ABSTRACT
Racial and Ethnic Disproportionality in Foster Care:There is the common contention that whenever there is a racial disproportionality or racial disparity, there must also be racial discrimination. This chapter argues that one must be cautious in drawing conclusions about discrimination from evidence on disparities and disproportionalities, since conventional measures of disparities and disproportionalities do not control for relevant factors that might explain why there are disparities or disproportionalities. We measure disparities, disproportionality, and discrimination to differentiate between causes of disparitiesand observed outcomes in the child welfare system, using national data on child maltreatment cases, substantiations, and foster care placements. Further, we discuss implications for professionals working in the child welfare system when measuring disproportionalities and disparities to avoid false conclusions that all these measures capture the same qualitative concepts. Keywords: racial disproportionality, racial disparity, child welfare system, foster care, methodology
