Social work has often been reluctant to recognise the part we play in the sustaining of societal injustice. We have preferred to address racism and other discrimination at a practice level. Whilst this is important, we also need to address the systemic and institutional pathways within our profession. The responsibility for working to address the harms of racism within social work continues visibly to be held by Black leaders. Yet as Tedam states,

‘If anti-racism is concerned with identifying, challenging and changing the values, structures, and behaviours that perpetuate systemic racism, then It is crucial that all social workers show commitment and are involved in this process’ (2020: 104).

In Shattered Bonds, published in 2002, Professor Dorothy Roberts wrote specifically about black children in ‘care’ in the US and the experiences of their families. Shattered Bonds demonstrates how racism and poverty function to create a ‘child welfare’ system that can…