African American Families and Child Welfare

• Reported more often to social services for child abuse and neglect.

• More likely to have charges of abuse and neglect substantiated.

• Receive fewer preventive services.

• More likely to have their children placed in out-of-home care.

• Children stay in foster care longer.

• Black children overrepresented among those awaiting adoption.

• Fewer prospective African-American adoptive families.

• Receive fewer services overall.

• Social workers have fewer face-to-face contacts with black families.

• Black foster parents and kinship providers receive fewer services.

• Fewer visits occur between black parents, children, and siblings.

• Higher occurrence of termination of parental rights.

• Less legal representation.

• Black children involved in more transracial adoptions.

Source: Review of research literature by Connie Polk, NC Division of Social Services (2000).