Mariel Carlson, University of Minnesota MSW Student and Outreach Graduate Assistant at CASCW and Laura LeBrun, MSW, University of Minnesota Graduate and Outreach Graduate Assistant at CASCW
July 2021
Welcome to the Expanding Knowledge blog series! The following is an eight-week series that will feature means to enhance your child welfare work through education by non-conventional means, exploring content beyond traditional academia. We recognize that everyone learns in unique ways and thus will suggest resources from social media, books, podcasts, and more to help broaden the child welfare knowledge base and increase access to a variety of voices.
Our third week in Expanding Knowledge will explore several articles. Articles are different from our previous features, social media and podcasts, as the authors often receive compensation for their work. The motivation for the piece, as seen by our selections below, could be the result of a news event, policy, or profile. What sets articles apart from other resources, however, is that they appeal to those who learn best through text but prefer narratives over data-driven research articles. They can teach people through a focused topic, in a short amount of time. More formal articles are written in third person, but articles have the potential to be written in first person, as well. Those that are in third person are often designed to be objective, though the authors’ lens can certainly influence tone, word choice, and overall voice. Many of the authors’ identities are not easy to determine, however, and they may not be a part of the foster or adoption triad (foster/adoptive parent, biological parent, youth) at all. Nonetheless, it is still important to consider the lens that authors of articles use when considering how these perspectives will influence your child welfare practice. Often, foster and adoptive parents are centered in conversations due to many factors, including age, power differentials, and perception of role. While most of the creators below hold the title of “adoptee,” they also have multiple identities including social worker, Black, Indigenous, transracially adopted, parent, and more. Former foster youth and adoptee voices are the center of our work, and thus their voices should be elevated. We invite you to consider the positions, identities, and power dynamics inherent in any of the child welfare-related podcasts you might tune in to regularly. Whose voice is centered? Are those with lived experience exploited or further marginalized? We’ve listed suggested articles below:
1. Black Children In Harris County Are Seized By CPS 3.5 Times More Often Than White Kids by Schaefer Edwards This article from Houston, Texas, begins with the story of the removal of Renequa Burch’s children by Child Protective Services (CPS) – and her subsequent fight to have them returned to her. What began as misunderstandings by daycare staff resulted in frustrating interactions with CPS prior to the removal of her four youngest children. Burch was able to partner with Houston’s Foster Advocacy Center and successfully have her children reunified with her. What her attorney, Tiffany Cebrun, found was that Harris County CPS had been unable to prove any abuse to the children at all. “Cebrun believes that CPS would have handled Burch’s case completely differently, and likely wouldn’t have taken her children away in the first place, had she not been Black. Burch’s case is indicative of how the child welfare system often treats white and Black families in similar situations quite differently, Cebrun said. ‘You go into a Black home that’s dirty, and it all of a sudden looks worse to CPS, it’s all of a sudden more concerning. [But] if you go into a white home that’s dirty, you tell them to clean it up, you know? You give them time to get it clean,’ Cebrun said. ‘So I think a lot of it is [based on] subconscious bias.’” What follows are several perspectives from experts on the racial disparity in the child welfare system, including child welfare reform advocate Alan Detlaff, founder of Foster Advocacy Center, Tara Green, Travis County district court judge Aurora Martinez Jones, and executive director of Parent Guidance Center, Johana Scot. All speak from either professional experience or statistics on the overrepresentation of Black/African American families in the child welfare system. This read is an enlightening one for anyone curious about the racial and class disparity in the child welfare system, especially those who are currently in the field or who have heard of the movement to abolish child welfare.
2. Where Is Your Mother? by Rachel Aviv Despite the statistical odds of being college-educated and holding a PhD, Niveen Ismail still ended up being involved with the child welfare system. What follows in the piece is an account of Niveen’s history, what led to her family’s involvement in the child welfare system, and her interactions with social workers, the legal system, and her son’s adoptive family. This article also highlights potential cultural differences between Niveen, an immigrant from Egypt who was raised in a Muslim household, and the workers from California. For example: “A psychologist hired by the court concluded that Niveen’s neglectful behavior was caused not by a mental illness but by ‘certain problematic personality characteristics.’ She repressed her emotions; she was defensive and isolated. On a lengthy personality test, she circled ‘True’ after reading the statement ‘When I have a choice, I prefer to do things alone.’ The evaluator said that she needed to embrace her ‘softer emotions’ and overcome the belief that ‘sympathy and tender feelings only distract and divert people from being correct and successful.’” As time went on and the case mounted against Niveen, Niveen faced significant mental health struggles. One of the psychologists that she began to see, who was an expert in the field of child custody, recommended in an email: “ ‘Winning’ is getting your child back and to do that, the formula is simple: Comply. Comply. Comply.” An agency representative told Niveen that he didn’t think she could raise her son. Once Niveen’s reunification services ended, she asked that her son be placed with a Muslim, Arabic-speaking family, so that he could remain with his culture. The agency responded that they wished she had raised this request earlier, as they make culturally sensitive placements when parents ask for it. From this article, it seems that Niveen lost all control over the care of her son. This article is an intimate portrait of how involvement with the child welfare system, particularly one that is not culturally sensitive, can greatly affect parents’ mental and emotional well-being. One of the final notes in the article is when one of Niveen’s lawyers saw a picture of Niveen and her son and stated, “She was beaming and holding that baby with a look of pride that I never saw again.” Thus, this article is necessary for the child welfare worker to understand parental points of view and how to at least recognize how their actions can affect biological families.
3. When the Misdiagnosis Is Child Abuse by Stephanie Clifford We selected this article due to the controversy surrounding Child Abuse Pediatricians, a subspecialty in the medical field. When a medical professional suspects a child has been the victim of abuse, these specialized pediatricians are called upon to review the case and its evidence to determine if physical, emotional, or sexual abuse has occurred. What has happened over time, however, is a shift of power to these professionals, resulting in higher removals and substantiations of abuse. In a review of medical records, child-welfare cases, contracts, and emails, many argue that child-abuse pediatricians exert the strongest influence in declaring if an injury was due to abuse. Yet despite this power, opinions are sometimes in disagreement with other medical specialists such as orthopedists and hematologists. As we have covered in other blog posts, the likelihood of racial disparity is a common thread even in pediatrics and the wider medical field. Research shows that medical professionals are more likely to diagnose abuse when children are lower-income or nonwhite. When tracing the roots of the specialty of Child Abuse Pediatrics, one will learn about Eli Newberger – an unwilling pioneer in child abuse pediatrics. Newberger recalls that when he began his medical practice in the 1970s, after the unanticipated death of a child who had previously been in for medical care, he began to review records of children who were referred to child welfare services and had returned with new injuries. Upon researching other hospitals’ process for suspected child abuse, he formed a team at Children’s Hosptial in Boston to meet with families and prepare a safe discharge plan. When it was suggested in the 1990s that child abuse pediatrics become a subspecialty, Newberger strongly disagreed. He felt that this would further shift the focus in hospitals from communal support to a criminalized, punitive approach. This article also pinpoints a discrepancy between child welfare case workers who ultimately pursue a case against parents for abuse and the outcomes that child abuse pediatricians have assumed will occur when they determine the cause of an injury as “non-accidental trauma,” i.e. abuse. Child-welfare caseworkers describe a power differential and hesitancy to second-guess or override these specialists’ abuse determination. On the other hand, these specialists believe that an independent investigation will be done. Unfortunately, neither is true, and ultimately families pay the price for these misunderstandings and miscommunications. This article is an essential read for anyone working in the child welfare field, particularly in child abuse investigations, who wish to understand the beginnings of child abuse pediatrics and those who seek to reform the field of child welfare.
4. The Romanian Orphans are Adults Now by Melissa Fay Greene Highlighting the effects of trauma, this Atlantic article explores the adult life of a Romanian adoptee. Izidor Ruckel lived the first three years of his life at the hospital and spent the next eight years of his life in a Romanian orphanage. The article hopes to ask the questions, through research and a full profile on Izidor: “Are there sensitive periods in neural development, after which the brain of a deprived child cannot make full use of the mental, emotional, and physical stimulation later offered? Can the effects of “maternal deprivation” or “caregiver absence” be documented with modern neuroimaging techniques? Finally, if an institutionalized child is transferred into a family setting, can he or she recoup undeveloped capacities? Implicitly, poignantly: Can a person unloved in childhood learn to love?” This article is useful for the child welfare worker who wishes to further a part of international adoption history, identity, attachment, and the restless search for home in adoption. If you found this article interesting, you may wish to explore further by reading Practice Note #33, Preparing for the Potential Reopening of Inter-Country Adoption from Romania.
5. Child welfare law is battered by court. Still standing by Mary Annette Pember In 2021, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) went before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to determine its constitutionality. Entitled Brackeen v. Haaland, this court case began because a family in Texas wished to adopt a two-year-old boy over a Navajo family, who was also available to adopt this child. The article summarizes what the author, a citizen of the Red Cliff Ojibwe tribe and a national correspondent for Indian Country Today, believes are the “good news” and “bad news” of the decision. This article is important for all child welfare workers because it is highly likely that ICWA’s constitutionality will come under scrutiny again, potentially under the U.S. Supreme Court. If you found this article interesting, you may wish to explore further by reading The Necessity of the Indian Child Welfare Act.
6. 2 Officials Who Were Both Adopted Clash Over an Adoption Law by Nikita Stewart This August 2019 article from the New York Times reviews a 2019 bill from New York, “Preserving Family Bonds”, that would change the rights given to biological parents after parental rights are terminated and their children are adopted out to an adoptive family. What is important about this article is that people from similar backgrounds can have varied opinions; and there is not always an obvious “correct” answer in child welfare. Opponents to the bill, such as adoptee Tracy L. VanVleck, argued that the emotional back-and-forth of going between adoptive and biological family was traumatic for her as she grew up. Others, however, argue that the pain of separation from biological families, especially for Black families and children who were removed for neglect or abuse, is a negative impact of the child welfare system and current adoption policy regarding contact with birth families. As of July 2021, the most recent update on this bill is that it was vetoed by New York’s governor Andrew Cuomo in December 2019. We still find this story relevant to proponents and opponents of adoption in the child welfare system, as it shows that policies impact people with shared experiences differently. Ultimately, this is an example that there is not always one right answer for child welfare reform.
7. Thousands of Foster Children Were Sent Out of State to Mental Health Facilities Where Some Faced Abuse and Neglect by David Jackson and Duaa Eldeib This Mother Jones article highlights an important issue that may not be known to many child welfare workers. Thousands of foster children were sent across the country, outside of their home state, to mental health facilities. In an investigation, it was found that there were many reports of children being beaten, assaulted, and mistreated; yet even when harm was documented, the foster care system officials did not always see or act on these reports. Policies may need to be enacted to counter this crisis, as states have not compensated for fewer resources, and the article explores one such policy/practice initiative, which is the establishment of more therapeutic foster homes. This article is ideal for the child welfare worker who is interested in new programming, policies, and mental health initiatives.
8. Can an Algorithm Tell When Kids Are in Danger? by Dan Hurley Child welfare engages in a continuous debate over whether children should be removed immediately or allowed to stay in the home, with parents receiving services. In 2012, however, a social scientist in California and another in New Zealand focused instead on a different question: “Which families are most at risk and need the most help?” Recognizing that the human brain struggles to make sense of the large amount of familial data, they thus decided to create an algorithm that takes familial data and creates a risk score. This New York Times article goes into the history of predictive analytics, how data is used for it, and the pluses and minuses of such a tool. If you found this article interesting, you may wish to explore further by reading Computer program aimed at predicting child abuse debated.
9. Grieving The Child Who Did Not Die by Rachel Lewis Written for Still Standing magazine, which welcomes all parents experiencing loss, Rachel Lewis writes a personal account of the physical, emotional, and mental effects of losing her foster son. Lewis titles the piece about the “child who did not die” because he still existed and simply returned to his biological mother. This article is important for the child welfare worker, particularly those working with foster parents, however, because it is a reminder that foster parents can also experience grief and loss through their attachments to their foster children, and while family reunification is the goal of foster care, the experience of the foster parent should also be addressed.
10. Baby Doe: A Political History of Tragedy by Jill Lepore Content Warning: infant death In 2015, Bella Bond’s body was found washed up on a beach. For 85 days, though, she was simply known as “Baby Doe.” When she was finally identified, the question remained: What could have been done to protect her? The New Yorker article reviews the history of the pendulum of child welfare, noting that “child welfare is driven by high profile deaths, not studies.” While the history of the origins of child protection and many of the high-profile deaths may not be new information, however, this article stands out due to it’s commentary on reforms and studies on child welfare. Reforms often do not hold because the money runs out, but the author argues that the “Minding the Baby” study, which kept mothers and children together by being anti-poverty rather than anti-abuse, has implications that could have made the difference for children like Bella. This article is important to the child welfare worker who wishes to ponder new ways of engaging with child welfare. Do you have any articles or resources that have been helpful to you as a child welfare professional? Please send us an email at cascw@umn.edu. The reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are expressly that of the author and are not that of the University of Minnesota, School of Social Work, or Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare.