Developmental Implications
Black children are less likely to receive services than white children; these racial inconsistencies in services received remain even after controlling for need.
To examine the racial disproportionality in child welfare, this report draws on peer-reviewed papers and chapters from data gathered during the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW). Topics include child factors and related services, including early childhood development and early intervention services, as well as mental health and substance abuse treatment needs and access; parental factors and related services, including parental arrest and child involvement with child welfare services agencies, as well as domestic violence; and reunification and related services.
Black children are less likely to receive services than white children; these racial inconsistencies in services received remain even after controlling for need.
As a group, African American youth do not demonstrate greater mental health problems than other children; but there is a significant unmet need among the 6- to 10-year-old age group who are less likely to receive mental health services than white youth when other variables are controlled.
African American children with incarcerated parents were found to be overrepresented in the proportion of investigated cases with a recent arrest. Yet the risk factors identified by child welfare workers at the time of intake were lower among African American parents who had been arrested than among other arrested parents.
Child welfare workers underidentify domestic violence; the percentage of domestic violence cases reported by caregivers exceeds those recognized by child welfare workers. However, race has not been found to be a significant predictor in the underidentification of domestic violence.
For children younger than 7 months and older than 10 years, racial differences are significant. For example, African American infants are less likely to experience reunification than white infants; and African American youth over age 10, as well as youth of other racial and ethnic groups, are significantly less likely to return home than white youth.
Race and ethnicity was not found to be a significant predictor in services received by children remaining at home, nor was it an indicator in whether children would be placed in out-of-home care; but race and ethnicity are strongly associated with the overall level of child welfare involvement, especially for younger children.
NSCAW Findings
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