THE Child WELFARE SYSTEM ■■■

The “child welfare system” in California (which is another name for “foster care”) is the system of agencies, organizations, and individuals who are responsible for ensuring the safety, permanency and well-being of children who have been removed from their families of origin due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. The child welfare system is governed by federal, state and local laws and policies. The federal and state level laws and policies apply in all California counties. Below are some resources about those federal and statewide laws and policies.

Also below are resources about “disproportionality” and “disparity” in the child welfare system. In other words, studies show that children of color or minority children account for 6 out of 10 children in foster care, even though they comprise only 3 out of 10 children in America (and even though there is no difference between races in the likelihood that a parent will abuse or neglect a child). Research has also found racial disparities in the delivery of services to children of color within the foster care system.

(Synthesis of research by Robert B Hill: .http://www.racemattersconsortium.org/docs/whopaper4.pdf)

federal level ■■■

1) Major Federal Child Welfare Laws:
http://www.casanet.org/reference/major-child-welfare-laws.htm
(National CASA resource)

2) Center on Children and the Law:
http://www.abanet.org/child/resources.shtml
(American Bar Association website with publications and resources that include a summary of federal child welfare laws)

3) Adoption and Foster Care Reporting and Analysis System: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/index.htm
(state and national data on adoption and foster care, child abuse and neglect).

Selected statistics summarized by Casey Family Programs: http://www.casey.org/MediaCenter/MediaKit/FactSheet.htm

4) California Indian Legal Services:
http://www.calindian.org/acorn.ref.htm#ICWA    
(information on the federal laws contained in the Indian Child Welfare Act)

california ■■■

1) Understanding the Child Welfare System in California:
http://www.ccrwf.org/publications/index.html
A Primer for Service Providers and Policy Makers
(an introduction to the systems that govern foster care in California):

2) Child Welfare Research Center– Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS):
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/cwscmsreports/defaultStatic.asp
(information about children and youth in foster care – e.g. how many abuse and neglect referrals happen, how many children are in foster care and how many of them have siblings in the system - across the state and in each county) 

3) California Department of Social Services main page:
http://www.cdss.ca.gov; foster care page: http://www.childsworld.ca.gov/FosterCare_310.htm (directories of county Independent Living Skills Program coordinators, public health nurses and licensed care providers) 

disproportionality ■■■

CWS/CMS:
http://cssr.berkeley.edu/CWSCMSreports/dynamics/disprop/
(comparison of numbers of children in CA in foster care by age, race/ethnicity, & percentage of general population)

The Race Matters Consortium:
http://www.racemattersconsortium.org/index.htm
(information and publications about disproportionality, overrepresentation and disparity of treatment of children of color in child welfare systems)

Casey Family Programs:
http://www.casey.org/OurWork/Disproportionality/
(a national operating foundation that works on foster care issues)

Add GAO Report