"Bias and racism are widespread in the [U.S.] child welfare system," says this article from ABC News. "Black children are taken into foster care at a disproportionately high rate and languish longer before being adopted, reunited with their parents or aging out of the system." The article highlights a new report from Bethany Christian Services, which is the first large-scale study of its foster care work based on a racial breakdown of the children, reviewing hundreds of cases from programs in four cities — Atlanta, Philadelphia, Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan. The report offers several recommendations, including calling on governments at all levels to expand support for at-risk families before a child is removed and intensify efforts to reunify children if they are removed.
