From Race Matters: Examining the Overrepresentation of  African Americans in the Child Welfare System

Mark F. Testa & John Poertner

The following abstract is taken from the Child Welfare League of America.

Over the past decade, Illinois, as well as many other large states, has seen a larger proportion of African American children being placed in foster care than children of other ethnicities. A number of potential explanations could account for this. These range from differences in parenting and other human capital characteristics in families of different ethnicities to differences in the characteristics of neighborhoods in which families live. This chapter explores some of the possible explanations.