Transcending the Model Minority Myth: Disparities in Child Welfare Outcomes for Asian American Children and Families in California

Background and Purpose: Despite extensive research on the challenges faced by Black/African American, Hispanic/LatinX, and Indigenous populations in the United States' child welfare system, the experiences of Asian American children and families remain underexplored. This study aims to address this research gap by examining the disparities in child welfare outcomes for Asian American children and families compared to other racial and ethnic groups while also exploring variations within Asian subgroups. The study investigates the substantiation rate of referrals, time to disposition, the number of prior referrals before substantiation, and the experience of recurrence of maltreatment while adjusting for neighborhood-level factors.

Methods: The study utilizes administrative data from the California Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS) (2014-2020) to describe racial disproportionality and disparity in referral, substantiation, and recurrences, and examine the predictors of such disproportionality and disparity among Asian ethnic groups. Data from 20 California counties with the highest Asian population density were extracted, totaling 2,310,593 referrals. The target population, Asian children, represents 4.38% of the total referrals (N=94,369). Generalized Linear Models (GLM) were employed to analyze racial and ethnic differences in various child welfare stages up to allegation disposition. Survival analysis was also applied to explore the length of time to re-report and case recurrence. The dataset was analyzed through a Design-Based Method (DBM) to include neighborhood-level variables, considering the clustered nature of the data.

Results: When controlling for referral-level (i.e., prior referral, allegation type), child-level (i.e., gender, age), and zipcode-level confounding factors (i.e., ICE indices, ADI Score, Asian American population density), Asian American children generally have fewer prior referrals before substantiation and experience less recurrence of referral or substantiated case. Referrals involving Asians also take a shorter time to disposition compared to certain racial/ethnic groups. However, disparities persist among Asian subgroups, with Southeast Asians (e.g., Laotian, Hmong, Filipino, and Cambodian) experiencing exacerbated disposition and recidivism outcomes. Substantiated cases involving Cambodian, Filipino, Laotian, and Hmong families are more likely to have more prior referrals when compared to Chinese. Cambodians (OR=1.33), Filipinos (OR=1.35), and Laotians (OR=1.58) are more likely to experience re-report compared to Chinese. Japanese (OR=1.44) is the only East Asian group that is also more likely to, when compared to Chinese, experience re-report. When looking at substantiated case recurrence, by the 1400th day after initial substantiation, Laotians will have a survival rate (case recurrence) of 80%, while the rate is higher for other Asian subgroups, with the highest being Chinese (=92%), Japanese (=90%), and Korean (=90%).

Conclusions and Implications: The results underscore the distinct characteristics and service outcomes experienced by Asian American families engaged with the child welfare system, emphasizing the importance of comprehending the specific challenges encountered by various Asian ethnicities. Recognizing the diversity in culture, socioeconomic backgrounds, immigration history, and family practices among Asian groups is crucial. Such understanding can contribute to the development of informed practices, policies, and future research aimed at addressing disparities and enhancing child welfare outcomes for Asian American children and their families.