Racial disparities in child welfare in Ontario (Canada) and training on ethnocultural diversity: An innovative mixed-methods study

Cénat, Jude Mary; Noorishad, Pari-Gole; Czechowski, Konrad; McIntee, Sara-Emilie; Mukunzi, Joana N.

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104659

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Reserved spots, pools of entry, data collection, and even scholarships do not guarantee that BIPOC students will apply to and/or stay in psychology graduate programmes. Programmes must also consider the environment and culture of their programmes, along with the mental health and wellness concerns of BIPOC students (and faculty, professors, and staff) specifically (Cénat et al, 2020). Antiracism training is a well-documented approach to increase the retention of racialized groups in the workplace (Hassen et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussion: Potential Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing the representation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour as students in psychology doctoral programmes.

Sarr¹,

Knight²,

Strauss³

et al. 2022

Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne

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There have been persistent calls for increased representation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) in all aspects of the psychology workforce. For equity to occur in the profession and delivery of services, there must be equity in access to graduate-level training in psychology. In this article, we discuss systemic racial inequity in access to Canadian psychology graduate programmes. We reviewed literature to investigate admissions evaluation criteria for racial bias using the University of Ottawa, School of Psychology's publicly available ranking grid as an example. This scoring grid provides a transparent evaluation process that includes elements common to many Canadian programmes. We reviewed literature relevant to predictive validity and racial bias in the grid elements. Our review was guided by two questions: (a) What evidence is there that ranking grid items and other commonly used admissions criteria predict psychology graduate student success? (b) Do the criteria maintain systemic racial bias in the selection of graduate students? We found that all items on the admissions ranking grid were biased, suggesting that racial bias in admissions criteria maintains systemic racism against BIPOC applicants. We propose both concrete and policy/advocacy recommendations to improve access to psychology graduate education for BIPOC groups; these recommendations may benefit other underrepresented groups as well. Public Significance StatementBIPOC are disproportionately underrepresented in Canadian graduate psychology programmes, resulting in few BIPOC working in psychology professions in Canada. This lack of representation has devastating impacts on the profession of psychology as a whole (e.g., lack of diverse thought), and importantly, the health of racialized communities (e.g., lack of culturally appropriate practices and services). The recommendations provided herein can inform changes in policy and procedures to promote racial equity, diversity, and inclusion in the field of psychology.

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Section: Discussion: Potential Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing the representation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour as students in psychology doctoral programmes.

Sarr¹,

Knight²,

Strauss³

et al. 2022

Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne

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“…Additionally, workers may lack the capacities and resources required for proper implementation of the AAR tool as it was originally intended due to institutional barriers such as time constraints, large caseloads, and competing priorities. This is further exacerbated by implicit and explicit biases in the daily practices of CAS workers and agencies who may not have adequate knowledge and training to support Black youth-in-care (Cénat et al, 2020). For example, workers may lack an acknowledgement and exploration of intersectionality and other crucial issues concerning youth-in-care, which creates blind spots that can cause harm.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A critical analysis of the Assessment and Action Record (AAR) documentation: Examining the educational experiences of Black youth-in-care in Ontario

Kikulwe

Sato

Agyei

2021

INYI

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This article focuses on the Ontario Assessment and Action Record (AAR), used in child welfare to understand how this documentation supports (and fails to support) Black youth-in-care and their academic needs. We applied a critical review and analysis of three distinct but interconnected sources of data: 1) the AAR-C2-2016; 2) literature on the education of Black youth-in-care in Ontario; 3) policy and agency documents concerning how this group is faring. In our analysis of the AAR and its education dimension, findings suggest the AAR has been a race-neutral tool, which has implications in terms of how we conceptualize structural barriers faced by Black children and youth-in-care. We identified gaps and potential practice dilemmas for child welfare workers when using AAR documentation procedures. Using Critical Race Theory and the United Nations human rights framework, we argue that the AAR can be a tool to identify, monitor, and challenge oppression for Black children and youth-in-care who experience a continual negotiation of racialization alongside being a foster child. The AAR recordings can be harmful if they are simply a collection of information on the key areas of a child’s life. Prioritizing the academic needs of Black children in care is critical to social work and aligns with the commitments of One Vision, One Voice, Ontario’s Anti-Racism Strategic Plan as well as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, particularly in relation to the right to education.

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“…Furthermore, these are related to broader societal constructs that impose inequities according to race and gender (Cole, 2009; Oney et al, 2011; Rankin-Wright et al, 2019; Seaton et al, 2010). Racism that stems from race as a social construct is often seen in Canada as an “American problem”, despite numerous studies showing that that racism is pervasive within the Canadian society at different levels (interpersonal, institutional, and systemic; Cénat et al, 2020; Cénat, Hajizadeh, et al, 2021; Gagné & Veenstra, 2017; Pon et al, 2011). Racism is perpetuated by the color-blind approach that has been adopted in scientific studies, and in the implementation of public, social and health services in Canada (Cénat, Kogan, et al, 2021; Dryden & Nnorom, 2021).…”

Section: An Intersectional Approach Of Racial Discrimination and Self...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived racial discrimination, internalized racism, social support, and self-esteem among Black individuals in Canada: A moderated mediation model.

Cénat¹,

Darius²,

Dalexis³

et al. 2024

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology

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Objectives: Black Canadians report experiencing various forms of racial discrimination disproportionately. This study aimed to: (a) examine the association between everyday racial discrimination and self-esteem; (b) test the mediating role of internalized racism and social support in the association between racial discrimination and self-esteem, and (c) test the moderating role of gender and age in this same relationship. Method: A total of 860 participants (76.60% female) aged 15-40 (M age = 24.96, SD = 6.31) completed questionnaires assessing racial discrimination, self-esteem, internalized racism, and social support. Descriptive and moderated mediation analyses were performed. Results: A total of 65.33% of participants were categorized as endorsing low self-esteem, with no significant difference between males and females (66.67% and 62.20%, respectively; χ 2 = 1.56, p = .47). Participants aged 25-40 exhibited a higher prevalence of low self-esteem compared to those aged 15-24 (89.91% and 58.54%, respectively, χ 2 = 37.31, p < .001). The results showed a progressive increase in the prevalence of low self-esteem commensurate with increasing levels of reported racial discrimination. Internalized racism (β = −.09, SE = .01, p < .001) and social support (β = .10, SE = .01, p < .001) mediated the association between everyday racial discrimination and self-esteem; whereas gender moderated the latter association (β = .17, SE = .04, p < .001; being a woman). Conclusions: Results indicate a strong association between racial discrimination and low self-esteem. These findings provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development of self-esteem problems among Black individuals in Canada. They also have Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology

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Racial disparities in child welfare in Ontario (Canada) and training on ethnocultural diversity: An innovative mixed-methods study

Cited by 10 publications

References 18 publications

Increasing the representation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour as students in psychology doctoral programmes.

Increasing the representation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour as students in psychology doctoral programmes.

A critical analysis of the Assessment and Action Record (AAR) documentation: Examining the educational experiences of Black youth-in-care in Ontario

Perceived racial discrimination, internalized racism, social support, and self-esteem among Black individuals in Canada: A moderated mediation model.

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