Solutions to the Problem of Social Inequity in Children's Welfare

This was part of my blog, "Social Equity In America's Children's Welfare Services, http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/52154-social-equality-american-children...

I felt the need to separate it for ease of digestion.

This is my assessment of what America is currently doing in order to address the problem of institutional racism within the Children's Welfare System. It might seem insignificant, but I think it has a solid foundation. I also wanted to share this information for the benefit of anyone who might be interested in such work and who fits the criteria for the job.
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The National Child Welfare Resource Center for Adoption (NCWRCA) has established the Minority Adoption Leadership Development Institute (MALDI) program to improve the diverse representation in service provision and to enhance the leadership skills of emerging culturally, ethnically, and racially diverse personnel in child welfare adoption across the nation.
http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:jiHHR4uz6n4J:www.nrcadoption.org/ma...

This program will identify and work with culturally, ethnically, and racially diverse individuals to improve their knowledge and skills so that they are prepared to become leaders in state adoption programs. These emerging leaders will be selected from the states that have the greatest number of minority children awaiting adoption and high disproportionality rates. Also, they will be linked with the State Adoption Program Manager from their state, who will serve as their mentor.

"Applicants must be a member of one of the following groups of color (African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American), be a representative of minority children awaiting adoption in their State system, and have experience in at least two areas of the child welfare system (e.g. adoption, foster care and protective services)."

Participants in the MALDI program will be selected from the 20 states with the greatest number of minority children and youth awaiting adoption. Though the program is open to all child welfare organizations, *priority will be given to applicants from public child welfare agencies.* I think that this last factor is far more important than any others. We need kids who have successfully graduated from these systems and social institutions to guide those in their footsteps.

In conclusion, to be fair, it seems that while there is an obvious problem, there are organizations that have been designed to address the problem head-on. It may be awhile before the race problem is rectified, however, I believe that all efforts made toward addressing the 2 problems I identified, impermanent placement and lack of life-skills at the time of transition into adulthood, would ultimately work toward rectifying the race problem. If social workers focus on these two problems, I believe that race would diminish as a deciding factor in the lives of the children being served. Only when we really treat the actual problems these kids are facing, and give them the tools they need to build something positive out of their own life will we see all of the factors of child abuse begin to decline.