Children of Color in the Child Welfare System Psychological Research and Best Practices

This book offers mental health professionals insights and recommendations for supporting children of color in the child welfare system.

Race plays a pivotal role in the experiences of children in the child welfare system. Children of color are more likely to enter the system, stay in the system longer, and receive fewer services while they are in it. As a result, they are more likely to face a decline in their immediate and long-term academic and educational progress, more likely to enter the juvenile justice system, and less likely to be satisfied with counseling and other support services they receive while in out-of-home placements.

This book offers the crucial insights and key recommendations that mental health professionals need to support children of color in the child welfare system. By understanding the challenges that children of color face in the system, as well as best practices for supporting them, professionals in the child welfare system can improve outcomes. The book will be an essential resource for researchers, counselors and clinicians who work in the child welfare system, as well as those designing interventions to help children and their families.

Yvette R. Harris, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology at Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio. She received her doctorate from the University of Florida, with a specialization in cognitive development. Her scholarly work for the past 30 years has focused on exploring environmental contributions to preschool and school age cognitive development, with a specific focus on African American children and parents from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Her research has been published in a variety of national and international journals, and she has co-authored three books on African American children. 

Gloria Oliver Carper, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist at Oxford Psychological, LLC, in Arlington, Virginia. She received her doctorate from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with a concentration in developmental psychology. Dr. Carpenter's scholarship has focused on health disparities and parent involvement as a route to improve academic and social-emotional outcomes for children. She completed a T-32 Research Fellowship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center focused on children with sickle cell disease and other pain-related illnesses. She teaches at Northern Kentucky University and at Montgomery College in Maryland.

I. Framing the Issues
Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview of Material to Be Covered in the Book
Chapter 2: Demographics on Children of Color in the Child Welfare System
Chapter 3: Legislation and Children of Color in the Child Welfare System
II. Out-of-Home Placement and Clinical and Developmental Processes
Chapter 4: Unaccompanied/Undocumented Immigrant Children in the U.S.
Chapter 5: African American Children
Chapter 6: Asian American Children
Chapter 7: Native American Children
Chapter 8: Latinx Children
Chapter 9: Multiracial Children
III. Programs of Support and Best Practices
Chapter 10: Family Reunification
Chapter 11: Adoption
Chapter 12: Transitioning Out
Chapter 13: Strategies and Solutions for Undocumented/Unaccompanied Children
IV. Moving Forward
Chapter 14: Decreasing Disproportionality of Children of Color in the Child Welfare System
Chapter 15: Recap Unanswered Questions and New Directions