Addressing the overrepresentation of Black children in Ontario's child welfare system: insights from child welfare workers and community service providers

2022 ◽  
Vol 123 ◽  
pp. 105423
Author(s):  
Kofi Antwi-Boasiako ◽  
Barbara Fallon ◽  
Bryn King ◽  
Nico Trocmé ◽  
John Fluke
Keyword(s):  
Child Welfare ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Black Children ◽  
Child Welfare System ◽  
Welfare System ◽  
Child Welfare Workers ◽  
Welfare Workers

scholarly journals Risk of Future Maltreatment: Examining Whether Worker Characteristics Predict Their Perception

2021 ◽  
pp. 107755952110314
Author(s):  
Kristen Lwin ◽  
Joanne Filippelli ◽  
Barbara Fallon ◽  
Jason King ◽  
Nico Trocmé
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Child Welfare System ◽  
Welfare System ◽  
Child Welfare Workers ◽  
Perception Of Risk ◽  
Worker Characteristics ◽  
Welfare Workers

Child welfare workers aim to promote the well-being and safety of children and are the link between the child welfare system and families. Families served by the child welfare system should expect similar service based on clinical factors, not based on their caseworker’s characteristics. Using secondary data analyses of the most recent Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-2008) and multilevel modeling, this study examines whether child welfare worker characteristics, such as education level and field, age, and experience predict their perception of the risk of future maltreatment. A total of 1729 case-level investigations and 419 child welfare workers were included in this study. Several one-level logistic regression and two-level logistic regression analyses were run. The best-fit model suggests that caseworkers with a Master’s degree, more than 2 years of experience, and more than 18 cases were significantly more likely to perceive risk of future maltreatment. Further, the interaction between degree level and age also significantly predicted the perception of risk of future maltreatment. Results suggest that the perception of risk of future maltreatment may be influenced by caseworker factors, thus service to families may differ based on caseworker characteristics.

scholarly journals “Act Like my Friend”

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy Hughes ◽  
Shirley Chau ◽  
Cathy Rocke
Keyword(s):  
Child Welfare ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Qualitative Interview ◽  
Child Welfare System ◽  
Welfare System ◽  
Child Welfare Workers ◽  
Canadian Child ◽  
Children First ◽  
Welfare Workers ◽  
Practice Literature

Through a final qualitative interview question, we asked mothers who were involved with the Canadian child welfare system to provide recommendations to improve practices in this system. Through their responses, these women focused on the relationships between parents and workers. Surprisingly, they stated that child welfare workers should “act like friends.” In these descriptions, they stated that child welfare workers should be respectful, honest, caring, supportive, non-judgmental, and encouraging. They further stated that workers should have empathy and provide concrete supports so that parents maintain connections to their children. First, we present the mothers’ recommendations. Then, we situate these findings into best practice literature and discuss both the possibilities and challenges of developing stronger relationships between parents and child welfare workers.

Racial Disproportionality and Disparities in the Child Welfare System: Why Do They Exist, and What Can Be Done to Address Them?

2020 ◽  
Vol 692 (1) ◽  
pp. 253-274
Author(s):  
Alan J. Dettlaff ◽  
Reiko Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Child Welfare ◽  
Black Children ◽  
Child Welfare System ◽  
Welfare System ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Children Of Color ◽  
Racial Disproportionality ◽  
Welfare Systems ◽  
External Causes ◽  
Child Welfare Systems

Children of color are overrepresented in the child welfare system, and Black children have been most significantly impacted by this racial disproportionality. Racial disproportionality in child welfare exists because of influences that are both external to child welfare systems and part of the child welfare system. We summarize the causes of racial disproportionality, arguing that internal and external causes of disproportional involvement originate from a common underlying factor: structural and institutional racism that is both within child welfare systems and part of society at large. Further, we review options for addressing racial disproportionality, arguing that it needs to be rectified because of the harm it causes Black children and families and that forcible separation of children from their parents can no longer be viewed as an acceptable form of intervention for families in need.

scholarly journals Challenges to Family Unity and Opportunities for Promoting Child Welfare in an Increasingly Punitive Immigration Landscape

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 727-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Finno-Velasquez ◽  
Alan J. Dettlaff
Keyword(s):  
Child Welfare ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Child Welfare System ◽  
Family Reunification ◽  
Welfare System ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
The Past ◽  
Family Unity

This paper describes specific challenges to family unity and child welfare among children in immigrant families resulting from immigration enforcement. Surges in immigration activity over the past decade have resulted in family economic hardship, psychological trauma to children, and difficulty accessing social services. Children whose parents are detained/deported are at risk of unnecessarily entering the child welfare system, and encounter significant barriers to family reunification. In recent months, the scope of enforcement priorities that previously safeguarded many parents now target a much larger group of immigrants for deportation, increasingly disregarding the needs of children. Immigration raids have terrorized communities across the country, and repercussions are being felt by the child welfare system and social service providers. Within an anti-immigrant political climate, there is a desperate need for social workers to lead initiatives to respond to immigrants’ needs. Strategies include: (1) development of social work expertise in working with immigrants; (2) cross-systems and cross-disciplinary collaborations; (3) leveraging existing resources and supports; (4) documentation/collection of data; and (5) focused advocacy efforts.

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