Brett Drake on the Truth about Racial Disparities in Child Welfare

Are black children over-reported and over-represented in the child welfare system? Are their cases more likely to be substantiated than those of white children? Are black children placed in foster care at a higher rate?

In this episode, Naomi and Ian are joined by Brett Drake, Professor of Data Science for the Social Good in Practice at the Washington University in St. Louis. Brett and a team of researchers recently published a paper examining these questions by analyzing reports of child maltreatment from 2005-2019. While it is impossible to know exactly how many children are maltreated each year, they found that black children are 2-3 times more likely to live in poverty and live in single parent households. Teen birth rates and low high school graduation rates are also 2-3 times higher in the black community. All of these factors are associated with maltreatment. Yet according to Drake’s analysis, black children are reported for maltreatment only about 1.8 times as often as white children.

Once children are in the system, they discovered that black children’s cases are less likely to be substantiated and they are less likely to be placed in foster care than white children.

These findings dispel the popular narrative in child welfare that racial disparities are merely the result of systemic bias. Policymakers cannot be afraid to say that black and white children often grow up in different circumstances in our society and that child protection must respond accordingly.

Resources:

• Racial/Ethnic Differences in Child Protective Services Reporting | Brett Drake

• Children Are Dead Because Activists Say It’s Racist for ACS to Act | Naomi Schaefer Riley | New York Post

Show notes:

• 01:29 | Does racism explain racial disparities?

• 04:51 | Estimating child maltreatment

• 08:33 | An equitable response to differential risk

• 16:50 | Blaming the problem is not blaming the victim