Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Children in Foster Care: Exploring Outcomes

Racial disproportionality in the child welfare system is of major concern. Hawai‘i experiences disproportionality in the child welfare system, concerningly with the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander populations (NHPI). In 2019, 1,474 NHPI children (55%) were in foster care. However, in the state of Hawai‘i, NHPIs only account for 10.5% of the state’s population. The disproportionate rates of NHPI children in foster care gives prominence to the need for research with NHPI children. One specific area needing attention is understanding the role of kinship care and the stability of kindship care placements with NHPI children. To address this research need, this study examined kinship placement stability, along with factors that contribute to successful placements among NHPI children.

Data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) was used for this study. The study included only children (or parents) who indicated NHPI. The total number of NHPI children in the 2020 AFCARS dataset was 4775, all were included in the study. Descriptive statistics were conducted to examine initial relationships of relevant variables on placement stability. Variables that indicated a relationship with placement stability were included in the logistic regression analyses. Logistic regression was employed: 1) to examine the impact of kinship care on placement stability for NHPIs in the foster care system, and 2) to identify and examine the extent in which relevant factors contribute to placement stability for NHPI children. Other factors of interest included reasons for removal, age of child, medical diagnosis, disability, psychological diagnosis, foster care family structure, and caretaker family structure.

Logistic regression analysis results showed the model to be a good fit and overall predicted percentage correct was 73%. When controlling for all factors in the model, kinship placements were almost 2 times more likely to have placement stability compared to other types of foster care placements for NHPI children. Another variable that significantly predicted placement stability was the structure of the foster family. When controlling for all the covariates, results showed that single female foster placements were more likely to result in placement stability compared to married foster placements. Conversely, factors that predicted placement instability were age, having a physical or medical disability or diagnosis, and emotionally disturbed. The variable with the strongest association to placement instability is emotionally disturbed (OR= .42).

Findings highlight the importance of exploring child welfare services that resonate with cultural values and systems of the children and families in the child welfare system. Family (Ohana) for NHPI is an essential part of one’s identity and as such plays a significant role in the health and well-being of its members. It is not a surprise that kinship placement for NHPIs was a good predictor of placement stability. Also, important to examine are foster family structures. Per the results, single female foster placements were more likely to provide placement stability compared to married foster family placements. This relationship is not found in the general foster care population and warrants further exploration on its relevance for NHPI children.