The guidance, issued by Diversity and Anti-Racist Professional Learning (Darpl), an educational research organisation based at Cardiff Metropolitan University, advises staff to call 999 and implement lockdown procedures in an emergency. For non-emergencies, nurseries, playgroup leaders and childminders should call 101 to discuss the incident with an officer and 'take relevant action'. Childcare workers are encouraged to record all details of the incident and consider informing their local council.
The guidance defines 'anti-racism' as 'the active commitment to identify and challenge racism and discrimination at an individual, institutional and systemic level'. It also defines 'affinity bias' as unconsciously favouring children and adults who look like, dress, talk or are from the same social class as oneself, and 'white privilege' as inherent advantages possessed by a white person on the basis of their race in a society characterised by racial inequality and injustice.
Darpl receives funding from the Welsh Government and was founded in 2021 as part of its 'Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan' aiming for an 'anti-racist nation' by 2030. The guidance has been backed by the Labour-run Welsh Government, which said in its latest action plan update in November 2024 that Darpl was 'supporting a growing number of practitioners to undertake anti-racist work within their practice'.
If the incident is not deemed a hate crime, staff can discuss what happened with relevant staff, parents or carers and, if appropriate, the children involved. If the action is 'met with resistance', workers should consider a 'disciplinary route' after seeking advice from the Cwlwm consortium of childcare providers. The guidance advises workers to report an incident as 'adult to child', 'systemic racism', 'adult to adult' or 'child to child', and whether it is 'heard', 'reported' or 'observed'. Police reports would normally be for incidents involving adults; those relating to children would mostly be dealt with internally by the provider.
Children under ten cannot legally break the law in the UK, meaning they cannot be arrested, charged or given a criminal record. If children under ten break the law, they can be given a local child curfew, a child safety order or can be taken into care.
It remains unclear what specific incidents have been reported under this guidance, how many nurseries in Wales have implemented it, or whether there are any documented cases of police being called for a child-to-child incident. The Welsh Government's official response to criticism of the guidance has not been detailed.