Child welfare and the challenge of difference: Universalism, accommodation, and reform

Richard P. Barth, Jill Duerr Berrick, Melissa Jonson-Reid, Antonio R. Garcia, Johanna K.P. Greeson, John Gyourko and Brett Drake

Chapter 4 in Understanding Child Welfare, 2026, pp 63-79 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Minoritized populations are over-represented in child welfare in many countries. This is true in the USA, where Black children and families, as well as Native American children and families, are involved in child welfare services at rates far outsizing their representation in the general population. Understanding the reasons for disproportionate representation and responding accordingly is a critical challenge for the field. Recognizing the difference between disproportionality and disparity (unfair treatment) is at the crux of this issue. This chapter examines the evidence regarding disproportionality in US child welfare and reviews some of the options countries face in making accommodations in policy and practice to respond to the unique needs of some communities. Special attention is given to the Indian Child Welfare Act, which endeavors to address special historic issues (including separate nation status for some tribes) germane to the USA's Indigenous population.

Keywords: Child welfare; Disproportionality; Cultural accommodation; Universalism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035359110
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