Protecting children from racism: urgent health system actions

According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, all children have the right to the highest attainable standard of health “without discrimination of any kind”.1 The UK has committed to upholding this right. [...]the racist construction of criminality within social and mental health services shapes Black children's pathways to accessing mental health care.5 Compared with White children, Black children are more likely to be referred to mental health care through social services and the policing system, and these referrals are less likely to be voluntary,6 often contributing to a lack of trust in health-care systems. There are enough resources to be able to provide the right health care for all children; we simply have to prioritise them.9 DD is the Director of Race & Health, within the UCL Institute for Global Health.