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      An Evaluation of Factors Related to the Disproportionate Representation of Children of Color in Santa Clara County’s Child Welfare System is a multimethod/multiphase three-year study that began in June 2000. The study is funded by Santa Clara County and is being conducted by the Child Welfare Research Team from the College of Social Work at San Jose State University. The overall research question guiding the study is to identify the primary factors associated with the disproportionate representation of children of color in the Santa Clara County’s Child Welfare System. Although the disproportionate representation of children of color in child welfare systems (CWS) around the country has long been an area of concern, no systematic research study has been conducted on this topic to date.

      The first phase of the research consisted of an exploratory study, that contained four overall objectives: 1) to put the problem in context by identifying and understanding relevant research literature and child welfare policies; 2) to identify the extent and scope of the problem at the national, state and county levels; 3) to gain an understanding of how the problem is viewed from different perspectives within the system; and 4) to identify key questions to be examined during subsequent phases of the study. These objectives were fulfilled by reviewing the research literature and pertinent documents at the national, state and county levels; conducting descriptive analyses using national, state and county databases focusing on the child welfare system; and by conducting numerous focus groups and interviews with administrators and key staff in the CWS, as well as parents/caregivers and youth who were current or former clients of the CWS.

      The second phase of the research addressed themes identified during the exploratory phase, including: 1) an analysis of the specific pathways of children and families in the CWS, and the ways in which these pathways differ for various racial/ethnic groups, and 2) an analysis of the possible differential treatment that children and families of various racial/ethnic groups may receive at key decision-making points in the system. Methods employed in the second phase of the research included: extensive, in-depth reviews of 403 closed child welfare cases, a parallel descriptive analysis of 1720 closed cases within the CWS/CMS database, and key informant interviews with managers and supervisors in Santa Clara County’s Department of Family and Children’s Services.

      The third phase of the study explores: 1) best practices for children and families of color involved in the CWS; 2) the relationship between worker characteristics and client outcomes; and 3) a statewide comparative analysis of program practice and service delivery. Methods employed in the final phase of the study include: literature reviews; a review of cases with successful outcomes and an analysis of factors that contributed to these positive outcomes; in-depth interviews and focus groups with CWS administrators, staff and clients; HLM analyses utilizing a merged database consisting of 1700 closed cases (CWS/CMS data), 403 in-depth case record reviews, and management information data on worker characteristics; a survey of county child welfare directors in California counties with large racial/ethnic representation; and quantitative analyses using databases consisting of county-level characteristics.