Cumulative Rates of Child Protection Involvement and Terminations of Parental Rights in a California Birth Cohort, 1999–2017

Abstract

Objectives. To document the cumulative childhood risk of different levels of involvement with the child protection system (CPS), including terminations of parental rights (TPRs). Methods. We linked vital records for California’s 1999 birth cohort (n = 519 248) to CPS records from 1999 to 2017. We used sociodemographic information captured at birth to estimate differences in the cumulative percentage of children investigated, substantiated, placed in foster care, and with a TPR. Results. Overall, 26.3% of children were investigated for maltreatment, 10.5% were substantiated, 4.3% were placed in foster care, and 1.1% experienced a TPR. Roughly 1 in 2 Black and Native American children were investigated during childhood. Children receiving public insurance experienced CPS involvement at more than twice the rate of children with private insurance. Conclusions. Findings provide a lower-bound estimate of CPS involvement and extend previous research by documenting demographic differences, including in TPRs. Public Health Implications. Conservatively, CPS investigates more than a quarter of children born in California for abuse or neglect. These data reinforce policy questions about the current scope and reach of our modern CPS. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print April 15, 2021: e1–e7. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306214 )

Child protection contact among children of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds: a South Australian linked data study

“…12, 13 Conversely the cumulative incidence of substantiated maltreatment in Asian and Pacific Islander children was less than 5%. 12, 13 In both countries the disparities in contact patterns between White and racialized or ethnic minority children are largely driven by socioeconomic disadvantage. 11-13, 18-23 Little is known about the CP contact of children from non-Indigenous ethnic minority groups in Australia.…”

“…18 In the United States approximately 20% of African American children and between 10 to 13% of Latino/Hispanic children were substantiated for maltreatment compared to 10% of White children. 12,13 Conversely the cumulative incidence of substantiated maltreatment in Asian and Pacific Islander children was less than 5%. 12,13 In both countries the disparities in contact patterns between White and racialized or ethnic minority children are largely driven by socioeconomic disadvantage.…”

“…Racial or ethnic disparities in CP contact are well recognised. 11 In the United States, [12][13][14] Canada, 15 Australia 4,16 and New Zealand 17 children of First Nations communities are overrepresented in the CP system, as a consequence of colonialism, dispossession and systemic discrimination. The CP experience is heterogeneous within subgroups of racialized or ethnic minority groups.…”

“…12,13 In both countries the disparities in contact patterns between White and racialized or ethnic minority children are largely driven by socioeconomic disadvantage. [11][12][13][18][19][20][21][22][23] Little is known about the CP contact of children from non-Indigenous ethnic minority groups in Australia.…”

Ensuring Authentic Representation and Collaboration Along with Research to Re-Design Child Welfare

“…The country continues to grapple with the atrocious racism throughout its history and its continuation today. No part of society is immune from racism, including the child welfare system, where racial disproportionality and disparities have been persistently documented (e.g., Dettlaff et al, 2020; Font et al, 2012; Merritt, 2020; Merritt, 2021; Putnam-Hornstein et al, 2021). Increasingly there have been calls for the child welfare system to adopt an anti-racist lens to create racial equity for the children and families it serves (e.g., Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2021; Jawetz et al, 2021; Wells et al, 2009).…”