NAWJ Webinar: Exploring the History of Bias Within the Child Welfare System and Seeking Solutions

Jul 28, 2022 @ 1:00PM - Jul 28, 2022 @ 2:15PM

July 28, 2022
1:00 PM EDT / 12:00 PM CDT / 11:00 AM MDT / 10:00 AM PDT

Exploring the History of Bias Within the Child Welfare System and Seeking Solutions

The Ensuring Racial Equity Committee, in collaboration with the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Committee and the Fairness and Access Committee, is honored to present a series of discussions on the institutional history of the child welfare system. From a national perspective, these discussions will shed light on the structural bias and racial disparities within the child welfare system and the negative impact such bias has on families of color, particularly African American families. We will present data demonstrating that these families are disproportionately brought into the child welfare system and discuss reasons for their overrepresentation. We will highlight strategic and creative action being taken nationally to address and dismantle the bias giving rise to these disparities.

The objectives for our first discussion are to:

Provide a historical perspective of the child welfare system and present data showing the disparate representation of families of color in the system and the resultant negative affect on these families.
Discuss how, on a national level, bias permeates every stage of the decision-making process, from initiation to conclusion of a dependency action.
Discuss strategic and creative action being taken to address and dismantle the bias in the child welfare system.