Identity can be understood as an individual’s concept of who they are and how they define themselves. New open access Research in Practice resources support identity development with minoritised children and young people.

Researchers at Coventry University, led by Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor, were commissioned by the Nuffield Foundation to understand the layered identities of minoritised children and young people in care. They worked with Research in Practice to produce resources for child and family social care practitioners, based on findings from their research.

In a new podcast and blog, key messages from the research are explored. The discussion focuses on the dynamic nature of identity and how practitioners can explore what ethnicity and religion means to children and young people. The team will share their findings in upcoming open access workshops.

A new briefing, and the tools contained within it, offer guidance on how social care practitioners can work with minoritised children and young people to explore their identities, meet their identity needs and promote positive identity development. It provides tools to think about and explore identity with children and young people, including:

• the different layers within their identities.
• how they think, feel and relate to different aspects of their inherited identities.
• how they think about their identities within different contexts, and with different people.

By listening and understanding children and young people’s perspectives around ethnicity, religion and identity we can best meet their needs.

Source:Understanding identity with minoritised children and young people | Research in Practice