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A critique of methods used to describe the overrepresentation of African Americans in the child welfare system

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  • Morton, Cory M.
  • Ocasio, Kerrie
  • Simmel, Cassandra

Abstract

The overrepresentation of minority children in the child welfare system has long been a troubling issue. Strategies to reduce this racial imbalance have typically focused on child welfare decision making at various time points in the course of a case, informed by descriptive statistics used to measure racial disproportionality and disparity at these key decision points. In this paper we make comparisons between two methods used to describe racial disproportionality and disparity in child welfare: one uses the general child population as its reference group and the other uses the child welfare population as it changes from one decision point to the next. This paper discusses and critiques these two methods, using the data from four states to illustrate the utility of each in describing racial overrepresentation in child welfare.

Suggested Citation

  • Morton, Cory M. & Ocasio, Kerrie & Simmel, Cassandra, 2011. "A critique of methods used to describe the overrepresentation of African Americans in the child welfare system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(9), pages 1538-1542, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:33:y:2011:i:9:p:1538-1542
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Wulczyn, Fred, 2003. "Closing the gap: are changing exit patterns reducing the time African American children spend in foster care relative to Caucasian children?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(5-6), pages 431-462.
    2. Coakley, Tanya M., 2008. "Examining African American fathers' involvement in permanency planning: An effort to reduce racial disproportionality in the child welfare system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 407-417, April.
    3. Fluke, John D. & Yuan, Ying-Ying T. & Hedderson, John & Curtis, Patrick A., 2003. "Disproportionate representation of race and ethnicity in child maltreatment: investigation and victimization," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(5-6), pages 359-373.
    4. Ards, Sheila D. & Myers, Samuel L. & Malkis Erin, Allan & Zhou, Li, 2003. "Racial disproportionality in reported and substained child abuse and nelgect: an examination of systematic bias," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(5-6), pages 375-392.
    5. Courtney, Mark & Skyles, Ada, 2003. "Racial disproportionality in the child welfare system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(5-6), pages 355-358.
    6. Harris, Marian S. & Hackett, Wanda, 2008. "Decision points in child welfare: An action research model to address disproportionality," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 199-215, February.
    7. Drake, Brett & Jonson-Reid, Melissa, 2011. "NIS interpretations: Race and the National Incidence Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 16-20, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Emily Hurren & Anna Stewart & Susan Dennison, 2017. "New Methods to Address Old Challenges: The Use of Administrative Data for Longitudinal Replication Studies of Child Maltreatment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1, September.
    2. Karatekin, Canan & Gehrman, Richard & Lawler, Jamie, 2014. "A study of maltreated children and their families in juvenile court: I. Court performance measures," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 62-74.
    3. Boatswain-Kyte, Alicia & Esposito, Tonino & Trocmé, Nico & Boatswain-Kyte, Alicia, 2020. "A longitudinal jurisdictional study of Black children reported to child protection services in Quebec, Canada," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    4. Janczewski, Colleen E. & Mersky, Joshua P., 2016. "What's so different about differential response? A multilevel and longitudinal analysis of child neglect investigations," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 123-132.
    5. Garcia, Antonio R. & Palinkas, Lawrence A. & Snowden, Lonnie & Landsverk, John, 2013. "Looking beneath and in-between the hidden surfaces: a critical review of defining, measuring and contextualizing mental health service disparities in the child welfare system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(10), pages 1727-1733.
    6. LaBrenz, Catherine A. & Littleton, Tenesha & Shipe, Stacey L. & Bai, Rong & Stargel, Lauren, 2023. "State policies on child maltreatment and racial disproportionality," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    7. Wilson, Bianca D.M. & Kastanis, Angeliki A., 2015. "Sexual and gender minority disproportionality and disparities in child welfare: A population-based study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 11-17.

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