Racial/ethnic disparity in child welfare systems: A longitudinal study utilizing the Disparity Index (DI) |
| |
Authors: | Hansung Kim David Chenot |
| |
Affiliation: | a Department of Sociology, College of Social Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Koreab Department of Social Work, California State University, Fullerton, P.O. Box 6868, Fullerton, CA 92834-6868, United Statesc School of Social Work, College of Human Ecology, Syracuse University, Sims Hall 400, Syracuse, NY 13244, United States |
| |
Abstract: | The purpose of the study is to examine racial/ethnic disparity among children and families that are involved with the child welfare system. Specifically, the authors explore whether or not disparity levels and long-term changes in disparity in California child welfare systems are significant. In addition, the study investigates how county characteristics such as child poverty rates, unemployment rates, and rurality are associated with levels of disparity and changes in racial/ethnic disparity over time. Using a Latent Growth Curve (LGC) modeling approach, the study estimated the trajectories of county-level Disparity Index (DI) scores (Shaw, Putnam-Hornstein, Magruder, & Needell, 2008). African American and Hispanic/Latino children were compared to Caucasian children for two phases of the child welfare process: substantiated allegations and entries, between 2005 and 2008. The results demonstrate that racial/ethnic disparity between African American and Caucasian children was significant at both phases of the child welfare process in 2008. However, disparity between Hispanic/Latino and White children was not significant. Levels of disparity between African American and Caucasian children remained constant over time. Regarding the effects of county characteristics, higher child poverty rates, higher unemployment rates and rurality were related to lower levels of disparity. In addition, unemployment rates were associated with increasing rates of change in entries disparity between African American and Caucasian children. And urbanicity was associated with increasing rates of change in substantiated allegations disparity between Hispanic/Latino and Caucasian children. The study's implications for future research are discussed. |
| |
Keywords: | Child maltreatment Child welfare services Racial/ethnic disparity Out-of-home care Latent-growth curve modeling |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|