Racial Disparity & Foster Care

15 Feb Racial Disparity & Foster Care

Since 1976, our country has celebrated Black History Month during the month of February. The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month and called on the American public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”  

In honor of Black History Month, we wanted to focus our attention on Black children in the welfare system. (history.com) 

While researching to write this article, a surprising statistic stood out: 

More than half of all Black children will experience a child welfare investigation by the age of 18.  

More than half.  

Now consider this: The most common reason for removal from the home is NOT abuse. In fact, “only about 17% of children removed from their homes nationwide are in foster care because of allegations of physical or sexual abuse.” 

The most common reason – around 70% of the time – children end up in foster care is due to neglect which is poverty related.  

Poverty and Foster Care 

Dorothy Roberts, author of Torn Apart and Professor of Law, Sociology, and Civil Rights at the University of Pennsylvania, believes that families – particularly Black families – are punished for being poor.  

Poverty is the biggest factor in driving a greater share of Black children into the foster system. In 2018, 20.8% of African American families fell below the poverty line as compared to only 8.1% of white families.  

Black families who are suffering due to poverty are also dealing with stereotypes that paint Black mothers as neglectful and incompetent, and that Black fathers aren’t around at all. Quite often there is an assumption that Black children would be better off away from their families or communities.   

Unequal Representation and Care 

There is disparity in both representation and handling of Black and White children in the child welfare system. Black children are overrepresented in the system as compared to the number of Black children in the general population. There are fewer Black foster parents versus White foster parents. 

According to Youth Today, Black children are twice as likely as White children to: 

• Be placed in foster care 
• Stay in foster care longer 
• Receive fewer services 
• Be less likely to be returned to their home 

“Because child protective services is viewed in the Black community as a system to be feared – there is more policing of families than there is providing support and prevention services for these families – it is hard to convince (people of color) to willingly enter into a system that has historically policed and separated our families.”  

~Dr. Kimberly Offett, EDD~ 

Perhaps Dr. Offett’s quote also explains why there are not as many Black families who become licensed foster parents. There are disproportionate numbers of investigations and removals as compared with White families. There is evidence of own-race bias in high-risk cases. That means White investigators are more lenient with White parents than Black parents. And Black investigators are more lenient with Black parents than White parents. This results in higher foster care rates for Black children because most investigators are White. 

Have you heard the saying, “Representation matters”? That applies here too. With fewer Black foster families, agencies have trouble placing Black children with foster families who look like them. It is hard for other races to help children navigate the experience of being Black in the United States. It is not the same as having the benefit of family with lived experience.  

What can we do about it?  

Here are a few ways to get started making changes: 

1. Start by building knowledge about racial inequity.  
2. Approach communities with humility and a desire to learn. 
3. Engage with young people and family members with lived experience as the experts. 
4. Support kinship caregivers.  
5. Develop and enhance the child welfare workforce. 
6. Ensure children leave care with strong relationships, support, and opportunities. 

We can all learn more. We can all do better. Start somewhere and do something. If you aren’t sure how, reach out to us and we will help you!

Links to all sources used are included in the body of the article.