Working with and supporting minority ethnic heritage parents in schools

Abstract

Britain is a multicultural society with a population with diverse beliefs, religions and cultural heritage (Akbar & Woods, 2019). Increased awareness of Social Justice and the need for all groups and minorities to be represented within research has led to a growth in research exploring the experience of different groups. International and UK guidance and legislation recommend that parents are included in processes to support their child and that professionals work with families. However, a lack of understanding of how cultural differences can affect families has been identified as a barrier to them working with educational professionals. Paper one is a systematic literature review which aims to explore ways of working with parents/carers from minority ethnic heritage (MEH) backgrounds in schools. Following PRISMA guidelines, ten studies were identified and critically appraised. A thematic synthesis was carried out, resulting in four analytical themes highlighting good practice when working with parents from MEH backgrounds: equal partnership; communication and collaboration; cultural wealth/strengths; and using creative and/or structured approaches. Paper two details an empirical study in which six Asian British parents of autistic children attending a mainstream primary school in the north of England took part in a participatory action research project. Over a series of focus groups, participants agreed on the research focus and methods. The research explored how much parents felt part of the whole-school community and how to facilitate more effective communication and collaboration between parents and school staff. Actions for the short, medium and long term were agreed with school leaders and some were put in place. The research has implications for how education professionals can support and work with Asian British parents of autistic children. Paper three presents a dissemination plan for papers one and two and discusses implications for culturally competent professional practice with Asian British parents.

Date of Award	6 Jan 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Cathy Atkinson (Supervisor) & Adam Rumble (Supervisor)