Children of Color in Foster Care
GAO Report on Overrepresentation of Children of Color in Foster Care
African-American children are twice as likely to enter foster care then White children—despite equal rates of abuse and neglect for children of all races—according to a significant new report released from the federal Government Accountability Office. The long awaited report, requested last year by House Ways & Means Chair Charles Rangel (D-NY) also notes longer stays in foster care for African-American children and finds that current cultural bias and distrust between child welfare officials and families contribute to the child’s removal from their homes.
Some causal factors include a higher rate of poverty among African-American families as they “have greater difficulty accessing housing, mental health, and other services needed to keep families stable and children safely at home.” According to the report, other factors contributing to these findings come from a lack of suitable foster families, and a reluctance of kinship families to move forward with adoption proceedings as it will cause a termination of biological parent’s rights. States also reported that kinship families retain greater supports for children in foster care as opposed to that of adopted children.
Other Resources:
Children of Color in the Child Welfare System: Perspectives from the Child Welfare Community (December 2003)—U.S. Dept. Of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families
Race Matters Consortium—The Race Matters Consortium (The Consortium) is a diverse group of child welfare experts representing research, policy, administration, practice, and advocacy, who joined together to systematically examine disproportional representation of individuals of different races and ethnic groups in the child welfare system.
Racial Equity in Child Welfare: The Role of State Legislators—August 2006 workshop presentation at the National Conference of State Legislatures examined the cause and extent of overrepresentation, discussed how some states have made racial equity a public policy priority, and identified promising practices.
