An investigation into a reported incident of racial abuse at Nottingham Castle found the Trust which runs the landmark had failed in areas including safeguarding.
A child was reported to have racially abused Panya Banjoko's two grandchildren, then aged 7 and 11, in a play area at the Castle on August 17 2021.
A dispute then followed between two families.
Ms Banjoko had taken them to see her exhibition entitled 'Don't Blame the Blacks'.
Nottinghamshire Police investigated the incident, but no further action was taken because the accused child had severe ADHD and is below the age of criminal culpability, and there was no CCTV of the incident itself, only the aftermath.
Ms Banjoko is a curator at Nottingham Castle, but says she is currently withholding her services, and is a PhD researcher at Nottingham Trent University.
She formally complained about the way the incident was handled by Nottingham Castle staff, as she felt safeguarding procedures were not met and complained at the lack of an anti-racism statement among other areas.
An independent investigation was carried out by The People Factor into how the incident was handled.
In a section of the investigation report entitled 'critical findings', seen by Nottinghamshire Live, it states: "Staff failed to put into practice the organisation's published Policy and Procedures for Children and Young People.
"The written complaint received was not managed in accordance with NCT's (Nottingham Castle Trust) Complaints Policy.
"We did not find that the staff of NC (Nottingham Castle) failed to assist the complainant and her family.
"We believe things should have been done different with regards to what occurred, and that those things could have substantially changed the outcome of how things were handled.
"We conclude that staff of NC failed to enact the safeguarding procedures on the website of NC.
"We find almost entirely in favour of the complainant and advise that the lessons learned from this incident are translated into an appropriate action plan."
Ms Banjoko said she is 'satisfied' with the report's findings.
Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live, she said: "I'm satisfied that it has shown what I knew from the start, that no-one at the Castle had a clue about safeguarding and that they were inadequate on the day.
"I am not pleased about the trustees who are managing the site, and the leadership that have played their part in an investigation which was prolonged to seven months.
"I want to see the Castle implement the recommendations detailed in the critical findings section of the report, with signage telling visitors racism will not be tolerated, and I want to see it more visibly on the website too."
A separate investigation cleared Nottingham Castle of any 'wrongdoing' in relation to a letter penned by several current and former employees of colour in which they claimed there was an 'environment of fear'.
A spokesperson for Nottingham Castle Trust Board said: "Ms Banjoko was the first to be presented with the full report by email on February 5 but has not yet responded to the conclusions.
"We recognise that she is under no obligation to do so and that the recommendations are for us to continue to action.
"We have faced pressure to release the findings earlier than we would have liked but hope that today's statement makes the conclusions and the positive action that has already been taken clear.
"To clarify, this report followed a separate police investigation into an allegation of racism against one of the two families involved.
"None of the Castle staff were involved in, nor witnessed, this incident, and the police closed their enquiry due to lack of evidence and due to this being a safeguarding incident.
"This matter therefore formed no part of the Trust's report.
"Before touching on the conclusions made and the learnings that are being actioned, we want to formally apologise to both families.
"It is clear the incident could have been handled in a way that they would have felt better supported, and staff felt more prepared, potentially creating a better outcome for all parties.
"We apologise to our team who faced this difficult situation without that specialist training and to both families who trusted that this had been completed before their visit to the Castle.
"There are a range of findings and recommendations that we accept and are now part of a clear action plan.
"In summary, the report did not find that staff failed to assist the complainant and her family, police were correctly called, and staff did their best to take care of all children involved and did act positively in numerous ways.
"There are significant lessons that have been learned.
"An interim anti-racism statement is being presented to the internal EDI Group for endorsement, prior to the Group working together on a more detailed policy.
"The Trust’s senior leadership team is well on track to addressing the report’s conclusions, prioritising support to the team that is at the heart of the Castle’s success and implementing ways to better represent and include the wider Nottingham community in everything the Castle offers."
Leader of Nottingham City Council, Councillor David Mellen, said: “We welcome the findings of the independent report which was commissioned by the Castle management and are pleased to see that a full apology has been given. This must have been an extremely distressing experience for Panya, her family and also for castle staff and we need to be absolutely clear that any discriminatory behaviour cannot and will not be tolerated.
“We will continue to be in regular contact with the Castle leadership to get the necessary assurances about the management and stewardship of the Castle and it is our expectation that the report’s recommendations are implemented in full so the Castle can move forward with renewed focus on a safe and welcoming environment for all visitors and staff.”
Ms Banjoko plans to protest outside Nottingham Castle on March 5.
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