Originally published Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Study: Children of minorities fare worse in child-welfare system
Whether children of color are overrepresented in the child-welfare system is a topic that's long been discussed in certain circles. An extensive report released...
Seattle Times staff reporter
Whether children of color are overrepresented in the child-welfare system is a topic that's long been discussed in certain circles. An extensive report released today answers the question of racial disproportionality definitively.
"Does it exist?" said Department of Social and Health Services Secretary Robin Arnold-Williams. "Yes, very clearly.
"We're no different from any other state," she continued.
The study, which was required by a law passed in 2007, began by looking at the 58,000 calls to Child Protective Services in 2004 that reported suspected abuse or neglect. The study group, which included experts and representatives from the community, then tracked those cases through the process to see whether children of color fared any differently than white children. Were the calls accepted for investigation? Were children removed from the home? Did they remain in care for more than two years?
Overall, the study showed that African-American and Native American children are more likely than white children to enter the child-welfare system and to be removed from their homes for long periods . Asian-American children, on the other hand, were no more likely to be removed and they were less likely to remain in long-term care than whites children. Hispanic children fared somewhere in the middle, faring worse than whites but better than African Americans and Native Americans.
The study reveals that much of the disparity stems from the very beginning of the process — the initial complaint to CPS. Native American children are almost three times as likely and black children are almost twice as likely to be referred to CPS than their white counterparts.
Williams said that may be, in part, because those families are more likely to live in poverty and thus are more likely to come in contact with service providers who are required by law to report suspected abuse and neglect to authorities.
"We do believe that has something to do with the numbers," she said.
That issue, along with other causes of disproportionality, will be the topic of further study. The law requires the study group examine reasons for the disparity and, by December, come up with suggestions to reduce the problem. The Legislature may then consider possible laws to address the problem in the next session.
"We need to better understand why some children are referred while other children, with similar family characteristics, are not," Arnold-Williams said in a press release. "Societal issues must be addressed collectively. It's going to take a lot of folks, listening to each other and working together, to develop a remediation plan."
Maureen O'Hagan: 206-464-2562 or mohagan@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
NEW - 12:17 AM
Big demand, grim outlook for state Basic Health Plan
UPDATE - 11:31 PM
Flood fears dampen business, home sales
Nicole Brodeur: Homeless woman bent on giving
Portland cafe's specialty: medical-marijuana tokes
Thousands of tax-refund checks undeliverable

PNW Magazine | Easy As Pie
A little friendly competition between professional pie-baker Kate McDermott and The Seatttle Times' Kathleen Triesch Saul is handled with great taste.
nwautos
Local riders say they've seen a surge in scooter interest in recent years, mostly from people wanting another commuting option. Seattle now ranks as o...
Post a comment
nwjobs
Post a comment
Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Do you suffer from "sitting disease"?
Post a comment
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Jerry Brewer | Jerry Brewer: Seahawks can't lean on the Hutch Crutch now
- Woman stabbed by stranger in North Seattle
- Tattoos at Mill Creek church pierce skin, soul
- UW, WSU once again meet to see who's worse
- Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
- Husky Football Blog | Ranking the Pac
- Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
- Tugboat sinks at Seattle waterfront pier
- Illegal workers quietly let go
406 - Climate change speeds up since 1997 Kyoto accord
215 - Metro won't cut bus service after all
160 - New Husky recruit: Enes Kanter
106 - Bellevue residents blast new bikini espresso stand
94 - Middleton says Huskies "plan on scoring at least 50 points'' Saturday
86 - Tattoos at Mill Creek Church pierce skin, soul
85 - Seattle woman charged with knife attack on boyfriend's ex
76 - Jerry Brewer: Seahawks can't lean on the Hutch Crutch now
75 - Senate Democrats split on health bill's fate
58
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Tattoos at Mill Creek church pierce skin, soul
- Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Architects, chefs find 'kid' within to build Gingerbread Village
- Rediscovering Moab, 'the most beautiful place on Earth'
- It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Hutch gets $10M from Bezos family for immunotherapy research





