Ensuring that children’s services effectively support diverse communities requires a deep commitment to cultural competence, anti-racism, and inclusion. This chapter explores initiatives that equip practitioners with the skills, knowledge, and frameworks to engage meaningfully with children, young people, and families from different cultural backgrounds while embedding these practices into policy and service delivery.
Collectively, the initiatives in this chapter demonstrate the increasing commitment of children’s services to equity and inclusion. By striving for cultural competence, diversity and inclusion, service providers can create environments that genuinely celebrate diversity while ensuring equitable outcomes for all children and families.
Projects featured in this chapter
Anti-racist framework for decision-making and transitioning children from minoritised racial and ethnic groups into transracial adoptive families (AFDiT)
By Cane, T., Puhan, S., Ruch, G., & Wilson, M.
An approach developed by Dr. Tam Cane and colleagues to support social workers and adoptive families in addressing the identity needs of minoritised ethnic children in transracial adoptions. It encompasses principles, models, and decision values aimed at promoting cultural responsiveness, anti-racism, and comprehensive support throughout the adoption process.
Children’s Services Tackling Structural Racism Action Group
By the Royal Borough of Greenwich
An action group aiming to challenge systemic inequalities, promote inclusivity, and ensure equitable opportunities and outcomes for children, families, and staff. Through anti-racist training, sharing lived experiences, and promoting diversity in recruitment and career progression, the TSR Action Group is an important driver of change in Greenwich.
Strengths-based, relational practice with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities
By Durham County Council
A relational and trauma aware practice framework to support Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller children, young people and families, emphasising cultural competence, sensitivity, and building trust. Key initiatives include cultural competence training for staff, multi-agency safeguarding meetings, and community engagement efforts to build trust and improve outcomes for GRT children and families.
Anti-Racist Practice Strategy
By Essex County Council
A comprehensive plan to embed anti-racist principles within Children and Families services. The strategy focuses on leadership accountability, policy reform, workforce diversification, and the development of culturally competent practices, aiming to address systemic racism and promote racial equity across the organisation.
Don’t Stand By, Step In
By Redbridge Council
An initiative aimed at addressing women’s safety and tackling sexual harassment, equipping young people with the tools to become ‘active bystanders’.
Violence against Women and Girls Prevention Pilot
By Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council and Talk Listen Change, a registered charity
A pilot programme to educate young people about what constitutes violence against women and girls, and what its effects are.
Family Harmony Toolkit
By Coram, a registered charity
A framework to help practitioners support families to reduce the impact of harmful conflict on children’s mental health. The toolkit provides practical resources, including session guides and activities that draw from family therapy, music therapy, and art therapy interventions.
AI tools to support co-parent communication
By Relate at Family Action, a company limited by guarantee
A suite of AI tools designed to support separated parents, couples, and carers in improving communication, reducing conflict, and fostering positive relationships.
This report, the third to be produced by Coram’s Innovation Incubator, seeks to collate projects and approaches developed from across the sector in a bid to tackle key challenges faced by children’s services by thinking in new ways. It offers a space for lessons to be shared, products and approaches to be known about and the opportunity to celebrate the people effecting change across the country as a collective force for positive change.
Download the full report here.
About the Coram Innovation Incubator
Children’s chances in life still depend on where they live and who they live with, and 2.3 million children are living with risk in the UK. In the digital-first generation, up to 1 in 6 children face mental health challenges. Resources available do not reflect the scale of need and there are unacceptable variations in availability and quality of services, education and childcare.
The Coram Innovation Incubator exists to meet these challenges. As a membership organisation for leaders and managers within children’s services, we support our members to develop, test, evaluate and scale innovative solutions that improve the quality and impact of children’s services. We facilitate, celebrate and catalyse innovations that lead to significant and sustained impacts on children’s life chances.
Innovation is the creation or adoption of new ideas, methods, or products. It encompasses both technological advancements and novel approaches in various fields. Innovation is the catalyst for positive change. It fuels progress, fosters economic development and shapes our future.
“Being part of the Coram Innovation Incubator has been absolutely beneficial to us. We have learned so much along the way and the generating and sharing of ideas, has encouraged innovation within our LA.” –Aneesa Kaprie, Transformation Lead, London Borough of Bromley
How you can innovate further
Become a member of the Coram Innovation Incubator with access to innovation coaching and innovation project partnership.
Attend our upcoming event: From Insight to Impact: AI, Intersectionality, and the Future of Children’s Services on Monday 15 September 2025.
Get in touch with us to tell us about any promising innovations you’ve seen from across the sector.
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