Honoring the History and Legacy of Race in Child Welfare
Written by Kristie Lindblom
Edited by Erika Schmitt
Frederick Douglas is a name commonly heard during Black History Month. However, for those involved with foster care, the work of the famous abolitionist’s lesser-known granddaughter, Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry (1872-1943), is especially worth highlighting. After learning about the lack of foster homes for black children over 12 years old and how they were routinely sent to state institutions, Mrs. Perry worked with other community members to establish the Colored Big Sister Home for Girls. She went on to advocate for the great need of foster care services for African American children. Perry’s home for girls existed until 1943, when states began to finally provide child welfare services that included African American Children Mrs. Perry’s work becomes even more profound when viewed through the lens of history. Recognizing the historic and current disparities in child welfare is central to social workers in the department of Counseling and Family Support Services at The Children’s Home. We actively work to acknowledge biases and unpack them openly in the agency’s culture.
At The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh, we acknowledge the role poverty and other structural inequalities beyond the control of parents, including racism, has played in separating children from their care. From reconstruction era judges who returned black children to their former enslavers, claiming their parents’ neglect, to the black “welfare queen” stereotypes, race has played a role in child welfare decision making. For example, multiple studies show that doctors are more likely to suspect child abuse if the child is Black than white, with the exact same injuries. These biases lead to disparities within foster care.
This is not to say that many working within the system have not called for reform. The view of history also allows us to see those who stood to advocate for equity within that system, such as Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry. Many have worked tirelessly for change. That work continues today. Notable reformers around race in child welfare include Janie Porter Barret, George Edmund Haynes, Lester Blackwell Granger, Maime Phipps Clark, Ruby Gourdine, and Ruth McRoy. For those interested in reading a detailed discussion of the role race has played in the history of child welfare in America, a policy summary report through the Alliance for Children’s Rights in the resources below provides excellent and well sourced understanding.
While we see progress with laws such as Pennsylvania’s Family First Act of 2018, which places a focus on family preservation, there is still a long way to go. This is evidenced in numbers. A 2021 Racial Equity report from DHS shows that, “Black children represent 35 percent of Pennsylvania’s foster care population, despite accounting for just 13 percent of children in Pennsylvania.” The same report also highlights that in Pennsylvania there are “significant racial disparities in the number of suspected child abuse and neglect reports that are received by the county children and youth agencies and ChildLine, Pennsylvania’s child abuse hotline. Notably, Black children make up 14 percent of the total child population in Pennsylvania but represent 21 percent of potential victims of abuse in child protective service reports.” Yet, we also know that abuse and neglect occur at the same rates across racial backgrounds. One of the most striking findings in a recent study is that more than half of all Black children will experience a child-welfare investigation by the time they reach age 18—53%. Compare this to 28% of white children, and 25-40% of Hispanic children.
Given the history of disparities and structural racism within the child welfare system, it should not be surprising to read that research shows that while Black Americans have an elevated interest in providing foster care (one in three) as compared to their counterparts of other races, black adults also report unique barriers to entry, such as skeptics about the benefits of foster care to children, concerns about receiving equitable treatment as foster parents, and having lower confidence in the foster care system as a whole. In fact, one in four Black Americans (25%) say the amount of racial and ethnic discrimination they may face is a barrier to providing foster care, compared with 14% of Americans of all other racial backgrounds.
One way to support children in foster care is to encourage culturally responsive foster care environments. In other words, children do best when they are cared for in ways that are consistent with their home practices and values Even as we recognize that federal statistics indicate that Black children are disproportionately represented in foster care and are more likely to experience multiple foster home placements, we know that this presents a challenge given that the greater number of Black children in the foster care system makes it difficult to match every child with a foster parent of the same racial background. In other words: we need more Black care providers.
To meet this need, the Children’s Home is actively focusing efforts on the recruitment of Black and Brown families by examining the unique barriers these families may face. In addition to hearing concerns around discrimination, we are working to listen to those with lived experiences to understand how we can support them better. Common barriers we are learning about include the concerns around the possibility the child will have behavioral challenges, the changes one might have to make in their home or living situation, the amount of money required to provide foster care, not having enough training or resources to feel prepared, and not having enough access to mental health resources for the child, oneself, or one’s family.
While we know there is more work to do, we are excited to have established policies and benefits for families wanting to work with our agency in relationship to overcome these barriers. Our workers are trained in implicit bias, microaggressions, and cultural humility so that our relationships with our families aim to align in equity. The caseloads of foster care workers are kept lower than typical to ensure plenty of individual support and guidance for each family. This means that we are on your side as we help you understand regulations around your home and environment. What’s more, you benefit from over 100 years of organizational experience in preparing your home and environment for a child in need. Additional subsidies are provided to families, and we work with government agencies to ensure if post adoption subsidies are appropriate, those are received.
Beyond physical preparation and resources, each family is provided 20 hours of training to perspective parents. Training around cultural humility is provided to ALL families to ensure that when a child cannot join a home similar to their own culture, our families understand the importance of, and how to support that child in maintaining connections to their cultural identity. We offer ongoing training and development after a child/ sibling group joins your family. Sibling training is available for your biological children. Once you have a foster youth, our in-home workers provide individualized education and resources based on the needs of those in your home. Through Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN) services, the Children’s Home brings a continuity of care and support from matching with a child or sibling group, to preparing that child for permanency, through finalization, and beyond to post permanency services. When respite is needed, we work with your family to find a loving, approved foster home for that child to spend time with. The broader organizational connections to both our counseling and hospital services means that our families have access to these resources and can obtain them quickly. Beyond professional support, we have regular community social events for our foster and adoptive families to build your network of belonging, as well as formal support groups.
Embracing the work of social reform leaders, such as Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry, means every day we must acknowledge historical realities within the history of child welfare and learn to do better. It means that in the present we must aim to work with, and listen to, those hurt by the system so that we can meet the needs. At the same time, we acknowledge the reality of the system’s disparities and the need to provide culturally relevant homes for the children caught up in child welfare. If you feel a call to be a safe and loving home for a child or youth in foster care, we welcome you. Contact Melanie Garbark at mgarbark@chomepgh.org to register for an orientation and learn more.
Camille Lloyd and Andrea Malek Ash. “Interest, Distrust in Foster Care Higher among Black Adults.” Gallup.Com, Gallup, 7 Feb. 2024, news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/512285/interest-distrust-foster-care-higher-among-black-adults.aspx#:~:text=However%2C%20in%20addition%20to%20training,care%20system%20as%20a%20whole.
Pryce, “Eradicating Racism and Bias in Foster Care/Child Welfare.”
Drake, Brett, et al. “What Is the Cause of Racial Disparity in Child Welfare?” What Is the Cause of Racial Disparity in Child Welfare, Child Welfare Monitor, 30 Apr. 2023, childwelfaremonitor.org/2023/04/30/what-is-the-cause-of-racial-disparity-in-child-welfare/.
Edwards, Frank, et. al. “Contact with Child Protective Services Is Pervasive but Unequally …” Contact with Child Protective Services Is Pervasive but Unequally Distributed by Race and Ethnicity in Large US Counties, PNAS, www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2106272118. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024.
Social Welfare History Project (2011). Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry (1872-1943): Child welfare pioneer. Social Welfare History Project. Retrieved [date accessed] from https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/people/perry-fredericka-douglass-sprague/
“Steps on the Path to Racial Justice and Equity in Child Welfare ACTIVITIES AND ADVOCACY UPDATE.” Alliance for Children’s Rights, 2023. https://allianceforchildrensrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2023RacialEquityReportUpdate.pdf
