Children of Color in Child Welfare: Perspectives from the Child Welfare Community
- Abuse, Neglect, Adoption & Foster Care
- Child Welfare Systems' Responses to Children of Color, 2000-2004 | Learn more about this project
Responding to concerns about the over-representation of minority children in the child welfare system, particularly African-American children, the Children’s Bureau sponsored an exploratory qualitative study of the child welfare system’s response to children of color.
The findings from the study are important for several reasons. First, very few studies have considered the child welfare community’s perception on over-representation. Second, few studies have looked at the manner in which agencies are responding to over-representation. As such, this study provides a unique perspective on the issue and potential solutions to it. Third, the information presented here can be used to inform policy makers about over-representation and potentially promising practices, strategies, and programs that are being implemented to reduce it. Finally, the information can educate and inform the child welfare community, by increasing awareness of over-representation, and providing examples of programs, practices, and strategies that they can implement in their own agencies to better serve children and families of color.