Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Jimmy Blanton, MPAff¹, Judy Temple, MSSW¹, Gary Rutenberg, PhD¹, Kim Wittenstrom, PhD², and Deborah Green, MSW³. (1) Strategic Decision Support, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, P.O. Box 13247, Austin, TX 78711-3247, (512) 487-3313, jimmy.blanton@hhsc.state.tx.us, (2) Casey Family Programs, 203 W 32 Street, Austin, TX 78705, (3) State Disproportionality Division, Department of Family and Protective Services, 701 West 51st Street, Austin, TX 78751

Purpose: Nearly all statistical evidence indicates that African-American children are overrepresented in child protective services (CPS) systems across the nation. This study examines whether this disproportionality is explained in Texas by risk factors for child maltreatment including poverty, single parent family, and young parent family and by differing rates of exit from foster care.

Methods: The authors developed a logistical regression model to explore the relationship between race/ethnicity and the odds that a family investigated for child maltreatment will 1) have a child removed from the home to protective care, 2) receive in-home family services, or 3) have the case closed with no further action. Cases involving child removals were analyzed further using Cox Proportional Hazards regression to determine the relative speed at which children leave foster care for adoption, reunification, or other permanent placement.

Results: African-American children are no more likely than non-Hispanic whites to be removed from the home for child maltreatment (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.91-1.02) but exit more slowly from foster care (RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.87-0.92). Poverty is a strong predictor that a CPS investigation will involve the removal of a child (OR, 3.80; 95% CI, 3.36-4.30).

Conclusions: The authors find no evidence that African-American race is associated with elevated rates of child maltreatment or disparate outcomes from CPS investigations. However, African-American children are overrepresented in Texas CPS because they are more likely to be poor than non-Hispanic white children and because they spend significantly more time in foster and other substitute care.

Learning Objectives: