Disability Justice in Foster Care: Examining Placement Instability Among Nhpi Youth to Inform Policy and Practice

Background and Purpose:
Children with disabilities face profound inequities within the child welfare system, including increased risks of placement instability and limited access to disability-affirming care. Despite national mandates to promote placement stability, little is known about how disability status intersects with race and placement type, particularly among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) children—an understudied group in foster care research. Guided by a disability justice framework, this study investigates the association between disability status and placement instability, with attention to the protective role of kinship care and intersectional disparities.

Methods:
We analyzed a subset of the 2020 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) dataset (N = 4,750), focusing exclusively on NHPI children. Disability was defined using indicators for clinical, emotional, physical, and other medical conditions. Placement instability was operationalized as more than two placements during the reporting period. We conducted descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multivariate logistic regression to assess the odds of placement instability, controlling for gender, race/ethnicity subcategories, kinship care status, and child disability designation (ChilDis).

Results:
Children with disabilities were more than twice as likely to experience placement instability (OR = 2.14, p < .001) than their non-disabled peers. Kinship care significantly reduced the likelihood of instability (OR = 0.42, p < .001), suggesting its role as a stabilizing mechanism. Racial subcategory analysis revealed that NHPI children identified as Hispanic and those of multiracial backgrounds with disabilities faced even higher odds of instability. Gender was not a significant predictor.

Conclusions and Implications:
Findings confirm that disability remains a critical predictor of instability in foster care, especially when intersecting with racial and ethnic identities. Kinship care emerges as a protective factor, reinforcing the need to prioritize culturally and disability-affirming placements. This study supports the integration of disability justice principles into foster care policies, including caregiver training, expanded kinship support networks, and culturally responsive permanency planning. These insights offer actionable pathways for advancing equity for NHPI youth and other marginalized groups in foster care.