Too many decisions affecting the child welfare system are based on limited or misunderstood research, ideological assumptions or, unfortunately, politics. We came across a research article recently that highlights many common misperceptions about the child welfare system – and warns of their potential to distort public policy and endanger children.
Titled “Research to Consider While Effectively Re-Designing Child Welfare Services,” the article was published by Research on Social Work Practice, a respected, peer-reviewed journal published 8 times per year.
Here are summaries of just three of the misperceptions the article exposes:
Myth: Low-income children are inappropriately referred to Child Protective Services (CPS) due to implicit bias against the poor.
The evidence shows this claim is false. If poor families were being overreported to CPS simply because of officials’ class bias, other negative outcomes — outcomes that are unlikely to be the result of bias (“such death or other negative…well-being measures”) — would be less common among poor children than CPS reports are. In fact, all negative outcomes are similarly disproportionate among low-income children.
The association between poverty and maltreatment has been proven over and over in multiple studies.
Dismissing high rates of maltreatment reports among low-income populations as being merely the result of bias distracts the nation from the urgent need to address poverty in general, and the needs of CPS client families in particular. Recent research shows that income support can reduce maltreatment and child welfare involvement.
Myth: The overrepresentation of Black children in CPS is driven by racial bias.
This claim also is untrue. While Black children are almost twice as likely as white children to have a CPS referral, they are about three times more likely to live in poverty. And poverty, regardless of race, is powerfully associated with child maltreatment.
If Black children were being over-reported largely due to bias, we would expect over-reporting to persist even when income levels are controlled for – among Black and white families of similar incomes. It does not. We also would also expect to find larger racial disparities in reports to CPS than in more objective measures of child well-being. Again, the data do not bear this out.
In fact, Black children are three times more likely to die of suspected child abuse or neglect than white children, according to findings released in the federal government’s 2022 Child Maltreatment Report. This objective measure suggests bias cannot be the main driver of reports to CPS.
Myth: Foster care causes poor outcomes for children and youth.
The facts tell a different story. Evidence on the role of foster care in the lives of maltreated children shows that on average the experience is more favorable than conditions in the birth homes from which children are removed.
Although a major part of any reform agenda should be to prevent the conditions that lead to foster care placements, misinterpreted narratives about the role foster care plays in the challenges faced by children at risk can discourage people from stepping forward to fulfill the vital role of foster parent.
In an effort to prevent harm, some policies are perpetuating it. We’re seeing this play out in different policies and practices here in Minnesota. It’s so important to look at the right measures when making decisions that affect children’s safety. Every child deserves to be safe, regardless of their income level, race or caregiver.