Racial inequality and child neglect: findings in a metropolitan area

Despite contradictory evidence, child neglect is often believed to occur more frequently in the African American than in the Caucasian population. This article reports findings on the racial differences among 182 families referred for neglect in a large metropolitan area. Although almost all of the families were poor, African American families in the neglect sample suffered even more from economic inequality than those in the general population. Implications of the findings for social welfare policy and child welfare practice are discussed.