Child Welfare Reform, and the Work of the Alliance on Racial Equity in Child Welfare

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Child Welfare Reform, and the Work of the
Alliance on Racial Equity in Child Welfare

• Racial Equity in Child Welfare
• Examining What We Know
• Presented by Dennette Derezotes, Executive
  Director, Race Matters Consortium _at_ Westat
• For the 2008 Kids Count Conference Leadership
  Counts Envisioning the Future
• September 24, 2008

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Common TermsOverrepresentation

• Has traditionally been used to define the
  (high) numbers of children of various racial and
  ethnic minorities in the child welfare system
  that are larger than their proportion in the
  general population. However, with more frequency
  the term disproportionality is being used to
  identify a broader concept of this problem. For
  many people, both terms hold the same meaning and
  are used interchangeably, but in fact they are
  not equivalent.
• comparing a groups representation to itself

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Common TermsDisproportionality

• A situation in which a particular racial/ethnic
  group of children are represented in foster care
  at a different percentage than other
  racial/ethnic groups. Disproportionality can
  refer to a percentage by race that is greater or
  lesser that that of another race.
• comparing a groups representation to itself

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Common TermsRate per Thousand

• The number of children of
• a particular group
• in the child welfare system
• for every 1000 children of the same group
• in the general population
• comparing a groups representation to itself

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Common TermsDisparity

• Inequitable treatment (how the individual is
  treated) and/or services (types, quality, and
  quantity of services available) provided to
  minority children as compared to those provided
  to similarly situated Caucasian children.
• across group comparison

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The Race Matters Consortium

• Mission
• The Race Matters Consortium is a national
  multi-system initiative that promotes strategies
  that prevent, intervene and eliminate and racial
  and ethnic disproportionality and disparities and
  create racial equity in the child welfare
  system. 

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What we Know

• Black children are overrepresented in child
  welfare system participation throughout the
  country (in 39 states the rate of children
  entering the child welfare system is least 1 ½
  times their representation in the general
  population)
• Native American and American Indian children are
  overrepresented in child welfare system
  participation throughout the country (in 16
  states the rate of children entering the child
  welfare system is at least 1 ½ times their
  representation in the general population)
• Native Hawaiian children are also overrepresented
  in child welfare system participation in Hawaii
• Asian children are underrepresented in the child
  welfare system throughout the country
• Data obtained from the Child Welfare Outcomes
  2002-2005 Report to Congress, Chapter II
  Finding Permanent Homes for Foster Children
  released 9/08. available at www//acf.hhs.go/progr
  ams/cb/pubs/cwo05/chapters/chapter2.htm

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What we Know

• Additionally, Hispanic/Latino children have
  representation much closer to that of white
  children at the national level, however, when you
  look more closely at state level representation,
  the representation varies much more.
• in 13 states the rate of children entering the
  child welfare system is at least ½ times their
  representation in the general population
• and
• in 24 states the rate of children entering the
  child welfare system is less than or about equal
  to their representation in the general population
• Data obtained from the Child Welfare Outcomes
  2002-2005 Report to Congress, Chapter II
  Finding Permanent Homes for Foster Children
  released 9/08. available at www//acf.hhs.go/progr
  ams/cb/pubs/cwo05/chapters/chapter2.htm

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What this Means

• We need to learn more about whats going on for
  children and families
• of all cultures
• in local jurisdictions

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The Race Matters Consortium

• Membership
• Our members comprise a national think tank of
  concerned experts in research, social work
  practice, public policy, and philanthropy who
  critically examine the issues related to racial
  and ethnic disparities and influence policy and
  practice through education and consultation.

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Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare

• Mission
• The mission of the Alliance is to create a child
  welfare system that is free of structural racism
  and that benefits all children, families and
  communities.
• Theory of Change1
• Make interventions in the following 6
  dimensions to create long term sustainable,
  change
• 1 Aspen Institute, Roundtable on Comprehensive
  Community Initiatives Project on Racial Equity
  and Community Building, 2003, Operationalizing a
  Structural Racism Analysis The Structural Racism
  Theory of Change Process.

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Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare
Theory of Change

• 1. Legislation, Policy Change and Finance Reform
• 2. Youth, Parent and Community Partnership and
  Development
• 3. Public Will and Communication
• 4. Human Service Workforce Development
• 5. Practice Change (site-based implementation)
• 6. Research, Evaluation and Data-Based
  Decision-making

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Alliance for Racial Equity in Child
WelfarePromising Practices

• Scan of practices across the country
• 9 Sites chosen for examination based on efforts
  to date
• 4 sites chosen to become partners based on
  current work and alignment with the Alliances
  Theory of Change
• Available at http//www.cssp.org/major_initiative
  s/racialEquity.html

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Alliance Partner Sites

• Guilford County, North Carolina
  Ramsey County, Minnesota
• overrepresentation of African Americans
  representation of
• in the child welfare system African Americans,
  Asians
• 
  (Hmong),
  Hispanic/Latinos,
• 
  and Native
  Americans
• King County, Washington
  Woodbury County, Iowa
• overrepresentation of African Americans
  overrepresentation of Native
• and American Indians Americans
  American children
• 
  

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The Use of Data

• to determine local issues of racial and ethnic
  disproportionality and disparities
• to track whether site efforts are improving,
  declining or staying the same, and
• to evaluate progress on specific efforts

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Taking a First LookUsing The Racial Equity
Scorecard Table 1
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Example of a Populated Table 1Woodbury County
Basic Racial Equity ScorecardFY 06 (July 1, 2005
June 30, 2006)
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Expanding the Scorecard

• Depending on what sites are looking to
  understand and change, they can expand the
  scorecard to look at
• Points through the child welfare system
• Change over time at any point in the child
  welfare
• system

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Tracking Data over TimeExample 1 Examining the
Impact of a Native UnitInitial Out of Home
Placements Rate per thousand children in the
general population of the same race/ethnicity
Woodbury County, Iowa FY05 - FY07Woodbury
County Data provided by Iowa Department of Human
Services
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Tracking Data over TimeExample 2 Examining the
Impact of Family AssessmentsAccepted Reports
Rate per thousand children in the general
population of the same race/ethnicity Ramsey
County, Minnesota FY04 - FY06Ramsey County Data
provided by Ramsey Department of Human Services
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Tracking Data over Time Example 2 Examining
the Impact of Family Assessments Reports
Assigned to Family Assessment (FA Track)Rate per
thousand children in the general population of
the same race/ethnicity Ramsey County,
Minnesota FY04 - FY06Ramsey County Data
provided by Ramsey Department of Human Services
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Tracking Data over Time Example 2
Examining the Impact of Family Assessments
Accepted Reports that are Substantiated Rate per
thousand acccepted reports of the same
race/ethnicity of the same race/ethnicity that
are substantiated Ramsey County, Minnesota FY04
- FY06Ramsey County Data provided by Ramsey
Department of Human Services
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The Roles of Parents, Foster Parents, Foster
Care Alumni, and Community Advocates Include

• Leading advocacy efforts at the local and state
  level
• Partnering with government agencies and local
  collaborations as equal partners
• Partnering to improve the community
• The potential roles for parents, foster parents,
• foster care alumni, and community advocates are
  numerous, however the most effective roles for
  sustained change over time are as true partners