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January 26, 2017
Greetings,
As 2017 gets underway, the Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare is redoubling its commitment to advocating for equitable public systems. Last year, we started the work of building stronger partnerships with organizations and agencies beyond child welfare, recognizing the most vulnerable children and families in our society are experiencing the compounding effects of multiple systems of oppression. We'll continue these efforts, along with the following:
- Centering a civil rights framework that looks to federal protections for children and families of color involved in the child welfare system;
- Continuing to examine the use of predictive analytics and the necessary cautions to mitigate the potential for racial and ethnic bias in the use of big data in child welfare;
- Applying an intersectional lens to our work that includes race and other marginalized identities such as gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, immigration status, and more; and
- Looking more carefully at the treatment and criminalization of unaccompanied minors placed in detention centers.
This work cannot be done alone. We look to you, members of the Alliance to help in the effort to overturn systemic barriers that are at the root of our public systems. Together, we must continue the fight for a more just and inclusive society.
Sincerely,
Tashira Halyard, J.D.
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The Curb-Cut Effect
Policies designed to benefit society's most vulnerable populations often prove to be beneficial for society as a whole. According to PolicyLink CEO Angela Glover Blackwell, investing in equity is a not a zero sum game, but rather, the antidote to inequality. Read the full article,
"The Curb-Cut Effect," in the latest issue of the Stanford Innovation Review.
Medicaid Releases an Informational Bulletin on EPSDT
Low EPSDT (Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment) screening rates continue to be a challenge in child welfare systems, particularly for low-income children and families. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Center for Medicaid & CHIP Services (CMS) recently released an informational bulletin, "The Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit for children and youth in managed care", that provides guidance to states on how to ensure the provision of these services. Access the bulletin
here.
New Bill to Address Racial Disparity in Juvenile Justice in Kentucky
State Sen. Whitney Westerfield (R-Hopkinsville) has been a strong advocate for juvenile justice reform in Kentucky. Westerfield plans to propose a new bill in the upcoming session that addresses some of the major gaps that previous juvenile reform legislation, such as Senate Bill 200. While the 2014 bill served as a major overhaul of Kentucky's juvenile justice system, it failed to address crucial elements such as disproportionate minority contact. Read about Westerfield's new bill
here.
Girl's Receive Stiffer Punishment
A recent investigation into Maryland's juvenile justice system by the Baltimore Sun found that African American girls receive inequitable treatment in the state's system. Similar to national juvenile justice trends, young women are disproportionately detained for low level offenses. They also receive stiffer punishment and fewer services. Read the details of the Sun's investigation here.
Predictive Analytics Webinar Series
 Through an ongoing webinar series, the Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare is exploring how child welfare systems are gearing up to use predictive analytics, how we might anticipate and mitigate the potential algorithmic racial bias in its use and practices for equitable implementation that may be gleaned from other public systems.
Mark your calendar for our next webinar in the series which will take place on
February 22nd from 2:00-3:30pm EST. This webinar will feature Jesse Russell from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD).
Catch up on the webinar series
here
.
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Let Girls Learn
Black girls are suspended and expelled from school, or pushed out, at disproportionate rates. They are often suspended for violations that are rooted in stereotypes and bias, which leads not only to more frequent and harsher punishment, but can also steer girls into the juvenile justice system. In response to this alarming trend, the National Women's Law Center released a video called Let Her Learn to shed light on the stereotypes and biases that Black girls face in school. Watch the video
here
.
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Ripples of Transformation: Families Leading Change in Early Childhood Systems
 In December, CSSP released a new toolkit, "Ripples of Transformation: Families Leading Change in Early Childhood Systems". Commissioned by First 5 Alameda through a
Research to Action grant from CSSP, the toolkit is designed to inspire, challenge and support leaders in early childhood to embrace and move toward a vision of families as agents of change in their children's lives, communities and early childhood systems. The toolkit expands the concept and practice of family engagement from a separate strand of programming to an integrated, continuing stream of opportunities for parents to be leaders in their families and communities, as well as in policies and systems. Access the toolkit
here.
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PACE Center for Girls, All About Girls Summit
Calling all middle and high school aged girls and the organizati
ons, corporations, foundations and advocates who care about them! Early registra
tion
for the 2017 All Abou
t Girls S
ummit is now
ope
n and you will not want to miss this inspiring national convening for, by, with and about girls. The All About Girls Summit was designed to create a convening space where the evolving, diverse needs of girls can be explored and the actions we need to take to create a society where girls can thrive can be determined. 2016 speakers included Chelsea Clinton, Gabrielle Union, Beverly Bond and Dominique Dawes and 2017 confirmed speakers include Soledad O'Brien, Marley Dias and many more.
Visit the Summit website to learn more and register. Hurry! Attendance is expected near 1,000 and registration is already near 50 percent capacity. Early registration is only $275 and includes access to all sessions, events and meals. Once registered, a private link will be provided to reserve your hotel room under the Sum
mit room block discounted rate. Join us!
www.AllAboutGirlsSummit.com
.
The Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare has formed the Social Service Administrators Racial Equity Network to facilitate information sharing and strategy building among a community of child welfare and social service administrators committed to achieving equity for children and families involved with the child welfare system.
Through this network, child welfare and social service administrators dissect the range of effective policies and system improvement strategies that promote racial equity and improved outcomes for children and families of color. The network includes thought leaders and administrators from social service and human service systems, as each of these broader systems provides critically important supports and services.
Please contact
Precious Graham at the Center for the Study of Social Policy if you're interested in joining this network.
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Established in 2004, the
Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare provides national leadership in support of improved outcomes for children and families of color involved with the nation's child welfare system. The Alliance is guided by a coalition of national organizations, state and local leaders, judges, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, advocates and parents, as well as alumni and youth who have directly experienced the child welfare system.
The Alliance is supported by funding from the Annie E. Casey foundation and is managed by the Center for the Study of Social Policy. |
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