1. Racial Disparities in the Child Welfare System Contact: Susan J. Wells Mary PfohlAlex Beutel Scotty DanielsIla Kamath Conducted by: African American Disparities Committee, Minnesota Department of Human Services and University of Minnesota Case Study Analysis by the University of Minnesota

2. Question Guiding the Project Through a case study, can we better identify the mechanisms that lead to racial disproportionality and disparity?

3. Matched Case Study Goal: 103 Pairs Matched on Age group (0-5 and 6-11) Reason for referral - type of neglect Gender County

4. Assessment Outcome Percent Concordance for Matched Pairs: Opened for Case Management Services During Assessment 33.0 17.550.5 11.737.949.5 44.755.3 N=103 100% No Yes African American Child of the Pair Total NoYes Caucasian Child of the Pair Total McNemar level of significance p =.362 Not significant finding

5. Case Management Outcome 1 Matched Pairs McNemar Level of Significance p = 1.0 Not significant Percent Concordance for Matched Pairs: Child Placed in Case Management Services

6. Case Management Outcome 3 Matched Pairs 5.616.722.2 16.761.177.8 N=18 22.277.8 100% No Yes African American Child of Pair Total NoYes Caucasian Child Of Pair Total McNemar Level of Significance p = 1.0 Not significant finding Percent Concordance for Matched Pairs: Case Closed in Case Management

7. Reunification Outcome 1 Comparison of All Cases 80.020.0100.0 88.511.5100.0 N=46* 84.815.2100% African American Caucasian Race of Child Total NoYes Court Order for Reunification Services Not Needed Total Fisher's Exact Level of Significance p =.650 Not Significant finding Court Order Indicated Reunification Services Not Necessary by Race *One case missing.

8. Reunification Outcome 2 Comparison of All Cases Discharged from Reunification Placement by Race 35.364.7100.0 % 39.160.9100.0 % N=40* 37.562.5100% African American Caucasian Race of Child Total NoYes Discharge from Reunification Placement Total Fisher's Level of Significance p =.534 Not significant finding * 6 cases had court order that reunification not necessary and one case missing.

9. Multivariate Analysis Using information about several case descriptors at once, what predicts more severe intervention? That is, was the case referred for Reunification Services at any time during the intervention process? (Does not included cases that were in placement initially but when home right away.)

10. *Intensiveness of intervention is placement out of home long enough to require reunification services. BetaStd. Error Statistical Significance Odds for More Intensive Intervention Caucasian1.9.88.037:1 Age of the Child-.39.10.001.5:1 for every year younger History of Maltreatment 1.6.51.005:1 Mom Drug Problem.03.67n.s.- Mom Financial Problem -1.06.77n.s.- African American * Age.30.13.021.3:1 for every year older up to 11 years of age African American * Mom Drug Problem 2.9.96.0018:1 Caucasian * Mom Financial Problem 3.631.05.0038:1 Example of Model Predicting Intensiveness of Intervention

11. Percent Referred for Placement (in Which Referral for Reunification Services was Made) by Age

12. Summary Some case characteristics may lead to differential treatment by race. In some studies, when all available variables are taken into account for the larger population, the differences appear to cancel each other out.

13. Racial Disparities in Minnesota May be concentrated at the front end and back end of services (reporting, substantiation, placement in assessment, and overall length of time in care) Disproportionality may also occur due to the distribution of selected case characteristics in the larger population