IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v151y2023ics0190740923002438.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

State policies on child maltreatment and racial disproportionality

Author

Listed:
  • LaBrenz, Catherine A.
  • Littleton, Tenesha
  • Shipe, Stacey L.
  • Bai, Rong
  • Stargel, Lauren

Abstract

Over the past several decades researchers have documented disproportionality for Black families across multiple decision-making points within the child welfare system. Yet, few studies have examined how specific state policies may impact disproportionality across decision points. The racial disproportionality index (RDI) was calculated for Black children in each state and Washington DC (N = 51) based on the proportion of children who were received a referral to CPS, a substantiated investigation, or entered foster care. A series of bivariate analyses (one-way ANOVAs; independent sample t-tests) were used to explore the relationship between the RDI and these decision points. Further analyses were conducted between the RDI and state policies (e.g., child maltreatment definitions, mandated reporting, and alternative response). Our results suggest there is an overrepresentation of Black children in CPS across the three decision points. This overrepresentation continues with specific state policies such as a state using harsh punishment in their definition of child maltreatment. Recommendations are provided for policy and research, including a suggestion for further exploration of state policies and county-level disproportionality indexes.

Suggested Citation

  • LaBrenz, Catherine A. & Littleton, Tenesha & Shipe, Stacey L. & Bai, Rong & Stargel, Lauren, 2023. "State policies on child maltreatment and racial disproportionality," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:151:y:2023:i:c:s0190740923002438
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107048
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740923002438
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107048?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kristen Shook Slack & Jane L. Holl & Bong Joo Lee & Marla McDaniel & Lisa Altenbernd & Amy Bush Stevens, 2003. "Child protective intervention in the context of welfare reform: The effects of work and welfare on maltreatment reports," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(4), pages 517-536.
    2. Frank Edwards & Sara Wakefield & Kieran Healy & Christopher Wildeman, 2021. "Contact with Child Protective Services is pervasive but unequally distributed by race and ethnicity in large US counties," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 118(30), pages 2106272118-, July.
    3. Sykes, Jennifer, 2011. "Negotiating stigma: Understanding mothers' responses to accusations of child neglect," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 448-456, March.
    4. Sean F. Reardon & Lindsay Fox & Joseph Townsend, 2015. "Neighborhood Income Composition by Household Race and Income, 1990–2009," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 660(1), pages 78-97, July.
    5. Maguire-Jack, Kathryn & Font, Sarah A., 2017. "Intersections of individual and neighborhood disadvantage: Implications for child maltreatment," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 44-51.
    6. Knott, Theresa & Donovan, Kirsten, 2010. "Disproportionate representation of African-American children in foster care: Secondary analysis of the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, 2005," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 679-684, May.
    7. Palusci, Vincent J. & Vandervort, Frank E. & Lewis, Jessica M., 2016. "Does changing mandated reporting laws improve child maltreatment reporting in large U.S. counties?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 170-179.
    8. Kim, H. & Wildeman, C. & Jonson-Reid, M. & Drake, B., 2017. "Lifetime prevalence of investigating child maltreatment among US children," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 107(2), pages 274-280.
    9. Huggins-Hoyt, Kimberly Y. & Briggs, Harold E. & Mowbray, Orion & Allen, Junior Lloyd, 2019. "Privatization, racial disproportionality and disparity in child welfare: Outcomes for foster children of color," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 125-131.
    10. Krase, Kathryn S. & DeLong-Hamilton, Tobi A., 2015. "Comparing reports of suspected child maltreatment in states with and without Universal Mandated Reporting," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 96-100.
    11. Morton, Cory M. & Ocasio, Kerrie & Simmel, Cassandra, 2011. "A critique of methods used to describe the overrepresentation of African Americans in the child welfare system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(9), pages 1538-1542, September.
    12. Kim, Hyunil & Drake, Brett & Jonson-Reid, Melissa, 2018. "An examination of class-based visibility bias in national child maltreatment reporting," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 165-173.
    13. DeZelar, Sharyn & Lightfoot, Elizabeth, 2020. "Who refers parents with intellectual disabilities to the child welfare system? An analysis of referral sources and substantiation," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    14. Dettlaff, Alan J. & Rivaux, Stephanie L. & Baumann, Donald J. & Fluke, John D. & Rycraft, Joan R. & James, Joyce, 2011. "Disentangling substantiation: The influence of race, income, and risk on the substantiation decision in child welfare," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(9), pages 1630-1637, September.
    15. Brett Drake & Melissa Jonson-Reid & Hyunil Kim, 2017. "Surveillance Bias in Child Maltreatment: A Tempest in a Teapot," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-15, August.
    16. Cénat, Jude Mary & McIntee, Sara-Emilie & Mukunzi, Joana N. & Noorishad, Pari-Gole, 2021. "Overrepresentation of Black children in the child welfare system: A systematic review to understand and better act," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    17. Johnson, Will & Clancy, Thomas & Bastian, Pascal, 2015. "Child abuse/neglect risk assessment under field practice conditions: Tests of external and temporal validity and comparison with heart disease prediction," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 76-85.
    18. Harris, Marian S. & Hackett, Wanda, 2008. "Decision points in child welfare: An action research model to address disproportionality," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 199-215, February.
    19. Palusci, Vincent J. & Vandervort, Frank E., 2014. "Universal reporting laws and child maltreatment report rates in large U.S. counties," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 20-28.
    20. Carolina Muñoz-Guzmán & Candice Fischer & Enrique Chia & Catherine LaBrenz, 2015. "Child Welfare in Chile: Learning from International Experiences to Improve Family Interventions," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-20, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rosenberg, Rachel & Williams, Sarah Catherine & Martinez, Valerie & Ball, Ja'Chelle, 2024. "Mandated reporting policies and the detection of child abuse and neglect," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    2. LaBrenz, Catherine A. & Lloyd Sieger, Margaret & Choi, Mijin & Harrell, Danielle R. & Findley, Erin & Robinson, Erica D. & Baiden, Philip, 2023. "Family support services and reunification across diverse racial/ethnic groups: A survival analysis utilizing administrative child welfare data," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    3. Smith, Brenda D. & Li, Qingyi & Wang, Kun & Smith, Angela M., 2021. "A national study of child maltreatment reporting at the county level: Interactions among race/ethnicity, rurality and poverty," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    4. Emily Keddell, 2022. "Mechanisms of Inequity: The Impact of Instrumental Biases in the Child Protection System," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, May.
    5. Fix, Rebecca L. & Nair, Reshmi, 2020. "Racial/ethnic and gender disparities in substantiation of child physical and sexual abuse: Influences of caregiver and child characteristics," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    6. Stephens, Tricia & Kuerbis, Alexis & Pisciotta, Caterina & Morgenstern, Jon, 2020. "Underexamined points of vulnerability for black mothers in the child welfare system: The role of number of births, age of first use of substances and criminal justice involvement," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    7. Emily Keddell & Gabrielle Davie, 2018. "Inequalities and Child Protection System Contact in Aotearoa New Zealand: Developing a Conceptual Framework and Research Agenda," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-14, June.
    8. Boatswain-Kyte, Alicia & Esposito, Tonino & Trocmé, Nico & Boatswain-Kyte, Alicia, 2020. "A longitudinal jurisdictional study of Black children reported to child protection services in Quebec, Canada," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    9. Cénat, Jude Mary & McIntee, Sara-Emilie & Mukunzi, Joana N. & Noorishad, Pari-Gole, 2021. "Overrepresentation of Black children in the child welfare system: A systematic review to understand and better act," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    10. Godoy, Sarah & Kainz, Kirsten & Brevard, Kanisha & Keyes, Oprah, 2022. "A conceptual model to guide collaborative reflective practice and values-driven child welfare decision-making," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    11. Tonino Esposito & Johanna Caldwell & Martin Chabot & Anne Blumenthal & Nico Trocmé & Barbara Fallon & Sonia Hélie & Tracie O. Afifi, 2022. "Childhood Prevalence of Involvement with the Child Protection System in Quebec: A Longitudinal Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-15, December.
    12. Fred Wulczyn & Xiaomeng Zhou & Jamie McClanahan & Scott Huhr & Kristen Hislop & Forrest Moore & Emily Rhodes, 2023. "Race, Poverty, and Foster Care Placement in the United States: Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Perspectives," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(16), pages 1-19, August.
    13. Lee, Sei-Young & Villagrana, Margarita, 2015. "Differences in risk and protective factors between crossover and non-crossover youth in juvenile justice," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 18-27.
    14. Feely, Megan & Seay, Kristen D. & Loomis, Alysse M., 2019. "Harsh physical punishment as a mediator between income, re-reports and out-of-home placement in a child protective services-involved population," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 70-78.
    15. Kahn, Nicholas E. & Hansen, Mary Eschelbach, 2017. "Measuring racial disparities in foster care placement: A case study of Texas," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 213-226.
    16. Noorishad, Pari-Gole & Paul Darius, Wina & Czechowski, Konrad & McIntee, Sara-Emilie & Ntunga Mukunzi, Joana & Mary Cénat, Jude, 2023. "Racism as a vehicle for the overrepresentation of Black youth in child protection services in Ontario, Canada: Caseworkers’ and community facilitators’ perspectives," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    17. Choi, Mi Jin & Kim, Jangmin & Roper, Ayla & LaBrenz, Catherine A. & Boyd, Reiko, 2021. "Racial disparities in assignment to alternative response," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    18. Miller, Keva M. & Bank, Lewis, 2013. "Moderating effects of race on internalizing and externalizing behaviors among children of criminal justice and child welfare involved mothers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 472-481.
    19. Yi, Youngmin & Edwards, Frank & Emanuel, Natalia & Lee, Hedwig & Leventhal, John M. & Waldfogel, Jane & Wildeman, Christopher, 2023. "State-level variation in the cumulative prevalence of child welfare system contact, 2015–2019," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    20. Elisabetta De Cao, 2017. "The Impact of Unemployment on Child Maltreatment in the United States," Economics Series Working Papers 837, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:151:y:2023:i:c:s0190740923002438. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.