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Analyzing Racial Disparity in the Foster Care System |
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Although the rate of racial disproportionality in foster care placement is relatively low in Tennessee when compared to other states, African American children are nevertheless overrepresented in Tennessee's foster care system. The study seeks to analyze that variation to better understand disparities in the use of foster care and to point to strategies that may bring greater equity to the delivery of child welfare services. The first part of the analysis focuses on entry rates and differences in the likelihood that children will enter foster care. African American placement rates are closer to white placement rates in counties with higher concentrations of adults without a high school degree and female-headed families. The second part of the report examines exit patterns in order to assess how length of stay and exit type influence disproportionality. After adjusting for other attributes, among children who are either reunified or adopted, white children exit more quickly.
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