Racial Disparities and Child Protection

Two recent medical-journal articles advise doctors to refrain from reporting so many kids.

They should instead “narrow the front door” of the child-welfare system in order to reduce racial disparities, authors say.

Authors of the Lancet article also cite what they claim is the racist history of child-protection system.

Authors acknowledge abolition “might feel frightening in this context to a paediatrician”.

In JAMA Pediatrics, authors advise clinicians to report fewer children to CPS because of racial disparities.

Authors say only a small percentage of reports are “substantiated,” suggesting that these cases aren’t real instances of maltreatment.

Authors: A significant percentage of cases reported never even get investigated and are sent instead for “alternative response”.

In 2022 , over four million calls involving roughly six million children were made to CPS hotlines.

Many, perhaps as many as a third , do not enter because of a child-abuse or -neglect report, but for other reasons such as parental death.

Only about five percent of American children ever enter the foster-care system during their lifetimes.