Race Matters In Child Welfare: The Overrepresentation Of African American Children In The System

Although African Americans constituted 15% of the child population of the United States in 1999, they accounted for 45% of the children in substitute care. In contrast, white children, who constituted 60% of the U.S. population, accounted for only 36% of the children in out-of-home care. In addition, several studies show that children of different ethnic or racial backgrounds receive dissimilar treatment by the child welfare system, but little is known about the appropriateness of the treatment. This compilation of papers critically examines child welfare policy and practice, the causes of child maltreatment, and how each affects the disproportionate representation of African American children in the system.