Abstract
Educating, training, and diversifying the workforce are strategies that may help reduce racial/ethnic disparities that plague child protection system (CPS). Title IV-E education and training programs support the development of a specially trained, highly skilled workforce; yet, little research examining their impact on workforce diversification exists. The current study assessed the relationship between Title IV-E education and training and workforce diversity and leadership in a state system that is plagued with racial disparities using data from a statewide child welfare survey (n = 679) and existing population-level sources. Findings revealed that while children of color were disproportionately overrepresented in the CPS, professionals of color were disproportionately underrepresented (as compared to the state’s overall population and the population of children served within CPS). Title IV-E education and training programs were associated with both child protection workforce diversity and CPS leadership roles. Implications for recruitment, retention, education, and partnership are discussed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 333-353 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Journal of Public Child Welfare |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 27 2018 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This is, to our knowledge, one of the first studies to assess the association between Title IV-E education and training programs and the representation of professionals of color within the workforce. This research is timely in that Minnesota, like many other jurisdictions, is challenged with confronting the racial disparities that exist within the CPS (Minnesota Department of Human Services, Children and Family Services, 2016, 2017b).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Keywords
- Child protection
- child welfare
- diversity
- racial disproportionality
- Title IV-E education and training
- workforce