Abstract
In 2007, African Americans children made up 19% of the population in Illinois yet they made up 59% of the population of children in foster care. They make up 34% of subjects of maltreatment investigations. This study examines community characteristics as determinants of the number of African American children that are in foster care and come from some of the 77 community areas in the city of Chicago. Of the hypothesized relations to the dependent variable-ward of the state-concentrated poverty as operationalized was positively related and statically significant. Other poverty indicators were not in the posited direction nor statistically significant. The level of education attainment was inversely related and statistically significant. The presence of African Americans in specific communities was positively related to foster care placement in Illinois. The adequacy of substance abuse service to the very poor population is also considered.
Highlights
IntroductionThe foster care population increased from 15,000 children in 1987 to 51,000 children in 1997 and declined back to 16,000 children in 2007
According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) publication Child Maltreatment 2009, an estimated 3.3 million referrals of possible cases of child abuse and neglect were made to state Child Protective Services (CPS) agencies in the United States in 2009, two-thirds (61.9%) of the referrals– 2.04 million reports--were accepted by CPS for an investigation or assessment, resulting in an estimated 702,000 children found to be victims of child abuse and neglect
Reforms were put in place in Illinois that resulted in a reduction of in the number of African American children entering foster care while increasing the number of African American children exiting foster care to permanent homes and caseloads decreased
Summary
The foster care population increased from 15,000 children in 1987 to 51,000 children in 1997 and declined back to 16,000 children in 2007 This growth was primarily in the African American and kinship care populations. By 1996, national data showed that Illinois had the highest per-capita rate of children in foster care in the nation at 17.1 per 1,000, and the majority of the children in foster care (79%) were African American. Reforms were put in place in Illinois that resulted in a reduction of in the number of African American children entering foster care while increasing the number of African American children exiting foster care to permanent homes and caseloads decreased. By 2005 national data showed that Illinois was among the lowest per capita foster care rates at 6,000 per 1,000 and African Americans made up 63% of the population in foster care.
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