Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Workforce Development Strategies to Address Racial Disproportionality and Disparities in Child Welfare Systems

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Racial Disproportionality and Disparities in the Child Welfare System

Part of the book series: Child Maltreatment ((MALT,volume 11))

Abstract

While institutional racism is baked into the child welfare system, this chapter focuses on the one key constituency group that can help to change the system that supports disproportionality and disparities. This chapter will focus on the child welfare workforce at all levels—director, administrators, supervisors and front line staff with suggested ways those working within child welfare can engage the other constituency groups needed to create new systems and eradicate racism. An examination of how redesigning child welfare jobs, recruiting, selecting onboarding, and promoting a diverse workforce, training, coaching and supervising for culturally competent and humble practice, integrating procedures and practices to enhance decision making to make it less biased, utilizing evalution, continuous quality improvement and performance appraisals to capture and eliminate bias, as well as improving organizational cultures, climates, infrastructure supports, partnerships and resources can all be targeted for the creation of an equitable workplace and system.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Although not all studies have shown Title IV-E students feel ready to engage in culturally competent practice (Greeno et al., 2017).

References

  • Abrahamovitz, M., & Blitz, L. V. (2015). Moving towards racial equity: The undoing racism workshop and organizational change. Race and Social Problems, 7, 97–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, K. J., Revelle, W., & Lynch, M. J. (1989). Caffeine, impulsivity, and memory scanning: A comparison of two explanations for the Yerkes-Dodson effect. Motivation and Emotion, 13, 1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Badwall, H. (2016). Critical reflexivity and moral regulation. Journal of Progressive Human Services, 27(1), 1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbee, A. P., Antle, B. F., Sullivan, D., Dryden, A. A., & Henry, K. (2012). Twenty-five years of the Children’s bureau investment in social work education. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 6, 376–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbee, A. P., Henry, K., & Johnson, L. (2010). A report on the effectiveness of undoing racism and the overall change effort to reduce disproportionality and disparities in child welfare in Louisville, Kentucky. Submitted to the Race, Culture and Child Welfare (RCCW) Advisory Board.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barbee, A. P., Rice, C., Antle, B. F., Cunningham, M. R., & Henry, K. (2018). Factors affecting turnover rates of public child welfare front line workers: Comparing cohorts of title IV-E program graduates with regularly hired and trained staff. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 12(3), 354–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbee, A. P., Sullivan, D. J., Antle, B. F., Moran, E. B., Hall, J. C., & Fox, S. (2009). The public child welfare certification program: Worker retention and impact on practice. Journal of Social Work Education, 45, 427–444.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumann, D. J., Dalgleish, L., Fluke, J., & Kearn, H. (2011). The decision-making ecology. American Humane Association: Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://www.americanhumane.org/assets/pdfs/children/cprc-dme-monograph.pdf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blitz, L. V., Greene, M. P., Bernabei, S., & Shah, V. P. (2014). Think creatively and act decisively: Creating an antiracist alliance of social workers. Social Work, 59(4), 347–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Breaugh, J. A. (2017). The contribution of job analysis to recruitment. In H. W. Goldstein, E. D. Pulakos, J. Passmore, & C. Semedo (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell handbook of the psychology of recruitment, selection and employee retention (pp. 12–28). Malden, MA: Wiley.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Brimhall, K. C., Lizano, E. L., & Mor Barak, M. E. (2014). The mediating role of inclusion: A longitudinal study of the effects of leader–member exchange and diversity climate on job satisfaction and intention to leave among child welfare workers. Children and Youth Services Review, 40, 79–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.03.003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brimhall, K. C., Mor Barak, M. E., Hurlburt, M., McArdle, J. J., Palinkas, L., & Henwood, B. (2017). Increasing workplace inclusion: The promise of leadermemberexchange. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership and Governance, 41(3), 222–239. https://doi.org/10.1080/23303131.2016.1251522.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bussey, M., & Lucerno, N. (2013). Re-examining child welfare’s response to ICWA: Collaborating with community-based agencies to reduce disparities for American Indian/Alaska Native children. Children and Youth Services Review, 35(3), 394–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cahalane, H., & Anderson, C. M. (2013). Family engagement strategies in child welfare practice. In H. Cahalane (Ed.), Contemporary issues in child welfare practice (pp. 39–73). New York: Springer Science.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Center for the Study of Social Policy. (2014). Strategies to reduce racially disparate outcomes in child welfare. Alliance for racial equity in child welfare. Washington, DC: Center for the Study of Social Policy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2016). Racial disproportionality and disparity in child welfare. Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig-Oldsen, H., Craig, J. A., & Morton, T. (2006). Issues of shared parenting of LGBTQ children and youth in foster care: Preparing foster parents for new roles. Child Welfare, 85(2), 267–280.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crampton, D., & Jackson, W. L. (2007). Family group decision making and disproportionality in foster care: A case study. Child Welfare, 86(3), 51–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crofoot, T. L., & Harris, M. S. (2012). An Indian child welfare perspective on disproportionality in child welfare. Children and Youth Services Review, 34, 1667–1674.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curry, D., & Barbee, A. P. (2011). Addressing disproportionality and disparity with training and professional development. In K. Balenger (Ed.), Disproportionality and disparity in child welfare. Washington, D.C: CWLA Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • DePanfilis, D., & Zlotnik, J. L. (2008). Retention of front-line staff in child welfare: A systematic review of research. Children and Youth Services Review, 30(9), 995–1008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dettlaff, A., & Rycraft, J. R. (2010). Factors contributing to disproportionality in the child welfare system: Views from the legal community. Social Work, 53(3), 213–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dettlaff, A., & Rycraft, J. R. (2011). Community and stakeholder perceptions of disproportionality. In D. K. Green, K. Belanger, R. G. Mc Roy, & L. Bullard (Eds.), Challenging racial disproportionality in child welfare: Research, policy, and practice (pp. 23–33). Child Welfare League of America: Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Devine, P. G., Forscher, P. S., Austin, A. J., & Cox, W. T. L. (2012). Long-term reduction in implicit race bias: A prejudice habit-breaking intervention. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(6), 1267–1278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dovidio, J. F., Kawakami, K., & Gaertner, S. L. (2002). Implicit and explicit prejudice and interracial interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(1), 62–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drake, B., & Yadama, G. N. (1996). A structural equation model of burnout and job exit among child protective service workers. Social Work Research, 20(3), 179–187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duarte, C. S., & Summers, A. (2013). A three-pronged approach to addressing racial disproportionality and disparities in child welfare: The Santa Clara County example of leadership, collaboration and data-driven decisions. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 30(1), 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellett, A. J., Ellett, C. D., Ellis, J., & Lerner, B. (2009). A research-based child welfare employee selection protocol: Strengthening retention of the workforce. Child Welfare, 88(5), 49–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Faller, K. C., Masternak, M., Grinnell-Davis, C., Grabarek, M., Sieffert, J., & Bernatovicz, F. (2009). Realistic job previews in child welfare: State of innovation and practice. Child Welfare, 88(5), 23–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fluke, J. D., Chabot, M., Fallon, B., MacLaurin, B., & Blackstock, C. (2010). Placement decisions and disparities among aboriginal groups: An application of the decision making ecology through multi-level analysis. Child Abuse and Neglect, 34(1), 57–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fluke, J. D., Corwin, T. W., Hollinshead, D. M., & Maher, E. J. (2016). Family preservation or child safety? Associations between child welfare workers’ experience, position and perspectives. Children and Youth Services Review, 69, 210–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Font, S. A., Berger, L. M., & Slack, K. S. (2012). Examining racial disproportionality in child protective services case decisions. Children and Youth Services, Review, 34(11), 2188–2200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fredrickson, G. (2002). Racism: A short history. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentles-Gibbs, N. (2016). Leadership development: A pathway to transforming the public child welfare system. Families in Society, 97(2), 95–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glisson, C. (2015). The role of organizational culture and climate in innovation and effectiveness. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership and Governance, 39(4), 245–250.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glisson, C., Dukes, D., & Green, P. D. (2006). The effects of the ARC organizational intervention on caseworker turnover, climate, and culture in children’s service systems. Child Abuse and Neglect, 30, 855–880.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graef, M. I., & Potter, M. E. (2002). Alternative solutions to the child protective services staffing crisis: Innovations from industrial/organizational psychology. Protecting Children, 17(3), 18–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greeno, E. J., Fedina, L., Rushovich, B., Moore, J. E., Linsenmeyer, D., & Wirt, C. (2017). They tippy toe around the race issue: The impact of a title IV-E program on culturally informed practice for child welfare students. Child and Family Social Work, 22, 1374–1382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenwald, A. G., & Banaji, M. R. (1995). Implicit social cognition: Attitudes, self-esteem and stereotypes. Psychological Review, 102(1), 4–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenwald, A. G., Poehlman, A., Uhlmann, E. L., & Banaji, M. R. (2009). Understanding and using the implicit association test: Meta-analysis of predictive validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97(1), 17–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haksoon, A., Carter, L. M., Reiman, S., & Hartzel, S. (2017). Development of a quality assurance and continuous quality improvement (CQI) model in public child welfare systems. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 11(2), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2016.1255698.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, J., & Hopkins, K. M. (2015). A structural equation model of the effects of diversity characteristics and inclusion on organizational outcomes in the child welfare workforce. Children and Youth Services Review, 50, 44–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hutcherson, C. A., Seppula, E. M., & Gross, J. J. (2008). Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. Emotion, 8, 720–724.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • James, J., Green, D., Rodriquez, C., & Fong, R. (2008). Addressing disproportionality through undoing racism, leadership development and community engagement. Child Welfare, 87(2), 279–296.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, L. M., Antle, B. F., & Barbee, A. P. (2009). Addressing disproportionality and disparity in child welfare: Evaluation of an anti-racism training for community services providers. Children and Youth Services Review, 31, 688–696.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kang, Y., Gray, J. R., & Dovidio, J. F. (2014). The nondiscriminating heart: Lovingkindness meditation training decreases implicit intergroup bias. Journal of Experimental Psychology General, 143(3), 1306–1313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambert, M. C., Johnson, L. E., & Wang, E. W. (2017). The impact of family group decision-making on preventing removals. Children and Youth Services Review, 78, 89–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, L., & Fong, R. (2015). Disproportionality and disparities in the public child welfare system. In R. Fong, A. Dettlaff, J. James, & C. Rodriguez (Eds.), Addressing racial disproportionality and disparities in human services (pp. 169–207). New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leung, P., & Willis, N. (2012). The impact of title IV-E training on case outcomes for children serviced by CPS. Journal of Family Strengths, 12(1), Article 9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lupien, S. J., Maheu, F., Tu, M., Fiocco, A., & Schramek, T. E. (2007). The effects of stress and stress hormones on human cognition: Implications for the field of brain and cognition. Brain and Cognition, 65, 209–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mallon, G. P. (Ed.). (2017). Social work practice with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people (3rd ed.). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, T., & Jens, L. (2004). Talking about race using critical race theory: Recent trends. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 30(1), 81–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDermott, L. M., & Ebmeier, K. P. (2009). A meta-analysis of depression severity and cognitive function. Journal of Affective Disorders, 119(1–3), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2009.04.022.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merkel-Holguin, L. (2004). Sharing power with the people: Family group conferencing as a democratic experiment. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 31(1), 155–173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, B. C. (2018). Indirect trauma-sensitive supervision in child welfare. In V. Strand & G. Sprang (Eds.), Trauma responsive child welfare systems. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, K. M., Cahn, K., Anderson-Nathe, B., Cause, A. G., & Bender, R. (2013). Individual and systemic/structural bias in child welfare decision making: Implications for children and families of color. Children and Youth Services Review, 35, 1634–1642.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, J., & Garran, A. M. (2017). Racism in the United States (2nd ed.). Implications for the helping professions. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nadan, Y., Spilsbury, J. C., & Korbin, J. E. (2015). Culture and context in understanding child maltreatment: Contributions of intersectionality and neighborhood based research. Child Abuse and Neglect, 41, 40–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neville, H., Lilly, R. L., Duran, G., Lee, R., & Browne, L. (2000). Construction and initial validation of the Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS). Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47(1), 59–70. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.6.1013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palinkas, L. A., & Aarons, G. A. (2012). A view from the top: Executive and management challenges in a statewide implementation of an evidence based practice to reduce child neglect. In J. R. Lutzker & J. Merrick (Eds.), Applied public health: Examining multi-faceted social or ecological problems in child maltreatment (pp. 179–190). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Biomedical Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pennell, J., & Burford, G. (2000). Family group decision making: Protecting children and women. Child Welfare, 79(2), 131–158.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rauktis, M. E., Kerman, B., & Phillips, C. M. (2013). Transitioning into adulthood: Promoting youth engagement, empowerment and interdependence through teaming practices. In H. Cahalane (Ed.), Contemporary issues in child welfare practice (pp. 101–125). New York: Springer Science.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, D. (2002). Shattered bonds: The color of child welfare. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodenborg, N. A. (2004). Services to African American children in poverty: Institutional discrimination in child welfare? Journal of Poverty, 8(3), 109–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Senge, P. M. (1994). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of a learning organization. New York: Doubleday.

    Google Scholar 

  • Senge, P., Scharmer, C. O., Jaworski, J., & Flowers, B. S. (2005). Presence: An exploration of profound change in people, organizations, and society. New York: Doubleday.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheets, J., Wittenstrom, K., Fong, R., James, J., Tecci, M., Baumann, D. J., & Rodriguez, C. (2009). Evidence-based practice in family group decision-making for Anglo, African American and Hispanic families. Children and Youth Services Review, 31(11), 1187–1191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strand, V., & Sprang, G. (Eds.). (2018). Trauma responsive child welfare systems. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Summers, A. (2015). Disproportionality rates for children of color in foster care (fiscal year 2013). Retrieved from http://www.ncjfcj.org/Dispro-TAB-2013

  • Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. (2010). Disproportionality in child protective services: The preliminary results of statewide reform efforts in texas. Austin, TX: DFPS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells, S. J. (2011). Disproportionality and disparity in child welfare: An overview of definitions and methods of measurement. In D. K. Green, K. Belanger, R. G. McRoy, & L. Bullard (Eds.), Challenging racial disproportionality in child welfare: Research, policy, and practice (pp. 3–12). Child Welfare League of America: Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, B. D. M., & Kastanis, A. A. (2015). Sexual and gender minority disproportionality and disparities in child welfare: A population-based study. Children and Youth Services Review, 58, 11–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yankeelov, P. A., Barbee, A. P., Sullivan, D. J., & Antle, B. (2009). Retention of child welfare workers. Children and Youth Services Review, 31, 547–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeitlin, W. (2014). Factors impacting perceptions of organizational cultural competence in voluntary child welfare. Children and Youth Services Review, 44, 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Family and Community Well-Being, Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

    Anita P. Barbee & Becky F. Antle

Authors
  1. Anita P. Barbee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Becky F. Antle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anita P. Barbee .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Alan J. Dettlaff

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Barbee, A.P., Antle, B.F. (2021). Workforce Development Strategies to Address Racial Disproportionality and Disparities in Child Welfare Systems. In: Dettlaff, A.J. (eds) Racial Disproportionality and Disparities in the Child Welfare System. Child Maltreatment, vol 11. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54314-3_15

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54314-3_15

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-54313-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-54314-3

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation