Poverty or Racism?: Determinants of Disproportionality and Disparity for African American/Black Children in Child Welfare

Abstract

For decades, the incessantly tethered over-involvement of African American/Black (AA/BL) families with the U.S. Child Welfare System (CWS) has been uniquely troubling. Child welfare researchers have asserted “poverty” over “racism” as the root determinant of the historical disproportionate overrepresentation of AA/BL children in CWS. This commentary explores the extent this assertion holds once an apples-to-apples comparison of poor AA/BL and WH children in the CWS is examined. Using 2018 and 2019 National Child Abuse and Neglect Data Systems (NCANDS) Child File data, rates of disproportionality and disparity for AA/BL and White (WH) children receiving public assistance (PA) (2018: N = 333,640; 2019: N = 321,273) were computed at two CW decision points [disposition of maltreatment investigation and subsequent services administered]. Among these poor children, AA/BL were found to be disproportionately overrepresented and WH children underrepresented compared to their proportion of the U.S. child population at each decision point. AA/BL children were also found to be three times more likely to have their maltreatment substantiated and subsequently be placed in foster care compared to their WH counterparts. The issues of racial disproportionality and disparities still exists when comparing poor AA/BL to poor WH children, which suggests “racism” is operational at decision points in the U.S. CWS and should not be minimized or omitted as a consequential determinant.