When referring families for services, child welfare professionals should determine if the service is appropriate for the family's cultural background and ensure the provider has a culturally responsive approach. This will help improve family engagement and outcomes.
- Mental health and substance abuse
- Legal/judicial services
- Family preservation services
- Domestic violence
Mental health and substance abuse
Cultural Competence
Mental Health America
Presents culture-specific factsheets that identify unique mental health considerations in different communities.
- African-American communities
- Asian American and Pacific Islander communities
- Latinix/Hispanic communities
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) communities
- Native and Indigenous communities
Diversity & Health Equity
American Psychiatric Association
Shares resources, curricula, and factsheets about mental health service delivery to diverse populations.
Identity and Cultural Dimensions
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Discusses unique considerations related to African-American and Latino mental health, including community-specific mental health conditions and related factors to consider.
Legal/judicial services
Addressing Cultural Bias in the Legal Profession (PDF - 2,785 KB)
Chopp (2017)
NYU Review of Law & Social Change, 41
Examines ways in which the legal profession has not addressed implicit bias.
Immigrants in the Child Welfare System: Case Studies (PDF - 312 KB)
American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, Child Welfare and Immigration Project (2018)
Provides a series of case studies to equip legal professionals to identify and understand the intersecting issues affecting the children of immigrants.
Family preservation services
Developing Culturally Responsive Approaches to Serving Diverse Populations: A Resource Guide for Community-Based Organizations (PDF - 5,663 KB)
López, Hofer, Bumgarner, & Taylor (2017)
National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families
Provides ways to help community-based organizations recognize and serve the needs of diverse populations.
Family Support and Cultural Competence (PDF - 583 KB)
DesGeorges (2015)
In A Resource Guide for Early Hearing Detection & Intervention
Explains the incorporation of culturally competent services into each level of family support services. Though this resource discusses cultural competence among early hearing detection and intervention systems, its lessons can be applied more broadly to child welfare.