Iowa 's Cross System Efforts to Reduce Disparities

1. Iowa 's Cross System Efforts to Reduce Disparities Brad Richardson, Ph.D. Univ. of IA School of Social Work National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice DMC Resource Center brad-richardson@uiowa.edu www.uiowa.edu/~nrcfcp 1

2. National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice About NRCFCP | Training | Research/Evaluation | Tech.Assistance | Pubs Fam.Dev.Spec.Cert | Cult.Comp.| DMC Resource Center | Latino Institute| Website: www.uiowa.edu/~nrcfcp “Ask Doctor Outcomes”

6. The National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice • Established in 1977 as a national consulting division of the University of Iowa School of Social Work • Research, Evaluation, Technical Assistance, Training & Organizational Development • NRC specializes in research-supported, strength-based culturally competent family centered practice; “Doctor Outcomes” • Family Development Specialist Certification Program

7. Information/Education Research & Evaluation Training/Tech. Asst Cultural Competence

8. Research & EvaluationDivision DMC Resource Center & Minority Youth & Families Initiative

9. Des Moines Register Wednesday, July 18, 2007 IOWA'S BLACK-WHITE PRISONER RATIO HIGHEST NATION A national study released today ranks Iowa No. 1 in the nation in the ratio of blacks to whites in prison

10. Des Moines Register Wednesday, July 19, 2007 MAKE PRISON RATES OF BLACKS A TOP PRIORITY Ten years ago Iowa had the second-highest African American to White in-prison ratio.

11. From: BlackNews.com pr@blacknews.comSource: Capital City Courier September 2007 ARE THE SCALES OF JUSTICE TIPPED AGAINST BLACKS?by Kim E. Gordon

12. Incarceration per 100,000 Population STATE BLACK –TO-WHITE RATIO Highest Iowa 13.6 Vermont 12.5 New Jersey 12.4 Connecticut 12.0 Wisconsin 10.6

17. Extreme Disproportion (Robert Hill; Overrepresentation of Children of Color in Foster Care in 2000. Working Paper – 03/05) 14) New Mexico 3.74 13) Iowa 3.76 6) Oregon 4 .38 5) Wyoming 4.53 4) Minnesota 4.77 3) Idaho 4.84 2) New Hampshire 4.93 1) Wisconsin 5.48

18. United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) • Report to the Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, House of Reps.: AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE The HHS National Incidence Study has shown since the early 1980s that children of all races and ethnicities are equally likely to be abused or neglected; however, African American children, and to some extent other minority children, have been significantly more likely to be represented in foster care

19. Extreme Disproportion (Robert Hill; Overrepresentation of Children of Color in Foster Care in 2000) 13) Iowa 3.76 6) Oregon 4 .38 5) Wyoming 4.53 4) Minnesota 4.77 3) Idaho 4.84 2) New Hampshire 4.93 1) Wisconsin 5.48 0) Polk County 5.50

20. School discipline tougher on African Americans CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM SEPTEMBER 25, 2007

23. Disciplinary Action by Race (2004-2005 School Year)

24. Disproportionality in School Discipline: Possible Explanations • Black kids act worse? • Poverty?

25. What About More Frequent “Misbehavior” by Black Students? • White students referred more for: • Smoking • Vandalism • Leaving w/o permission • Obscene Language • Black students referred more for: • Disrespect • Excessive Noise • Threat • Loitering Of 32 infractions, only 8 significant differences:

26. Is Disproportionality in Special Ed Due to Poverty? • Poverty as inconsistent predictor • Not significant • More disproportionality as poverty decreased • Race is a significant predictor of special education independent of poverty level • Poverty magnifies the gap created by race

27. Race and Poverty: Identification of MIMD 8 6 Probability of Identification 4 2 0 0 20 40 60 80 Percent Receiving Free Lunch African American Children Other Children

29. Focus Group Recommendations • Suspension should be viewed as a process rather then as an action or event. • Teachers should engage in a similar process as social workers & teachers that helped conduct the study • District Administration and the School Board should participate the process.

30. Focus Group Recommendations 4. Cultural competence training needed throughout the district 5. Separate measurable goals for reducing the number of suspensions and for reducing disparate rates should be set.

31. Institutional Racism Any practice that has disproportionate results -Bojko

32. Progress in Iowa Longstanding commitment in Juvenile Justice (CJJP) In 2004 the Child Welfare Redesign Created Minority Youth & Families Initiative

34. Positive Behavior Support • Positive behavior support is a set of systemic and individualized strategies for achieving social and learning outcomes while preventing problem behavior.

35. Teachers have expectations that can work for the child or against them • Teachers need training in proactive teaching of assets

36. Emotions are critical to learning – they drive our attention, health, and memory • Punishment-based systems are counter-productive (1) increase stress; (2) do not teach emotional or behavioral self-regulation skills or other self-help assets.

37. State Efforts to Address Disproportionality In CW & JJ DMC Committee developed - 2000 JJAC allocates funds through decat DMC Resource Center at University of Iowa –SSW, National Center for Family Centered Practice, 2002 Child Welfare Better Results for Kids Redesign includes focus on disproportionality - 2003 Minority Youth and Families Initiative (MYFI) – 2003 Executive Order #5 October 2007 HF2393 requires racial impact statements 2008

38. Joint CW/JJ Efforts to Address Disproportionality Expansion of DMC Resource Center to include child welfare as well as juvenile justice (2004) Technical assistance to and evaluation of local sites Analysis of key decision points Annual state DMC Conference focused on juvenile justice, child welfare, education and public health (2004 – 2007) Child Welfare & Juvenile Justice data provided to local groups (2004) Joint CW/JJ discussions around risk assessment, wraparound alternatives and disproportionality, evidence based practice Sioux City & Polk County projects & DMC efforts

39. Renewed Leadership around CW, JJ and Disproportionality Governor’s Office Executive Order establishing Youth Race & Detention Task Force Remarks at 6th Annual conference, “Linking CW, JJ, Education & Health to Reduce Racial Disparities” Supreme Court Chief Justice “Children’s Justice Initiative” focusing on both CW & JJ Legislature Passed HF2393 requiring minority impact statement on disproportionate or unique impacts

40. How do we know this is working? • Data • ICWA Compliance Reviews • System Involvement • Out of Home vs. Family-Centered Placement • Placement for children in out of home care • Voluntary vs. Court-ordered involvement • Scorecard Update

41. ICWA Compliance Review: Casereading 2008

43. National Association of Professional Child Welfare Administrators Disproportionality Diagnostic Tool Woodbury County (Sioux City, IA) 2006 compared to 2008) NAPCWA Disproportionality Diagnostic Tool Disproportionality: Developing a Public Agency Strategy By Danna Fabella, Sandra Slappey, Brad Richardson, Anita Light & Susan Christie July 2, 2007 http://www.napcwa.org/DDT/ddt_main.asp

44. National Association of Professional Child Welfare Administrators Disproportionality Diagnostic Tool Woodbury County (Sioux City, IA) 2006 compared to 2008) Society

45. National Association of Professional Child Welfare Administrators Disproportionality Diagnostic Tool Woodbury County (Sioux City, IA) 2006 compared to 2008) System

46. National Association of Professional Child Welfare Administrators Disproportionality Diagnostic Tool Woodbury County (Sioux City, IA) 2006 compared to 2008) Individual

47. Key Services/Practice ImprovementsWoodbury County • Emphasis on Relative/Community/Tribal Networks • Flexible resource dollar pool • Strong focus on cultural competence • Understand when the case does not belong at DHS • Knowing how to plug in community resources and collaborate with the Native Community

48. Key Services/Practice ImprovementsWoodbury County • Looking at relative placement right away • Utilizing Tribal Liaisons from the time of CPS Assessment • Closer working relationship between social workers and CPS workers • Supervisor, family, DHS worker, Tribe operating from the same page • Training to keep you doing the right thing – reinforcing that it is not our job to create “model” families, whatever that is. We are to keep kids safe. • Judge training has helped them understand that ICWA requires IMMINENT danger for removal, not that abuse is likely

49. Practice advances:How a Liaison works • Coaching workers on understanding Native families and their dynamics. • Asking: Is this a SAFETY issue? Are basic needs being met? • Can we utilize community/other resources to meet the needs of these families? • Is removal REALLY necessary? • Contingent on social workers really utilizing Liaison expertise

50. Key Services/Practice ImprovementsPolk County Community-based services that are individualized Building on strengths Meeting the needs of children and families across life domains to promote success, safety and permanence in the home, school and community Facilitating family team meetings, Providing community outreach promoting Family Team Decision Making within the African American community engage informal and community-based resources & supports