Delineating disproportionality and disparity of Asian-Canadian versus White-Canadian families in the child welfare system

Barbara Lee, Esme Fuller-Thomson, Nico Trocme, Barbara Fallon, and Tara Black -- Children and Youth Services Review

This study used the 2008 Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect data to determine the representation of child maltreatment investigations for Asian-Canadian versus White-Canadian children involved in the child welfare system. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the odds of case closure for substantiated child maltreatment investigations, and whether Asian ethnicity remained significant while controlling for child demographics and household composition, case characteristics, and clinical concerns.

This study found that Asian-Canadian children were underrepresented in the child welfare system compared to White-Canadian children (13.9 per 1000 Asian children in the Canadian population vs. 36.1 per 1000 White children in the Canadian population). Child welfare involvement for Asian-Canadian children are almost 2 times more likely to close after an investigation than White-Canadian children.

The study notes that disproportionality and disparity are complex phenomena. The variation in results derived from different methods of calculating representation suggests the need for greater clarity and consistency in the definitions and methodology in examining racial disparity in child welfare research.