 Racial Equity in Child Welfare: The Role of State Legislators
The overrepresentation of African-American and Native American children in the child welfare system is a troubling and complex phenomenon. Thirty-three percent of kids in foster care are African-American, but they make up only 15 percent of the child population. Yet federal studies indicate that child abuse and neglect is actually lower for black families than it is for whites. Lawmakers in a number of states are requiring answers, and social service agencies are doing some difficult soul searching. One of the major questions is whether the nation's child welfare system undermines the strength of families, particularly families of color. Legislative Initiatives Overviews and Statistics To view PDF files, you must install Adobe Acrobat Reader. Child Welfare |