The child welfare system, like other government institutions in the United States (U.S.), has a history of incorporating policies and practices that devalue and damage marginalized people and families. This issue is evidenced by the disproportionately high number of Black children referred to, adjudicated in and removed from families in the U.S. child welfare system.
In this chapter, we provide a brief overview of the history of the U.S. child welfare system, highlighting the ways in which the current system relies on the use of biased data and decision-making practices that have the potential to cause harm to the well-being of Black families. Key findings highlight several issues of importance when assessing the ways child welfare systems in the U.S. can better support Black families.
We recommend researchers and child welfare professionals consider the following actions to better support Black families who may engage with child welfare or other U.S. systems: (1) address and confront the history of inadequate data on Black families, (2) ensure child welfare professionals (and others) working with Black families receive ongoing training and support to identify and address implicit biases, (3) actively solicit data that highlights Black families’ strengths and assets and incorporate it into decision-making and planning and (4) consider why, when and how to incorporate strategies into child welfare decision-making that are race neutral, “color blind” and/or contextually driven.
