May is National Foster Care Month
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Issue Experts

Have a question about disproportionality? Let us connect you to an expert on the issue for more information.

 

Ralph Bayard, Ed.D., serves as the Senior Director for Systems Improvement – Disproportionality at Casey Family Programs and is member of the Race Matters Consortium Coordinating Committee.

 

Dennette Derzotes, MSW, LCSW, is the founding Executive Director of the Race Matters Consortium at Westat.

 

Sondra M. Jackson, MSW, LCSW, is the Executive Director of Black Administrators in Child Welfare.
Facts and Resources on Disproportionality 

Definition
What exactly is disproportionality? Disproportionate representation (or disproportionality) refers to the current situation in which particular racial and ethnic groups of children are represented in foster care at a higher or lower percentage than they are in the general population. Disproportionality refers both to the overrepresentation of children of color in foster care and to the disparate outcomes they experience while they are in foster care.


Facts
Disproportionality in the Child Welfare System is a complex topic, but the key facts are simple. Here in a single page are the essential facts.


State-by-State Profiles
An analysis by The Center for the Study of Social Policy shows that disproportionality varies greatly from state to state - from Comparable Representation to Extreme Disproportion. Click here to view the fact sheet.


Other Resources

  • U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Report on African American Children in Foster Care. This July 2007 report features several promising practices and addresses key issues related to disproportionality and disparity including, the role of poverty, lack of support services, racial bias, cultural misunderstanding and potential barriers to adoption for kinship caregivers

  •  Casey-CSSP Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare. This Alliance between the Annie E. Casey Foundation and its direct service arm Casey Family Services, Casey Family Programs, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, Marguerite Casey Foundation and the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) seeks to raise awareness of disproportionality. Click here to download a new publication about promising practices to watch, which highlights the work of ten jurisdictions that are committed to reducing racial disproportionality and disparity in their child welfare systems.

 

  • Listen to experts discuss Racial Disparity in the Child Welfare System presented by The Chapin Hill Center for Children at the University of Chicago as part of their Thursday’s Child forum co-sponsored by the Urban Institute.

  • Synthesis of Research on Disproportionality in Child Welfare: An Update
    This major study published in October 2006 was prepared by the social research scientist Dr. Robert B. Hill for the Casey-CSSP Alliance. The study is the first comprehensive summary of past and recent data examining racial disproportionality and disparities in treatment and services within the child welfare system. It gives credence to concerns long voiced by child welfare professionals.


  • National Resource Center for Family-Centerd Practice and Permanency Planning
    This service of the Children's Bureau focuses on increasing the capacity and resources of State, Tribal, and other publicly supported child welfare agencies to promote family-centered practices that contribute to the safety, permanency, and well-being of children while meeting the needs of their families. The site includes extensive information on disproportionality and related best practices as well as a section on Indian child welfare.