Informational & Practice Publications, Resources, & Tools
For Child Welfare Professionals
Racial Disproportionality in Child Welfare
This NRCFCPP information packet focuses on the issue of racial disproportionality in the child welfare system. It provides related facts and statistics, outlines legislation and policies, highlights best practices and model programs, and lists additional resources of interests. By Teija Sudol (July 2009)
Color of Child Welfare Policy: Racial Disparities in Child Welfare Services
In April 2002, the National Resource Center for Foster Care and Permanency Planning (NRCFCPP), the Child Welfare Fund, and the Hite Foundation sponsored a reception and lecture entitled, "Color of Child Welfare Policy: Racial Disparities in Child Welfare Services", featuring Ruth McRoy. Dr. McRoy is an Associate Dean for Research, the Director of the Center for Social Work Research, and the Ruby Lee Piester Centennial Professor in Services to Children & Families at the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. The Power Point and transcript are available to download.
Teleconferences, Webinars, Webcasts & Videos
Key Elements of a Successful Differential Response Approach: The Hawaii Experience
At the conclusion of the first CFSR, Hawaii was faced with the challenge of needing to bring about significant change in nearly every outcome and systemic factor. The leadership committed to a fundamental shift in CPS practice which used a safety decision making framework and engaged community partners to create a Differential Response approach. This National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections (NRCPFC) teleconference describes the approach, the process of community engagement, and the outcomes achieved. The key elements which have made this approach successful include leadership, a systemic change framework, and a solid decision making structure which enables consistent decisions about which families are best served in a traditional CPS investigation and which are better served by a voluntary community response. The results of this fundamental practice change include huge reductions in disproportionate placement of Native Hawaiian children, overall reductions in out of home placements, and reductions in repeat maltreatment. The Hawaii experience has demonstrated that a solid, well-defined, and well-implemented practice framework can produce positive outcomes for children and families. The archived teleconference/webinar audio, PowerPoint presentation, and other materials. (December 8, 2010)
Racial Disproportionality in Child Welfare: Tools and Strategies for Change
The NRCPFC and Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) hosted this these two teleconferences for state foster care and adoption managers focused on racial disproportionality in child welfare and efforts to address this issue.
*Many of these resources were developed previously by the
National Resource Center for
Permanency and Family Connections (NRCPFC).
Informational & Practice Publications, Resources, & Tools
For Child Welfare Professionals
Disproportionality Rates for Children of Color in Foster Care 2013
This technical assistance bulletin from the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) calculates current disproportionality indexes for every state and select Model Courts across the country. These indexes were calculated utilizing the most current 2011 Adoption and Foster Care Reporting System (AFCARS) data and 2011 census data estimates. The bulletin features a comparison of disproportionality rates between the years 2000 and 2011. (May 2013)
Addressing Racial Disproportionality in Child Welfare
This Child Welfare Information Gateway issue brief explores efforts to address racial disproportionality in child welfare by focusing on changes in policy and practice at specific decision points in the child welfare process—prevention, reporting, investigation, service provision, out-of-home care, and permanency—as well as policies and practices that can be implemented across several or all of these decision points. The issue brief is designed to help administrators, program managers, and policymakers explore solutions to racial disproportionality in their own child welfare systems. Specific examples of State and local projects that address disproportionality are highlighted throughout. A brief introductory section on prevalence is also included, to provide some background statistics. (January 2011)
Collaborating with Courts to Reduce and Eliminate Disparities
Co-sponsored by the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement (NRCOI) and the National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues, this teleconference/webinar session highlighted initiatives within dependency court systems focused on reducing and eliminating disproportionality and disparities. It also discussed how they can be resources for child welfare agencies engaged in work in this area. (February 2011)
