Child Welfare Workers’ Biases in Decision-Making: The Potential for Influence on Disparity and Disproportionality
Author ORCID Identifier
https://orchid.org/0000-0003-3628-3885: Natalie Beltrano
Standing
Graduate (PhD)
Type of Proposal
Oral Research Presentation
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Kristen Lwin
Proposal
There is a public outcry to address systemic racism at all levels of government. Due to its colonial roots, and origins in White, middle-class values, Ontario’s child welfare system has allowed for the differential treatment and overrepresentation of vulnerable populations, specifically Indigenous Peoples, racialized/ethnic groups and families who live with poverty. One hypothesis for the ongoing disparity and disproportionality of vulnerable groups in child welfare is the impact of implicit thinking, initial judgements and reactions in decision-making by child welfare workers. This presentation will provide an overview of the history of child welfare in Ontario, and current legislation and structure. Through a framework of intersectionality, anti-racism, and anti-privilege, guided by Signal and Dual Process theory, the results of a rapid systematic review of studies that assessed for biases in child welfare worker decision-making will be discussed. The gaps in knowledge, specifically the paucity of Canadian child welfare research and the lack of understanding of the influences of biases in decision-making will be explored. This research identifies a critical need for research that attempts to understand the influence of implicit and/or explicit biases in child welfare high-stakes decisions. Without further understanding, attempts to implement anti-black racism, anti-racist and social justice frameworks to address disparity and disproportionality in child welfare may be ineffective as child welfare worker biases may continue to impact areas of judgement and decision-making.
Availability
March 30 - 12-3; March 31 - 12-3; April 1 - 12-3
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Child Welfare Workers’ Biases in Decision-Making: The Potential for Influence on Disparity and Disproportionality
There is a public outcry to address systemic racism at all levels of government. Due to its colonial roots, and origins in White, middle-class values, Ontario’s child welfare system has allowed for the differential treatment and overrepresentation of vulnerable populations, specifically Indigenous Peoples, racialized/ethnic groups and families who live with poverty. One hypothesis for the ongoing disparity and disproportionality of vulnerable groups in child welfare is the impact of implicit thinking, initial judgements and reactions in decision-making by child welfare workers. This presentation will provide an overview of the history of child welfare in Ontario, and current legislation and structure. Through a framework of intersectionality, anti-racism, and anti-privilege, guided by Signal and Dual Process theory, the results of a rapid systematic review of studies that assessed for biases in child welfare worker decision-making will be discussed. The gaps in knowledge, specifically the paucity of Canadian child welfare research and the lack of understanding of the influences of biases in decision-making will be explored. This research identifies a critical need for research that attempts to understand the influence of implicit and/or explicit biases in child welfare high-stakes decisions. Without further understanding, attempts to implement anti-black racism, anti-racist and social justice frameworks to address disparity and disproportionality in child welfare may be ineffective as child welfare worker biases may continue to impact areas of judgement and decision-making.