This page includes State and local examples of addressing disproportionality and disparity and moving toward equity within child welfare systems.
Committees and coalitions for equity
Indiana Disproportionality Committee: Finding Solutions Across Systems
Indiana Disproportionality Committee
Provides information on the Indiana Disproportionality Committee, that which works to eliminate disproportionality and disparities in the child welfare system and other systems in Indiana.
Race, Community and Child Welfare Initiative and Disproportionate Minority Contact, Fayette County, Kentucky
Features information about the Race Community and Child Welfare Initiative and the Disproportionate Minority Contact Committee, which aims to eliminate racial disparities in children and family-serving systems in Fayetteville, Kentucky.
Racial Equity and Cultural Competence Committee
New York City Administration for Children’s Services
Focuses on bringing equity to the child welfare and juvenile justice system in New York City. The resource also includes links to New York City data reports and their exhibit on the history of child welfare from the 1800s to today.
State and local examples
Addressing Racial Inequity in Child Welfare: The Key Role of Prevention Services
Hansell (2021)
Center for New York City Affairs at The New School
Explains how prevention programs in New York City utilize efforts to address racial disparities at the organizational level, in their services provided, and through the formation of racial equity committees.
Cultural Equity
Iowa Department of Human Services
Explains Iowa’s focus on cultural equity and how the child welfare system has worked to address disproportionate racial representation and disparate outcomes in the system.
CPS Initiatives and Programs Targeted to Reduce Disproportionality
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
Provides an overview of disproportionality and disparity within the child welfare system in Texas and describes initiatives and programs that are being utilized to make a difference.
Disproportionality in Child Welfare
University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work
Explains Pennsylvania’s efforts to address the overrepresentation of children of color involved with the child welfare system and to reduce bias in child abuse reporting.
How Did the Blind Removal Process in Nassau County, N.Y. Address Disparity Among Children Entering Care?
Casey Family Programs (2021)
Discusses a method used by one county in New York to reduce racial disparities in decision-making by introducing a blind removal process. Using this process, investigators receive case files without any demographic information such as names, races, ethnicities, or addresses that may illicit bias.
How is Broward County, Fla., Advancing Racial Justice for Families Involved With the Child Protection System?
Summarizes the experiences of one county in Florida in advancing racial justice for families involved with the child protection system and offers lessons learned.
Incorporating Racial Equity in Data Sharing in Broward County, Florida
Annie E. Casey Foundation (2019)
Shares how Broward County, Florida, is working to build racial equity into their data-sharing systems to help eliminate disparities in child welfare, behavioral health, and juvenile justice systems as well as the school district and the community.
Mecklenburg County: Remaking a Child Welfare System, Achieving Results, Advancing Equity, and Improving the Lives of Children, Youth and Families
Annie E. Casey Foundation (2021)
Explores how child welfare leaders in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, worked to eliminate racial inequities that were leading to disproportionately high numbers of referrals of black children and families.
Public Act 18-111: Report on the Department of Children and Families’ Racial Justice Data, Activities and Strategies (PDF - 1,110 KB)
Connecticut State Department of Children and Families (2019)
Reviews the current state of Connecticut’s work on racial justice. It includes strategies they have implemented to reduce disparity, current and historical data, and their plan to eliminate disproportionality and disparity.
Strategic and Racial Equity Plan
Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Describes a plan that provides focus for the agency to better serve children, youth, families, and our communities as one entity. The framework helps to build services to strengthen the agency's ability to serve families and disrupt racial inequity and disproportionality in systems.
Webinar Recording: DC Families First Family Success Center Initiative: Advancing Equity and Transforming Child Welfare [Webinar]
FamilyFirstAct.org (2020)
Provides an overview of the DC Families First Family Success Center Initiative. The initiative funds 10 Family Success Centers in targeted neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., that work to meet the needs of families served by the child welfare system. The centers are uniquely designed to fit each community’s needs and focus on increasing protective factors and mitigating trauma for targeted populations. A free login is required to view the recording.