IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v35y2013i1p65-74.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Poverty, social disadvantage, and the black/white placement gap

Author

Listed:
  • Wulczyn, Fred
  • Gibbons, Robert
  • Snowden, Lonnie
  • Lery, Bridgette

Abstract

In this paper, we examine whether county-level measures of poverty and social disadvantage are correlated with county-level variation in the black/white foster care placement gap. The black/white placement gap refers to the fact that when the rate of placement into foster care for black children is compared to the rate for white children living in the same area, the black placement rate is almost always higher than the rate for whites. Although differential exposure to poverty is often used to explain why the placement gap is so large, the problem has rarely been studied. Using Poisson event count models, we find that poverty, measured at the county ecological level, is associated with a narrower gap rather than a wider gap. The counterintuitive finding is due to the fact that the relationship between poverty and placement rates depends on race.

Suggested Citation

  • Wulczyn, Fred & Gibbons, Robert & Snowden, Lonnie & Lery, Bridgette, 2013. "Poverty, social disadvantage, and the black/white placement gap," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 65-74.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:35:y:2013:i:1:p:65-74
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.10.005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019074091200374X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.10.005?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Drake, Brett & Lee, Sang Moo & Jonson-Reid, Melissa, 2009. "Race and child maltreatment reporting: Are Blacks overrepresented?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 309-316, March.
    2. Sampson, R.J. & Morenoff, J.D. & Raudenbush, S., 2005. "Social anatomy of racial and ethnic disparities in violence," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 95(2), pages 224-232.
    3. Koh, H.K. & Oppenheimer, S.C. & Massln-Short, S.B. & Emmons, K.M. & Alan, C. & Geller, R.N. & Viswanath, K., 2010. "Translating research evidence into practice to reduce health disparities: A social determinants approach," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(S1), pages 72-80.
    4. Lery, Bridgette, 2009. "Neighborhood structure and foster care entry risk: The role of spatial scale in defining neighborhoods," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 331-337, March.
    5. David Kirk, 2008. "The neighborhood context of racial and ethnic disparities in arrest," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 45(1), pages 55-77, February.
    6. Akin, Becci A., 2011. "Predictors of foster care exits to permanency: A competing risks analysis of reunification, guardianship, and adoption," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 999-1011, June.
    7. Michael Marmot, 2009. "Social determinants and adolescent health," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 54(2), pages 125-127, September.
    8. Needell, Barbara & Brookhart, M. Alan & Lee, Seon, 2003. "Black children and foster care placement in California," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(5-6), pages 393-408.
    9. Courtney, Mark E. & Yin-Ling Irene Wong, 1996. "Comparing the timing of exits from substitute care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(4-5), pages 307-334.
    10. Connell, Christian M. & Katz, Karol H. & Saunders, Leon & Tebes, Jacob Kraemer, 2006. "Leaving foster care--the influence of child and case characteristics on foster care exit rates," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(7), pages 780-798, July.
    11. Harris, Marian S. & Courtney, Mark E., 2003. "The interaction of race, ethnicity, and family structure with respect to the timing of family reunification," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(5-6), pages 409-429.
    12. Diez Roux, A.V., 2001. "Investigating neighborhood and area effects on health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 91(11), pages 1783-1789.
    13. Becker, Marion A. & Jordan, Neil & Larsen, Rebecca, 2007. "Predictors of successful permanency planning and length of stay in foster care: The role of race, diagnosis and place of residence," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(8), pages 1102-1113, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Woodmass, Kyler & Weisberg, Sanford & Shlomi, Hilla & Rockymore, Maxie & Wells, Susan J., 2017. "Examining the potential for racial disparity in out-of-home placement decisions: A quantitative matched-pair study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 96-109.
    2. Mohamud, Faisa & Edwards, Travonne & Antwi-Boasiako, Kofi & William, Kineesha & King, Jason & Igor, Elo & King, Bryn, 2021. "Racial disparity in the Ontario child welfare system: Conceptualizing policies and practices that drive involvement for Black families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    3. Victor, Bryan G. & Ryan, Joseph P. & Moore, Andrew & Mowbray, Orion & Evangelist, Michael & Perron, Brian E., 2016. "Foster home licensing and risk of reentry to out-of-home care following family reunification," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 112-119.
    4. Wulczyn, Fred, 2020. "Race/ethnicity and running away from foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    5. Abdullah, Alhassan & Ayim, Mary & Bentum, Hajara & Emery, Clifton R., 2021. "Parental poverty, physical neglect and child welfare intervention: Dilemma and constraints of child welfare workers in Ghana," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    6. Bywaters, Paul & Brady, Geraldine & Sparks, Tim & Bos, Elizabeth & Bunting, Lisa & Daniel, Brigid & Featherstone, Brid & Morris, Kate & Scourfield, Jonathan, 2015. "Exploring inequities in child welfare and child protection services: Explaining the ‘inverse intervention law’," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 98-105.
    7. Bywaters, Paul, 2015. "Cumulative jeopardy? A response to Brown and Ward," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 68-73.
    8. Smith, Brenda D. & Li, Qingyi & Wang, Kun & Smith, Angela M., 2021. "A national study of child maltreatment reporting at the county level: Interactions among race/ethnicity, rurality and poverty," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    9. Klein, Sacha & Merritt, Darcey H., 2014. "Neighborhood racial & ethnic diversity as a predictor of child welfare system involvement," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 95-105.
    10. Boyd, Reiko, 2014. "African American disproportionality and disparity in child welfare: Toward a comprehensive conceptual framework," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 15-27.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Davidson, Ryan D. & Tomlinson, Claire S. & Beck, Connie J. & Bowen, Anne M., 2019. "The revolving door of families in the child welfare system: Risk and protective factors associated with families returning," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 468-479.
    2. Akin, Becci A., 2011. "Predictors of foster care exits to permanency: A competing risks analysis of reunification, guardianship, and adoption," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 999-1011, June.
    3. Goemans, Anouk & Vanderfaeillie, Johan & Damen, Harm & Pijnenburg, Huub & Van Holen, Frank, 2016. "Reunification of foster children: Factors associated with reunification outcomes in Flanders and the Netherlands," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 284-292.
    4. Boyd, Reiko, 2014. "African American disproportionality and disparity in child welfare: Toward a comprehensive conceptual framework," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 15-27.
    5. Whitaker, Tia, 2011. "Administrative case reviews: Improving outcomes for children in out-of-home care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(9), pages 1683-1708, September.
    6. van Santen, Eric, 2010. "Predictors of exit type and length of stay in non-kinship family foster care -- The German experience," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(10), pages 1211-1222, October.
    7. Cénat, Jude Mary & McIntee, Sara-Emilie & Mukunzi, Joana N. & Noorishad, Pari-Gole, 2021. "Overrepresentation of Black children in the child welfare system: A systematic review to understand and better act," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    8. Wulczyn, Fred, 2020. "Race/ethnicity and running away from foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    9. Lin, Ching-Hsuan, 2014. "Evaluating Services for Kinship Care Families: A Systematic Review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 32-41.
    10. Zinn, Andrew & Cusick, Gretchen, 2014. "Juvenile court pathways to legal permanence for children in substitute care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 90-100.
    11. Landers, Ashley L. & Danes, Sharon M. & Harstad, Jane & White Hawk, Sandy, 2017. "Finding their way home: Factors associated with reunification for American Indian and White adults," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 359-364.
    12. Haight, Wendy & Marshall, Jane & Woolman, Joanna, 2015. "The Child Protection Clinic: A mixed method evaluation of parent legal representation," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 7-17.
    13. Lloyd, Margaret H. & Akin, Becci A., 2014. "The disparate impact of alcohol, methamphetamine, and other drugs on family reunification," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 72-81.
    14. Shipe, Stacey L. & Shaw, Terry V. & Betsinger, Sara & Farrell, Jill L., 2017. "Expanding the conceptualization of re-entry: The inter-play between child welfare and juvenile services," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 256-262.
    15. Akin, Becci A. & Bryson, Stephanie A. & Testa, Mark F. & Blase, Karen A. & McDonald, Tom & Melz, Heidi, 2013. "Usability testing, initial implementation, and formative evaluation of an evidence-based intervention: Lessons from a demonstration project to reduce long-term foster care," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 19-30.
    16. Elgin, Dallas J. & Sushinsky, Jonathan & Johnson, Andrew & Russo, Gretchen & Sewell, Tiffany, 2015. "Factors affecting permanency for legally free children & youth: A study of Colorado's legally free population across age groups, 2008–2014," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 60-67.
    17. Courtney, Mark E. & Hook, Jennifer L., 2012. "Evaluation of the impact of enhanced parental legal representation on the timing of permanency outcomes for children in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1337-1343.
    18. Lee, Daniel Hyung Jik & Huerta, Christina & Farmer, Elizabeth M.Z., 2021. "Kinship navigation: Facilitating permanency and equity for youth in child welfare," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    19. Lloyd, Margaret H. & Akin, Becci A. & Brook, Jody, 2017. "Parental drug use and permanency for young children in foster care: A competing risks analysis of reunification, guardianship, and adoption," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 177-187.
    20. Van Holen, Frank & Belenger, Laurence & Carlier, Elke & Potoms, Babette & Vanderfaeillie, Johan, 2018. "Short-term family foster care in Flanders: An exploratory study into the factors associated with family reunification decisions," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 699-708.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:35:y:2013:i:1:p:65-74. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.