Racial Equity

The effort to build a more equitable child welfare system calls for building multifaceted and deliberate coalitions with all of an agency's partners, especially the young people and families from the communities served by the agency. The considerations in this article can help child welfare agency teams engage with young people and families with lived experience and expertise to cocreate a more equitable child welfare system.

Find strategies to embed cultural humility into child welfare practice and support dialogue and reflection to better understand the multifaceted identities of families receiving child welfare services.

Find resources for implementing antiracism practices and working with diverse populations at a systems level.

Explore resources for addressing the overrepresentation of children and families of color in child welfare.

Find resources to support child welfare staff and leaders in confronting implicit bias and implementing system changes.

Consult this glossary for definitions of key terms and concepts related to equity.

Discover action steps that can be applied within each of the core functions of the CQI process along with a set of cross-cutting strategies that support applying a racial equity lens at any stage of the process.

Learn about a framework that systematically walks through the research and evaluation life cycle and elevates certain strategies and opportunities at every stage where leaders and decision-makers can prioritize equity.    

A continued, intentional focus is required to embed equity into child welfare practice and disrupt processes that cause disproportionality. Including communities, families, and youth affected by the system throughout the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) process can guard against perpetuating inequities.

By respecting tribes as equal partners with unique cultures, values, needs, and expertise, state child welfare agencies can build more equitable child welfare systems and improve outcomes for children, young people, and families.

The more our child welfare agencies reflect the communities they serve, the better they can understand and address the needs of children, young adults, and families in their jurisdictions. A diverse and culturally competent child welfare workforce can help agencies provide culturally responsive services, identify biases and barriers families face, and build trusted relationships.

Explore strategies and resources to help child welfare agencies be intentional in their equity work to strengthen a diverse workforce and improve outcomes for children, young people, and families.

Consider ways to be intentional about advancing race equity while implementing new child welfare programs and practices. This publication includes questions for teams to consider throughout change and implementation processes—from the earliest stages of exploring a problem to identifying solutions to ensuring sustainable implementation.