In the complex landscape of the United States foster care system, patterns of inequity often emerge that are uncomfortable for leaders and communities to acknowledge.
One of these patterns that has plagued the foster care system for decades: the stark overrepresentation of Black children compared to their White and Hispanic counterparts.
It is a persistent issue that needs attention. Although 49% of the country’s children are White, they account for only 43% of the youth in the system. In contrast, Black youth, comprising only 14% of the US child population, make up 22% of all children in foster care.
Why are Black children so overrepresented in the foster care system?
Researchers from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) began trying to answer this question in the late 2000s. NBER staff discovered that some of the disproportionality comes from high-risk cases – or those children who are at risk for subsequent maltreatment.
In a report that used data spanning from 2008-2017, researchers found that 6% of White children were removed from their primary caregiver, compared to 12% of Black children. This means that Black children are 50% more likely to be removed from their homes than White children with the same risk factors. On the flip side, this shows that White children could be left in environments that lead to further maltreatment.
According to the Child Information Gateway, this problem is further exacerbated by the fact that Black families are reported and investigated for child maltreatment cases at a higher rate than other families. Black children also have longer times in foster care, are less likely to reunify with their families, and do not have the same access to services that White children do.
There are a variety of factors that influence reports to child welfare agencies. Institutional racism, implicit/explicit bias, lack of local services or programs, geography, and governmental policies and funding can all contribute to the disparity.
Overcoming just one of these factors is difficult, let alone all of them. However, after being at its highest in 2000 at 39%, the number of Black children in the foster care system has been declining over the past 20 years. So, how is the system changing to move the percentage in the right direction?
Change in foster care on a local level
High-level sweeping reforms are necessary and take time. Change needs to start small and locally. At the (foster care) agency level, more and more organizations are offering diversity, equity, and inclusion-specific training helping mandated reporters to become aware of the impact of implicit biases. Many agencies are adopting a blind case review system (demographics like race and gender are not identified) so implicit bias can be limited. Promoting a diverse workforce also increases cultural awareness.
There is also value in offering early intervention if your agency provides those services. By giving options to families and partnering with other agencies that offer helpful programs, caseworkers can stop a small problem from morphing into one that involves the removal of a child.
A shift in federal policy and funding surrounding out-of-home care
Giving a family a chance to develop concrete resources can be the difference in a child’s life. This is a pillar of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA). The FFPSA was enacted in 2018 on a federal level (a program of the Children’s Bureau) that aims to keep children at home and reduce out-of-home placements.
FFPSA increases funding for “prevention services,” such as mental health treatment and in-home parent skill-based services, to keep the family unit together. Because research has proven that a family environment is best for youth, FFPSA limits the amount of time a youth can be placed in a group or residential setting, so that youth can be returned to a home-based environment. In accordance with this policy, Cayuga Centers provides Treatment Family Foster Care as well as preventive services to keep youth from entering congregate care.
Change is not only possible, but imperative. One example of necessary policy change is the Indian Children Welfare Act.
Native American/Alaskan Native Children account for just 1% of the children in the US but represent 2% of the children in foster care. In 1978, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was enacted in response to an alarming amount of Native children entering the foster care system. ICWA strives to protect Native culture by placing children who are removed from their homes with their family/tribe before non-Indian parents would be able to foster them.
After several challenges and threats, the Supreme Court upheld ICWA in a June 2023 decision. States such as Minnesota, Wyoming and New Mexico are enacting further legislation to protect these children and address the disproportionality that still exists today.
Reflecting on our own actions
Can you make a difference if you don’t work in the child welfare system? Yes. Mandated reporters are not the only ones who are reporting families to their local Child Protective Agency. Citizens outside the system – strangers, friends, even ones own family members have reported their loved ones for the sake of the child.
As community members, neighbors, and other members of the public, learning to recognize the signs of child abuse and maltreatment, rather than acting on an implicit or explicit bias, is crucial to keeping children out of the foster care system unnecessarily. Connecting families who are experiencing high stress and other challenges to valuable community resources can be much more beneficial than out-of-home placement.
When it comes down to it, change starts from within. Over the past decade, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training has expanded. Most of us have taken some sort of training. However, implicit bias is still present in our society, and all of us are responsible for our actions.
Do you have an implicit bias? We’d all like to think we don’t, but the fact is it’s everywhere. If you want to see where you can improve, check out this test from Harvard University. You can test yourself on not only racial bias, but gender, disability and religious bias.
Change for the future of foster care
Many workplaces have implemented mandatory training centered about DEI, but the work is not finished yet. Ultimately, we have to work together to keep children safely with their families and int heir communities.
If we keep this issue at the forefront of our minds, more barriers can be broken.
Support youth by becoming a foster parent
Cayuga Centers does not discriminate against anyone’s race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a foster parent, visit our website.
If you choose to become a foster parent to a child of a different race or a member of the LGBTQIA community, please visit the Cayuga Corner home page to learn more strategies to help your child thrive.
