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Disproportionate Need as a Factor Explaining Racial Disproportionality in the CW System

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Book cover Racial Disproportionality and Disparities in the Child Welfare System

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

Abstract

This chapter explores the close association between poverty and child maltreatment. We review evidence demonstrating that this is a real association, and is not substantially attributable to confounding issues such as surveillance bias. An overwhelming body of literature has established that child maltreatment is far more common among the poor individuals and in geographically poor areas. Recent work using more advanced methods such as propensity score matching and randomized controlled trials suggests that this association may be partly causal in nature. We then look closely at issues of racial disproportionality both with and without income or poverty controls. The research is generally consistent in showing that the nearly two to one disproportionality in overreporting of Black children compared to White children disappears or even reverses when income and other risk factors are controlled for. So long as Black families are disproportionately poor, it is likely that Black children will be reported to the child welfare system at higher base rates than White children.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Brett Drake, Melissa Jonson-Reid, Hyunil Kim, Chien-Jen Chiang & Daji Davalishvili

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  1. Brett Drake
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  2. Melissa Jonson-Reid
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Correspondence to Brett Drake .

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

    Alan J. Dettlaff

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Drake, B., Jonson-Reid, M., Kim, H., Chiang, CJ., Davalishvili, D. (2021). Disproportionate Need as a Factor Explaining Racial Disproportionality in the CW System. 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_9

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