Racial Differences and the Contribution of Child, Caregiver, and Socioeconomic Risk Factors to Child Welfare Investigative Decision-Making in Ontario

Background: Despite the substantial body of literature on racial disparities in child welfare involvement in the United States, there is relatively little research on such differences for Canadian children and families. The handful of studies on Black-White disparities in Canadian child welfare indicate that Black children may be overrepresented, and that Black families and community members perceive child welfare involvement as being characterized by race- and class-based bias. To date, there has been no published studies regarding Black-White disparities in Ontario, Canada, and policy-makers and practitioners have relied on US-based research to understand this phenomenon. This study begins to address the knowledge gap by examining investigation-level decision-making among Black and White families investigated for child protection concerns in Ontario. Using provincially representative data, the study assessed whether Black children were more likely than White children to be investigated by child welfare, if there was disparate decision-making by race throughout the investigation, and how the characteristics of Black and White children contribute to the decision to transfer to ongoing services.

Methods: Data for this study are drawn from the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (OIS-2013). Information about investigations involving Black and White children (n=83,400), including child characteristics, characteristics of the investigation, caregiver risk factors, and socioeconomic circumstances was analyzed. Population and decision-based disparity indices were calculated, the rates at which these cases were transferred for ongoing child protective services were generated, and differences in case characteristics were assessed using chi-square test statistics. Multivariable logistic regression models were specified to determine the odds of case transfer among this population and to assess the independent relationship between race and more intensive child welfare involvement.

Results: The results indicate that Black children were 41% more likely to be investigated for child protection concerns than White children, but there was little evidence to indicate that workers in Ontario child welfare agencies made the decision to substantiate, transfer to ongoing services, or place into out-of-home care based on race alone. Black and White children differed significantly with respect to child characteristics, characteristics of the investigation, caregiver risk factors, and socioeconomic circumstances. When adjusting for these characteristics, Black families had greater odds (OR=1.33; 95% CI: 1.26, 1.40; p=<.001) of being transferred to ongoing services compared to White families. Among Black families, the quality of the parent-child relationship and severe economic hardship were the most significant and substantial contributors to the decision to provide continued child welfare services.

Implications: The results indicate that Black families in Ontario are presenting with different concerns than their White counterparts and when accounting for these differences, race does matter. In particular, problems in the relationship between older children and their primary caregivers and severe economic hardship appear to differentially impact the odds of deeper child welfare involvement for Black children and families. These differences point to the need for better integrated social and community-based resources and services, including culturally relevant mental health services that can address the specific needs of this population.