Understanding and addressing racial/ethnic disproportionality

Racial/ethnic disproportionality in the child welfare system is a complicated social problem that is receiving increasing amounts of attention from researchers and practitioners. This review of the literature examines disproportionality in the front-end of the child welfare system and interventions that may address it. While none of the interventions had evidence suggesting that they reduced disproportionality in child welfare front-end processes, some of the interventions may improve child welfare case processes related to disproportionality and outcomes for families of color

Understanding and measuring child welfare outcomes

The new Children\u27s and Family Services Reviews (CFSR) process focuses on the effectiveness of services to children and families by measuring client outcomes. This article reviews the research literature related to child welfare outcomes in order to provide a context for federal accountability efforts. It also summarizes the 2001 federal mandate to hold states accountable for child welfare outcomes and describes California\u27s response to this mandate. Implications of the outcomes literature review and measurement problems in the CFSR process suggest CSFR measures do not always capture meaningful outcomes. Recommendations for change are made

Reunification outcomes among Mexican immigrant families in the child welfare system

This study examined reunification outcomes among Mexican immigrant families involved in the child welfare system, and compared characteristics of Mexican-origin and non-immigrant children involved in the child welfare system. An exploratory retrospective longitudinal design using administrative data from two counties in Northern California was utilized. The quantitative sample (N = 2152) included children entering the foster care system for 8 or more days between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2007 in the two participating counties. Child welfare administrative data (CWS/CMS) were merged with eligibility data (CalWIN) in order to obtain parent and child place of birth and citizenship status. Quantitative measures drawn from the merged CWS/CMS and CalWIN dataset included the following: demographic characteristics, immigrant characteristics, case characteristics and reunification outcomes. Results indicated that a significantly higher proportion of Mexican immigrant families (70.7%) were reunified than non-immigrant families (43.1%). Significant correlates of reunification among Mexican immigrant families included the following: mothers with authorized citizenship status (vs. unauthorized citizenship status), mothers whose primary language was Spanish (vs. English), and children with two or fewer placements (vs. three or more placements). Differences between Mexican-origin and non-immigrant children were that Mexican-origin children were older on average than non-immigrant children, and they were more likely to experience physical abuse, sexual abuse or emotional abuse; they were also more likely to be placed in foster care or a group home (vs. relative care). Implications for social work practice and policy are discussed.Mexican immigrant Reunification Child welfare Hispanic/Latino

Evaluation Findings from Santa Cruz County’s “Roots & Wings” Initiative

This report provides new findings on three outcome areas within the Roots and Wings Initiative: 1) systems change to promote concurrent planning and permanency (Staff Permanency Survey results), 2) recruitment and licensing outcomes, 3) Resource home questionnaire results, and 4) long-term outcomes related to permanency, placement stability and sibling placements. Overall, there are a number of indicators that are changing in the intended direction, suggesting that Roots and Wings activities are influencing key outcomes

The Risk of Timing Out: Welfare-to-Work Services to Asian Immigrants and Refugees

With the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, welfare recipients are faced with new work requirements and sanctions, including a five-year time limit on receiving public assistance. Due to difficulties in adjustment to American society and lack of human capital for the labor market, Asian immigrants and refugees face obstacles transitioning from welfare to work. The majority of individuals in the San Francisco Bay Area who have reached the five-year time limit since January 2003 are of Asian descent. Without adequate welfare-to-work services, restrictions and time limits are leaving many Asian recipients without the proficiencies required for employment, as well as without the cash assistance needed for survival. Using a qualitative study approach by conducting three focus groups with Asian welfare recipients in the San Francisco Bay Area, findings of this study indicate that existing welfare-to-work programs do not meet the unique needs of this population. Their barriers for achieving self-sufficiency are not adequately addressed by welfare reform’s “work first” approach. Instead, findings suggest that welfare-to-work program strategies for this population should incorporate culturally competent support services, human capital development, and strength-based approaches. As more Asian immigrant families lose cash assistance as a result of reaching the five-year time limit, the need to improve welfare-to-work programs and policies for this population has become increasingly urgent

An Evaluation of Factors Related to the Disproportionate Representation of Children of Color in Santa Clara County’s Child Welfare System: Child and Family Characteristics and Pathways Through the System Phase 2

While child abuse and neglect appears to affect children of all racial and ethnic origins (US Department of Health and Human Services, 1998; Sedlack & Broadhurst, 1996), an analysis of national, California and Santa Clara County data on the ethnicities of children in out of home placement reveals that, compared to their presence in the general population, there is a disproportionate involvement of children of color in the public child welfare system (CWS). In Santa Clara County, in particular, when compared to the general population, African American, Hispanic/Latino and Native American children are overrepresented in the CWS, while Asian American/Pacific Islander and White children are underrepresented. African Americans represent 4% of the general child population in the county, and are 14.7% of children in the CWS. Hispanic/Latino children represent 30% of the general child population in Santa Clara County and constitute 53.5% of the child welfare cases. Native Americans are approximately 0.5% of Santa Clara County’s population and represent 1.0% of children in the CWS. Asian American/Pacific Islander children represent 21% of the general county child population and 5.1% of children in the CWS; Whites constitute 45% of the general child population and 25.8% of the child welfare population (Needell et al., 2002, US Bureau of the Census, 2000).The disproportionate involvement of children of color in the CWS has long been an issue of concern for CWS workers, clients, researchers and government and community groups; yet no research to date (with the exception of this study) has systematically investigated the factors associated with this disproportionality. In an effort to understand better the factors related to the disproportionate number of children of color in the CWS in Santa Clara County, the Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) contracted with the Child Welfare Research Team (CWRT) in the College of Social Work at San José State University to conduct a three-year study on this topic. An advisory group, consisting of administrators and representatives from various racial/ethnic groups was convened to help guide the development of the project.The primary overall question posed by DFCS was: What are the primary reasons why children of color are disproportionately represented in Santa Clara County’s Child Welfare System? In order to address the complexity of this question, the CWRT elected to employ a multiphase/multimethod approach, beginning with an initial exploratory phase that was completed in April 2001.This report provides findings from Phase 2 that ran from September 2001 to August 31, 2002. Specifically, in this second phase of the study, the Child Welfare Research Team (CWRT) addressed two of the four themes that emerged from Phase 1 (see Section II of the current report for a review of all four themes presented at the end of Phase 1). The overarching themes guiding the current Phase 2 report are as follows: 1) little is known about specific pathways through the CWS and ways in which these pathways differ for various racial/ethnic groups, and 2) various racial/ethnic groups may receive different treatment at key decision making points in the system.The primary methodology for Phase 2 involved extensive, in-depth reviews of 403 closed child welfare case records, a parallel descriptive analysis of 1720 closed cases within the CWS/CMS database, and key informant interviews with managers and supervisors in the county’s Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS)