Achieving Racial Equity in Child Welfare: Examining What We Know

1
Achieving Racial Equity in Child
WelfareExamining What We Know

• Race Matters Teleconference Series
• October 21, 2008
• Race Matters Consortium
• Rockville Institute
• Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare
• Racemattersconsortium.org
• dennettederezotes_at_westat.com

2
Some Historical Issues of Race Equity and Child
Welfare

• Unusual treatment of children of different races
  have been noted historically in this countrys
  child welfare system for many years
• This includes both over- and under-
  representation and disparities in treatment
• examples orphan trains
• exclusion of African
  Americans
• overrepresentation of
  African Americans

3
Some Historical Issues of Race Equity and Child
Welfare
Child welfare professionals have been actively
raising concerns for the
unique needs of children with different
racial and ethnic backgrounds for 30 years
In the last 10 years more efforts have been
examining the related data to
better understand the phenomenon Some recent
publications GAO Report
Bob Hills paper, Synthesis of Research on

Disproportionality an update
NASW Call to Action For more history
visit http//www.racemattersconsortium.org/whyra
cematters.asp
4
Definitions

• Disproportionality
• The over-or-under-representation of children of
  color under age 18 experiencing a particular
  child welfare event compared to their
  representation in the general population or
  another child welfare event. (Bob Hill)
• comparing a groups
  representation to itself
• Disparity
• Proportion of children within a race/ethnicity
  who experience an event when compared to other
  racial groups experiencing the same event. This
  event can be related to treatment, services
  and/or resources.
• across group comparison

5
Definitions

• Racial Equity
• Racial equity refers to a social outcomes
  picture in which the distribution of societys
  resources, opportunities, and burdens are not
  predictable by race and race is not consistently
  associated with the incidence of privilege and
  disadvantage
• Structural Racism
• Structural racism refers to the many factors
  that work to produce and maintain racial
  inequities in America today. It identifies
  aspects of our history and culture that have
  allowed the privileges associated with
  whiteness and the disadvantages associated with
  color to endure and adapt within the political
  economy over time. It also points out the ways in
  which public policies, institutional practices
  and cultural representations reproduce racially
  inequitable outcomes. 1
• 1 Aspen Institute, Roundtable on Comprehensive
  Community Initiatives Project on Racial Equity
  and Community Building, 2003, Operationalizing a
  Structural Racism Analysis The Structural Racism
  Theory of Change Process.

6
The Race Matters Consortium

• Mission
• The Race Matters Consortium is a national
  multi-system initiative to prevent and reduce
  racial and ethnic disproportionality and
  disparities and create racial equity in the child
  welfare system

7
The Alliance for Racial Equity in Child
WelfarePartners

• Partners Annie E. Casey Foundation
• Casey Family Services
• Casey Family
  Programs
• Center for
  the Study of Social Policy
• Marguerite
  Casey Foundation
• Jim Casey
  Youth Opportunities
• Black
  Administrators in Child Welfare
• Race
  Matters Consortium

8
Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare
Theory of Change

• Mission
• The mission of the Alliance is to create a child
  welfare system that is free of structural racism
  and that benefits all children, families and
  communities.
• Theory of Change1
• Make interventions in the following 6
  dimensions to create long term sustainable,
  change
• 1 Aspen Institute, Roundtable on Comprehensive
  Community Initiatives Project on Racial Equity
  and Community Building, 2003, Operationalizing a
  Structural Racism Analysis The Structural Racism
  Theory of Change Process.

8
9
The Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare6
Dimensions of Change

• 1. Legislation, Policy Change and Finance Reform
• 2. Youth, Parent and Community Partnership and
  Development
• 3. Public Will and Communication
• 4. Human Service Workforce Development
• 5. Practice Change (site-based implementation)
• 6. Research, Evaluation and Data-Based
  Decision-making

9
10
Alliance for Racial Equity in Child
WelfarePromising Practices

• Scan of practices across the country
• 9 Sites chosen for examination based on efforts
  to date
• 4 sites chosen to become partners based on
  current work and alignment with the Alliances
  Theory of Change
• Available at http//www.cssp.org/major_initiative
  s/racialEquity.html

11
Alliance Partner Sites Demographics, History,
Systems Partnerships

• Guilford County, North Carolina
  Ramsey County, Minnesota
• -overrepresentation of African
  Americans -representation of
  African Americans
• -African Americans and Whites have lived
  Asians (Hmong),
  Hispanic/Latinos, and
• in Guilford since slavery
  and Native
  Americans
• -Walgreens sit-in county run system
  -acknowledgement of
  continually
• -county led with state input potentially
  changing demographics
• county run system
  -county driven
  effort
• 
  
  -part of a larger Health and Human
• 
  
  Services effort
• 
  
  -state and county efforts simultaneously
• King County, Washington
  Woodbury County, Iowa

12
Dimension 1 Legislation, Policy Change and
Finance Reform

• Several states have taken on efforts to amend
  policy and finances through legislation
• Policies and financing can also be changed
  through agency administration

13
Dimension 1 Legislation, Policy Change and
Finance Reform

• Alliance Partner Site Efforts
• Guilford County, North Carolina Ramsey County,
  Minnesota
• - county led effort
  - state and
  county efforts
• 
  
  I963 Creation of the Minnesota Indian
  Affairs Council
• 
  
  1978 Creation of the
  Chicano Latino Affairs Council
• 
  
  1980 Creation of the
  Council on Black Minnesotans
• 
  
  1985 The Council on
  Asian-Pacific Minnesotans
• 
  
  1991 Office of Ombudsman
  for Families
• 
  
  2001, African American
  Disparities Advisory Committee
• 
  
  of the Minnesota
  Department of Human Services
• 
  
  2005 Authorization to
  test tribal delivery of
• 
  
  child
  welfare services
• King County, Washington
  Woodbury County, Iowa
• - county effort led to state effort
  - community effort, county effort

13
14
Dimension 2 Youth, Parent and Community
Partnership and Development

• Community partners include
• - not only local private agencies
• - but stakeholders and community
  leaders in communities
• where there is great child welfare
  system involvement
• - and recipients of service (parents,
  alumni, foster parents)
• The most effective efforts have community as true
  partners

15
Dimension 2 Youth, Parent and Community
Partnership and Development

• Alliance Partner Site Efforts
• Guilford County, North Carolina Ramsey
  County, Minnesota
• youth focused study
  community parents
  group
• community meetings
  liaisons to the
  cultural
• fatherhood initiative
  
  communities
• King County, Washington
  Woodbury County, Iowa
• limited community involvement
  community driven efforts
• plans for greater involvement

15
16
Dimension 3 Public Will and Communication

• It is critical to develop a clear message both
  internally and externally regarding your
  intentions
• examples reducing
  disproportionality
• reducing
  disparities
• (in what)
• achieving
  race equity
• Whatever message you choose, make it clear and
  be sure it is connected to your goals
• (if you dont know where you are going, you
  may end up somewhere else)

16
17
Dimension 3 Public Will and Communication

• Alliance Partner Site Efforts
• Guilford County, North Carolina
  Ramsey County, Minnesota
• Message
  Message Communications Plan
• Vehicle
  Vehicle Internal Communications
  Efforts
• 
  Role of Cultural
  Consultants
• King County, Washington
  Woodbury County, Iowa
• Message Reduce Disproportionality
  Message
• Vehicle State level Plan
  Vehicle Internal Communications Efforts
• King County Coalition
  ROC March Press Conference
• 
  CINCF Meetings
• 
  Visits to the
  Iowa Capitol
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
  

17
18
Dimension 4 Human Service Workforce Development

• Not only does staff need to be informed of change
  but provided with training to help them move
  toward providing more racially equitable
  services.
• This includes not only line staff, but managers
  and administrative
• staff.

19
Dimension 4 Human Service Workforce Development

• Alliance Partner Site Efforts
• Guilford County, North Carolina Ramsey
  County, Minnesota
• Undoing Racism
• 
  CPS Efforts
• 
  Data Efforts
• 
  Race, the Power of Illusion
• 
  Undoing Racism
• 
  
  Skill Development
• King County, Washington
  Woodbury County, Iowa
• Breakthrough Series Efforts
  Race, the Power of
  Illusion
• 
  
  CINCF Meetings
• 
  
  Undoing Racism
  

19
20
Dimension 5 Practice change (site-based
implementation)

• How are site programs designed to meet the needs
  of children and families of your demographic
  populations?
• What can you do to better meet their needs?

21
Dimension 5 Practice change (site-based
implementation)

• Alliance Partner Site Efforts
• Guilford County, North Carolina Ramsey
  County, Minnesota
• Breakthrough Series
  Breakthrough Series
• 
  Native Unit
• 
  Culturally Unique
  Efforts
• King County, Washington
  Woodbury County, Iowa
• OASIS
  Native Unit Efforts
• Breakthrough Series
  CPS Changes
• 
  
• 
  
  

21
22
Dimension 6 Research, Evaluation and Data-based
Decision-making

• Some Potential Data Sources
• AFCARS
• Racial Equity Scorecard
• Quality Service Reviews
• Compliance Reviews
• Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)

23
Dimension 6 Research, Evaluation and
Data-based Decision-making

• Alliance Partner Site Efforts
• Guilford County, North Carolina Ramsey
  County, Minnesota
• Racial Equity Scorecard
  Racial Equity Scorecard
• with Cohort Data over time
  with Longitudinal Data over Time
• King County, Washington
  Woodbury County, Iowa
• Racial Equity Scorecard
  Racial Equity Scorecard
• with Longitudinal Data over time
  with Longitudinal Data over Time
• 
  
  

23
24
Start with the Basics The Basic Racial Equity
Scorecard

24
25
Start with the Basics The Basic Racial Equity
Scorecard Data Definitions Disproportionality
Rate
26
Start with the Basics The Basic Racial Equity
Scorecard Data Definitions Rate per Thousand

• The number of children of a particular group
• in the child welfare system
• for every 1000 children of the same group
• in the general population

27
Start with the Basics The Basic Racial Equity
Scorecard Data Definitions Disparity Ratio
28
Example of a Populated ScorecardWoodbury County
Basic Racial Equity ScorecardFY 06 (July 1, 2005
June 30, 2006)
28
29
Tracking Data over TimeInitial Out of Home
Placements Rate per thousand children in the
general population of the same race/ ethnicity
Woodbury County, Iowa FY05 - FY07Woodbury
County Data provided by Iowa Department of Human
Services
30
Tracking Data over Time Initial Out of Home
Placements Rate per thousand children in the
general population of the same race/ ethnicity
King County, Washington FY02 - FY06King County
Data was obtained from the Washington Department
of Social Health Service Childrens
Administration CAMIS
31

• Examining Approaches to Achieving Racial Equity
  in Child Welfare
• Thank you for your time