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Caring for Children Practical advice on caring for a black child. With thanks from http://www.bathnes.gov.uk It is not sufficient that we think about the needs of Black and Minority Ethnic children and young people as merely providing the right foods, skin care and hair products but also to address their emotional and social needs. In looking after Black and Minority Ethnic children and young people we need to respect their variation, and seek balance between familiarity, new experiences and culturally based traditions which is comfortable for the child or young person concerned. Therefore, the care provided to Black Minority Ethnic children and young people should be delivered in a manner that encompasses the following needs: Physical needs, which may include: clothing, hair, skin care, health, food. Emotional needs may include: personal feeling, spiritual, feeling isolated, self-awareness, self-esteem and racial Identity. Cultural needs may include: religion, history, identity, and language. Social needs may include: participating in community groups, involvement with cultural festivals and recreational activities. In implementing good practice, carers need to acknowledge their own personal commitment by: Maintaining their own awareness through training; Respecting Black and Minority Ethnic children and young people's life experiences; Taking into account the particular needs of children and young people in relation to their race, culture, religion and language; valuing each child or young person as an individual with individual needs; Where possible encourage Black children and young people to maintain links with other Black people, e.g. African Caribbean and Asian people; Encourage Black and Minority Ethnic children and young people to find out positive aspects about his or her culture; This document is not intended to stereotype Black and Minority Ethnic children and young people; many may be unaware of any culture other than the British culture. Similarly, others may have different cultures but feel they relate more to the British culture due to the lack of knowledge, understanding and participation within their community groups and separation from their own ethnic group.    Skin Care All children and adults need to pay attention to skin care. People's skin differs in colour, texture and types. However, appropriate care of a Black child or young persons skin is an important part of caring for their well-being and should not be neglected. Black people's skin is often naturally dry due to the climate condition and natural make up of the skin and needs to be cared for by regularly moisturising with creams and lotions. This is even more prevalent during the winter months when the skin is often more at risk from excess dryness, left neglected it can often develop cracks. Not recognising or acknowledging a Black child or young persons need for appropriate skin care products could have a long-term effect on their self-image and self esteem. You can care for a Black individual's skin by obtaining the right products; Using oil based products, body lotions, creams specially developed for Black skins e.g. Cocoa Butter can help to relieve skin dryness and keep skin supple. Some every day body lotions and creams can be used to help relieve skin dryness but are often not as effective; Black skin is very sensitive therefore avoid using alcohol base products as these can further dry the skin. Lotion/creams should be applied on a daily basis (sometimes more than once a day) especially to the face, arms and legs as these areas tend to get very dry. Using bath oils in the bath is also helpful to keep the skin soft. However, care should be taken not to use too much oil as this can make the skin appear greasy; Particular attention should be paid to the skin after showering and bathing, Skin that has not been moisturised can often have an ashen appearance.  Exposure to the Sun Climate changes can affect the skin. It is often thought that because of skin colour Black people cannot get sunburnt. Black people can and do frequently suffer from sunburn if exposed to the sun for long periods. Sun protection creams should be used to protect against sunburn. For babies and young children use a high factor sun cream.   Hair Care In all cultures, hair grooming is an important part of a persons every day personal care and appearance and should not be overlooked. Adolescence is a time of great change that often presents some difficulties. For most young people appearance matters and becomes a real issue, it is important to feel right, and look right, as this often affects the way they are seen by others. Too often the hair care of Black children and young people being looked after is neglected as most workers and carers have little, or no knowledge about it's care and perceive it to be difficult to manage. A foster carer caring for a child of dual heritage (age 3) said  " I did not know where to start with her hair, the social worker wasn't any help, she was with me for several weeks before I got up the courage to ask a Black mother at the school for advice. I knew it needed combing and that is all I did and bunched it into a ponytail, because it was so dry. She gave me some tips on what I should use and now we try a different style every day" Often children who have been removed from their birth families and communities at a young age have not acquired the necessary skills, knowledge and information on how to care for their own hair, e.g. what hair products to use etc and therefore often cannot offer any guidance to their carers. You can assist in the care of a Black or Minority Ethnic child and young person's hair by for example: combing the hair morning and night helps to keep it manageable and free of knots. Use a wide tooth comb for grooming the hair if necessary; hair dryers can be used to dry the hair, hair creams should be applied first and care must be taken not to over dry the hair as this can cause the hair to break; after swimming always shampoo and condition the hair, and use hair creams to moisturise the hair; You will need to be aware that for some Black children and young people because of religious beliefs, hair should not be cut i.e. Rastafarian and Sikhs.   Clothing The way young people dress is often a reflection of their own personal identity, culture, identification with a peer group, or a fashion trend. Some young people their belonging to a particular sports team. Through the cloths or label they wear. Preferring a particular label of clothing shows an alliance to a type of music group or singer. Young people being looked after are no different to other young people in their need to express themselves through dress, and may often experience peer pressure to comfort with the latest street fashion. Other young people who do not dress in the latest fashion or wear the popular label or brand of clothing are made to feel out of fashion and not in with their peers. Children and young people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities have particular clothing which identifies them with the culture of their community, but often some young people choose to dress in clothing like other young people which also reflects their identity with music, sport etc, but modify to maintain the basic understanding of dress in their culture, for example, not showing their legs and bare arms. You can help by raising your own awareness of young people's fashion and latest trends; encouraging young people to develop their own self-image; Having knowledge of the different dress codes belonging to various cultures; Complimenting young people on their choice of dress, make them feel good, about what they are wearing; offer advice to young people about what suits them and what doesn't; accompanying young people when they go shopping for clothes.