title: Black-White Differences in Child Maltreatment Reports and Foster Care Placements: A Statistical Decomposition Using Linked Administrative Data.
abstract: Introduction Official statistics have confirmed that relative to their presence in the population and relative to white children, black children have consistently higher rates of contact with child protective services (CPS). We used linked administrative data and statistical decomposition techniques to generate new insights into black and white differences in child maltreatment reports and foster care placements. Methods Birth records for all children born in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, between 2008 and 2010 were linked to administrative service records originating in multiple county data systems. Differences in rates of involvement with child protective services between black and white children by age 4 were decomposed using nonlinear regression techniques. Results Black children had rates of CPS involvement that were 3 times higher than white children. Racial differences were explained solely by parental marital status (i.e., being unmarried) and age at birth (i.e., predominantly teenage mothers). Adding other covariates did not capture any further racial differences in maltreatment reporting or foster care placement rates, they simply shifted differences already explained by marital status and age to these other variables. Discussion Racial differences in rates of maltreatment reports and foster care placements can be explained by a basic model that adjusts only for parental marital status and age at the time of birth. Increasing access to early prevention services for vulnerable families may reduce disparities in child protective service involvement. Using birth records linked to other administrative data sources provides an important means to developing population-based research.
authors.affiliation: School of Economics, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maloney
authors.affiliation: School of Economics, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Suzanne Dwork-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, 1150 South Olive Street, Suite 1400, Los Angeles, CA, 90015, USA. ehornste@usc.edu.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Putnam-Hornstein
authors.affiliation: Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Pittsburgh, USA.
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dalton
authors.affiliation: School of Economics, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Rhema
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vaithianathan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001719:Birth Certificates; D044383:Black People / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000068216:Child Protective Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000073921:Child, Foster / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D044465:White People / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001741:Black or African American
keywords: Administrative data; Birth records; Child maltreatment; Foster care; Racial disparities