Welsh nurseries have been advised to report children for “racist incidents” in guidance backed by the Labour Government.The taxpayer-funded guidance for childminders aims to make nurseries and play groups “anti-racist” environments. Childcare workers are advised to call police if a “racist incident” occurs that could be deemed a hate crime. Advised actions include calling 999 for emergencies, or otherwise speaking to police officers and taking “relevant action in conjunction with the police, ensuring you record all details of the incident”. If the incident is not a hate crime, childcare workers can instead take steps including offering “age-appropriate learning support opportunities for the perpetrator”.
If the incident is not a hate crime, childcare workers can instead take steps including offering “age-appropriate learning support opportunities for the perpetrator”. Should this be “met with resistance”, childcare workers are advised to draw up a “disciplinary route”, with various outcomes explained in a flowchart. Those in the childcare, play and early years sector in Wales work with children aged 12 and below, including babies and toddlers. The guidance advises staff in playgroups and other settings to conduct an “understanding audit” and to ask themselves, on a scale of one to five, how well they “understand what white privilege is and how it can affect my life and the lives of others”. Childcare professionals are advised to audit their spaces to ensure that books, dolls, posters and displays are suitably diverse, and to “make sure your anti-racist stance is visible”, including in snacks provided. The guidance also tells workers: “Toileting practices vary across cultures. These practices may be very different from your own, but it does not make them unsanitary or incorrect.”