Presentation to Children’s Administration CW SupervisorsMarch 19, 2009Lyman Legters and George GonzalezCasey Family Programs

Opening Comments Definitions/National Data/History of

Disproportionality in Child Welfare Dr. Carol Spigner video – 55 minutes

King County/Washington State Direct Service Response

Knowing Who You Are video Open Dialogue/Sharing

Disproportionality

Over-or-under-representation of children of color under age 18 in foster care compared to their representation in the general population (Race Matters Consortium).

Disparity

Disparate or inequitable treatment, services and outcomes for children of color as compared to those provided and experienced by similarly situated Caucasian children (Race Matters Consortium).

Racial Equity

A social outcome measure that occurs when the distribution of society’s resources, opportunities, and burdens are not predictable by race (Aspen Roundtable).

Structural Racism

The many factors that work to produce and maintain racial hierarchies and inequities in America today which includes:

National history, values and culture; Public policies, institutional practices and cultural

stereotypes (Aspen Roundtable).

Parent/Family Risk Factors: Poverty, Jobless, Drugs, Mental Illness

Community Risk Factors:Poverty, Homelessness, Crime, Violence

Organizational/Structural Factors:Bias, Practices, Policies, Systemic

Racism

Individual

Interpersonal

Institutional

Structural

Children of color constitute one-third of the King County child population, but make up more than one half of all children currently in foster care in King County.

African American and Native American children are over-represented at nearly every decision point in the child welfare system, and the disparities increase the deeper you go in the system.

Multi-racial children and children of “other” races are over-represented at a few decision points in the system

What the King County Data Shows Compared to Caucasian children, African

American and Native American children:

Are disproportionately represented in child welfare referrals accepted for investigation

Are more likely to be removed from their homes and placed in foster care

Make up a disproportionate percentage of children in care longer than 2 years and longer than four years

Wait longer to be adopted.

Summarychildren entering, or in the system

1% 6% 10% 5% 9% 11%7%

19%23% 27%

37%39%

68%

54%52% 51%

40%38%

23% 21% 15% 16% 15% 12%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Total ChildPopulation

Investigated referrals new placements dependencyestablished

in the system formore than 2 years

in the system formore than 4 years

All others

Caucasian

African American

Native American

390,646 8,255 940* 1437 825 254

*estimate projected from one quarters

worth of data

Findings from National Research

Children of color more likely to be reported to CPS than white children even when equally severe injuries.1

Worker’s perception that the family is non-compliant may result in higher assessment of risk, despite otherwise similar facts.2

_______________________________________________

1 Katz, M., R. Hampton, et al. (1986). Returning children home:clinical decision making in cases of child abuse and neglect. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 56 (2):2530262

2 English, D.M., Brummel, S., and Orme, M. (1995). A preliminary examination of similarities and differences in the assessment of risk for different ethnic groups. Olympia, Washington, Office of Children’s Administration Research, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services: 18.

Findings from National Research

Racial disparity in outcomes may relate to families of color receiving fewer services.1

Racial or ethnic status of social worker does not, in and of itself, make a difference in outcomes.2

_____________________1 Hill, R. (2001). Disproportionality of Minorities in Child Welfare: Synthesis of Research Findings. Washington, D.C., Westat: 30.

2 Barth, R. P., M. Courtney, et al. (1994). Timing is everything: an analysis of the time to adoption and legalization. Social Work Research 18(3).

Findings from National Research

Children of color are more likely to be placed with kin.1

Kinship care providers receive fewer services than non-related foster parents do.2

Caucasian foster parents are offered significantly more services than other ethnic or racial groups.3

___________________1Berrick, J. D., R. P. Barth, et al. (1994). "A comparison of kinship foster homes and foster family homes: implications for kinship foster care as family preservation." Children and Youth Services Review 16(1/2): 33-63.

2 Ibid

3 Stenho, S. (1982). Differential treatment of minority children in service systems. Social Work 27, 39-45.

There is no higher incidence of abuse or neglect in any racial or ethnic group.

We must assume that any higher rate of referral must be the result of something else….

Children of Color are not in the System because of Higher Rates of Abuse or

Neglect by their Families

Applying Undoing Racism training to practice

Learning and understanding the communities where families reside

Providing prevention services in communities

Casey Family Programs

Providing services in language of the population

Examination of issues of under representation as well as overrepresentation

Within group differences

Matching Reunification/preservation services to family needs

Reasons for entry into care Intersections with substance abuse

Impact of disparities in other areas: education, health care, mental health, and criminal justice

Gender,race/ethnicity, class issues in service provision

Practices and policies in identifying fathers and paternal relatives

Recruiting families of color as foster and adoptive homes

Maintaining family connections Sibling placement issues

Service delivery and funding for kinship providers

Analyzing outcome data by race and using data to inform practice

Analyze impact of proposed policies and practices on specific populations and on disproportionality

Impact of privatization on disproportionality… contracting

The Video

What are your impressions of the concepts presented regarding racial and ethnic identity?

What are the top points highlighted that you want to address when you get back to work?

How can you further integrate racial and ethnic identity work with youth I your organization?

Tell us, and everyone else in the room, what you think.

What questions are there?

Some resources to share

“We can no longer afford to step softly around this problem; we must be willing to wake up and awaken others to confront institutional and individual issues that perpetuate disproportionality.”

BSC Framework for Change, p. 2

Casey Family Programs

“. . . there are few things in the world as dangerous as sleepwalkers.”

Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man, p. 5

Casey Family Programs

It’s up to us!

Understanding the problem The poverty question Capacity Constituent engagement Tribal involvement and implementing

ICWA