask about the Interpretation and Translation service.

The five main languages that the Interpretation and Translation Service can offer support with are:

• Urdu;
• Chinese;
• Arabic;
• Farsi;
• French.

Due to the constant changes in the community, there is also some support with the following languages:

• Slovak;
• Czech;
• Kurdish;
• Portuguese;
• Roma.

This may seem a strange place to have this subject but a person's disability is a part of who they are and the arrangements that are made to meet their needs are a part of respecting their identity.

Some young people may identify as transgender (i.e. as a different gender from their birth gender) or as non-binary (they may not identify as either male or female). Girls, boys and transgender/non- binary young people should receive equal opportunities and encouragement to pursue their talents, interests and hobbies. Sexist stereotypes of behaviour must not be imposed or condoned, for example there should be equal expectations that boys and girls will participate in domestic tasks.

Young people who are experiencing gender identity issues should, in general, be given space and support to develop their own gender identity, However it is important that they are protected from adverse effects such as bullying and discrimination.

Some young people may wish to discuss specialist medical intervention, or may require specialist support. Discuss this with your Supervising Social Worker and the child’s social worker.

It is useful to think about all the things a child or young person comes into contact with. For example, toys books and posters. Do they have positive images of children who are from a different race or who have a disability?

This may seem like a small thing but it can have a big impact on a child if for instance all they see are images of white children and they are black, this is also important for things like birthday cards.