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Our mission is to create brighter futures for children and young people. We do this by providing fostering, residential and support services where children and young people can feel safe and cared for. We support them to make positive relationships which give them the confidence to succeed.
Race based hair discrimination is still happening in the UK despite it being illegal since the Equalities Act became law in 2010. Sadly, Black people in the UK and Isle of Man are still being told that their hair textures and hairstyles are inappropriate, unattractive and unprofessional.
Young people have been suspended from school for fades, locs, braids and natural afros and according to the Halo 58% of Black young people have reported negative experiences at school related to their hair.
Equally, many Black adults experience being held back in their careers and/or are pressured to conform to certain hairstyles; while 1 in 5 Black women report feeling societal pressure to straighten their hair for work. Although overt discrimination is not legal, there are often powerful unspoken rules and dress codes in organisations, which can make it uncomfortable or impossible to be your true self at work.
At St Christopher’s we believe that no one should have to change their natural or protective hairstyle in order to thrive. To make our commitment to this clear we have adopted the Halo Code and are proud to be part of the Halo Collective – an alliance of organisations working towards a future without hair discrimination.
The Halo Code
St Christopher’s champions the right of staff to embrace all Afro-hairstyles. We acknowledge that Afro-textured hair is an important part of our Black employees’ racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious identities, and requires specific styling for hair health and maintenance.
We celebrate Afro-textured hair worn in all styles including, but not limited to, afros, locs, twists, braids, cornrows, fades, hair straightened through the application of heat or chemicals, weaves, wigs, headscarves, and wraps.
At St Christopher’s, we recognise and celebrate our colleagues’ identities. We are a community built on an ethos of equality and respect where hair texture and style have no bearing on an employee’s ability to succeed.
For more information and resources that you can use to support young people, colleagues and your community please look at the Halo Collective website.
We hope that adopting the Halo Code will move us one step closer to a world free from discrimination, where all Black members of our community have their identities fully recognised and celebrated.