Racial sensitivity training: An inadequate solution to systemic racial disparities in child protection systems

Abstract

Calls continue for staff training as an instrumental response to racially based differences in rates of child protection system interactions and outcomes. These recommendations echo a reliance on implicit bias and diversity training (referred to broadly as “anti-bias and racial sensitivity training”) across disciplines of social and human services in the United States as a feasible and politically expedient solution to racial disparities. But focusing on anti-bias training to address racial disparities in child protection systems will almost certainly fail to achieve desired objectives for at least three reasons: (a) there is no evidence that implicit bias or racial sensitivity trainings change behavior; (b) personnel training initiatives misapply an individual behavioral solution to an institutional and structural problem; and (c) an emphasis on internal training initiatives distracts and reduces the accountability of other systems of care better positioned to produce change. We conclude that if the goal is to reduce racial disparities, systemic innovations and broader policy reforms both internal and external to the child protection system are needed. Training will not meaningfully shift the downstream effects of structural racism.