What is Adultification
The measure of a society is how it treats its children." – Nelson Mandela
The Urgent Need to Recognise Adultification in Society
A short read, but a very important one, I encourage you to really reflect on how you can make changes.
During training sessions, we frequently ask: "Is your safeguarding truly anti-racist, or is it a one-size-fits-all approach?" One of the most pressing blind spots in safeguarding is adultification, where Black children, particularly Black girls, are viewed as older than they are, leading to them receiving less protection, less care, and less empathy.
I often ask during training, does anyone know this term and 9 times out of 10 people do not know. Why is that? Is it because people are not alert to the impact or that it even takes place. I have seen it in practice, police responses to young people who are racialised black or brown are treated differently. We have seen it in missing cases, and press coverage.
A sad example of this is the incident of Child Q, a 15-year-old Black girl who was stripped and searched by police at school without an appropriate adult present. The Child Q Safeguarding Review found that racism was a likely factor in the dehumanisation she experienced. Her innocence was erased, and her distress dismissed, ignored, and she was no longer a 15 year old girl who deserved protection, sadly something that is all too common for Black children. Link can be found at the bottom of the page.
How Adultification Affects Safeguarding
When safeguarding professionals unconsciously view Black children as more resilient, more streetwise, or less vulnerable, they fail to respond with the care and protection all children deserve. Research shows:
Black girls are perceived as needing less comfort and support than their white peers (Davis and Marsh, 2020; The Children's Society, 2022).
The language used in reports and safeguarding assessments often reflects these biases—terms like streetwise, mature for their age, or difficult reinforce stereotypes and reduce safeguarding responses.
The hyper-criminalisation of Black children means they are more likely to be treated as perpetrators rather than victims, a pattern we see repeatedly in policing and media narratives.
We see this bias in high-profile cases:
The treatment of Black schoolchildren by police, where Black students are disproportionately stopped and searched.
The way the media reports on missing Black children compared to their white peers, often with less urgency and concern.
What Room is Left for Vulnerability?
When Black children are seen as more adult-like, where is the space for them to be vulnerable? If they are not recognised as needing protection, how can we safeguard them effectively?
We encourage you to pause and reflect:
When you think of innocence,
What image comes to mind?
Who do you picture?
The answers to these questions often reveal deep-seated biases that shape our safeguarding decisions.
Does Your Organisation Understand This?
If you are a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or work with young people, ask yourself:
Are we aware of adultification bias?
Are safeguarding responses in our setting equitable for all children/young people?
Do we challenge biased language in our reports and assessments?
Does our training cover Adultification?
Have I heard the word before? If not, why not?
Join Us for a Short Training on Adultification
We are hosting a 1-hour overview session on adultification to help safeguarding professionals better understand and address this issue. If you’re interested in attending, in June please get in touch.
Let’s ensure safeguarding is truly for all children, without bias, without exception.
Further reading resources available
Safeguarding children from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities | NSPCC Learning
