Disentangling substantiation: The influence of race, income, and risk on the substantiation decision in child welfare

被引:233
|
作者
Dettlaff, Alan J. [1 ]
Rivaux, Stephanie L. [2 ]
Baumann, Donald J. [3 ]
Fluke, John D. [4 ]
Rycraft, Joan R. [5 ]
James, Joyce [6 ]
机构
[1] Univ Illinois, Jane Addams Coll Social Work, Chicago, IL 60607 USA
[2] Univ Texas Austin, Sch Social Work, Austin, TX 78712 USA
[3] Texas Dept Family & Protect Serv, Austin, TX 78751 USA
[4] Amer Humane Assoc, Child Protect Res Ctr, Englewood, CO 80112 USA
[5] Univ Texas Arlington, Sch Social Work, Arlington, TX 76019 USA
[6] Texas Hlth & Human Serv Commiss, Ctr Eliminat Disproport & Dispar, Austin, TX 78751 USA
关键词
Disproportionality; Disparities; African Americans; Child welfare; Substantiation; Decision-making; PROTECTIVE SERVICES; MALTREATMENT; ABUSE; ETHNICITY; NEGLECT; POVERTY;
D O I
10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.04.005
中图分类号
D669 [社会生活与社会问题]; C913 [社会生活与社会问题];
学科分类号
1204 ;
摘要
Understanding the source of disparities found at decision-making points along the child welfare pathway is essential to understanding and addressing the overrepresentation of African American children. Although research has documented the existence of disparities, it has been less successful in identifying the explanatory factors behind them. Critiques of research examining these disparities have suggested that poverty is likely a stronger explanatory factor than race, yet analyses that include measures of poverty using data from child welfare systems have largely not been conducted. This study uses data from the Texas child welfare system to identify the factors contributing to disparities at the substantiation decision. Given the relationship between poverty and child maltreatment, the analyses control for the effect of family income, as well as other factors related to maltreatment, to better understand the effect of race on this decision-making point. Findings indicate that when family income is controlled, race is not a significant factor in the substantiation decision. However, when also controlling for caseworker perceptions of risk, race emerges as the stronger explanatory factor. This suggests not only an important relationship between race, income, and risk assessment, but also that disproportionality in the child welfare system is a complex phenomenon that cannot be explained by a single factor. These results further demonstrate that the effect of racial bias on decision-making remains an important consideration in understanding the overrepresentation of African American children. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
引用
收藏
页码:1630 / 1637
页数:8
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