Children and youth are removed from home to protect them from neglect and abuse.
Two facts reveal a contradiction at the heart of our child welfare system:
- There is no difference between races in the likelihood that a parent will abuse or neglect a child.*
- There is a great difference between races in the likelihood that a child will be removed from home and placed in foster care.
Children of color enter the system at disproportionately high rates. Compared to Caucasian children:
- African American children are four times more likely to be placed in care.
- American Indian and Alaska Native children are three times more likely to be placed in care. Latino children are twice as likely to be placed in care.
Children of color also receive fewer services while in out-of-home care. And they leave the system less prepared for adulthood than their Caucasian peers. In terms of personal identity, survival skills, and a host of other factors, race has profound implications for individual success, including keeping future generations out of the child welfare system.
How can you help?
The first step is awareness. Realize that children of color enter the system too often and stay in the system too long. Understand the impact this has on the long-term health of all communities, especially communities of color.
Recognize that you have something to say and every right to participate in the discussion. Consider being a foster parent or serving as a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) to help young people in foster care navigate the judicial system. If you aren’t able to foster, mentoring youth in care may be the perfect way to get involved.
When you find institutional racism at work, demand change from those who have the power to address disproportionality in child welfare.
* U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau. (2005). The AFCARS report: Preliminary FY 2003 estimates as of August 2005. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Population Reference Bureau. (Analysis of data from U.S. Census Bureau; Prevent Child Abuse America, 2001.)