A Connectedness Framework: Breaking the Cycle of Child Removal for Black and Indigenous Children

Area of Science:

• Child Welfare Studies
• Social Justice Research
• Indigenous Studies

Background:

• Discourse in child welfare increasingly focuses on systemic reform due to anti-racist and social justice imperatives.
• Alaska Native and African American children are disproportionately represented in out-of-home care, necessitating targeted interventions.
• Historical analysis reveals the detrimental impact of Western colonial policies and practices on these populations within the child welfare system.

Purpose of the Study:

• To contribute scholarly recommendations to the ongoing discourse on restructuring child welfare systems.
• To analyze the historical context and systemic issues contributing to the disproportionate removal of Alaska Native and African American children.
• To propose a novel framework for systems change in child welfare, emphasizing connectedness.

Main Methods:

• Historical policy analysis
• Disproportionate representation data review
• Qualitative framework development

Main Results:

• Western colonial policies have historically disadvantaged Alaska Native and African American families within child welfare.
• The current child welfare system's focus on removal is identified as a significant problem.
• Previous attempts at reform have been insufficient in addressing deep-seated inequities.

Conclusions:

• A framework centered on connectedness is proposed to guide systemic transformation in child welfare.
• Implementing this framework holds the potential to enhance outcomes for children and families of color.
• Addressing historical inequities and systemic biases is crucial for effective child welfare reform.