Abstract
The perspective of key players such as caseworkers and community facilitators on the reasons for the overrepresentation of Black youth in child welfare is little known. This study explores the reasons why Black youth are overrepresented in child welfare in Ontario (Canada) through the perspectives of caseworkers and community facilitators. We analyzed four focus groups: two with child welfare caseworkers from a Children’s Aid Society (CAS) and two with community facilitators. We used a general inductive method for the content analysis of the focus groups with N-Vivo, without being guided by prior assumptions or hypotheses. This study highlighted seven reasons why Black youth are overrepresented in child welfare, according to CAS caseworkers and community facilitators: lack of diversity among CAS caseworkers, disciplinary practices, mental health, insufficient community support networks, poverty, racism, and culture. These findings support implications for policies and practices to reduce and eliminate the overrepresentation of Black children in child welfare.
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Acknowledgements
This article was supported by the Grant # 430-2019-00041 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). We are extremely grateful to all the participants (both CAS caseworkers and community facilitators) and the Children’s Aid Society. We also thank all the Vulnerability, Trauma, Resilience and Culture Research Lab volunteers who transcribed the focus groups.
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Grant # 430-2019-00041 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
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Cénat, J.M., Noorishad, PG., Czechowski, K. et al. The Seven Reasons Why Black Children Are Overrepresented in the Child Welfare System in Ontario (Canada): A Qualitative Study from the Perspectives of Caseworkers and Community Facilitators. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 40, 655–670 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-021-00793-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-021-00793-6