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ICJI > Youth Services > Disproportionate Minority Contact > Indiana Disproportionality Committee 2006 > 2006 IDC Overview 2006 IDC Overview

Indiana Disproportionality Committee
Scope of Work
February 2006

Indiana, like other states, has documented that children of color are overrepresented and often disproportionately represented in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Working collaboratively interested professionals from the state’s public and private child welfare and juvenile justice systems have come together to establish the Indiana Disproportionality Committee. The committee will study the problem and recommend actions to eliminate disparities. The scope of our work starts with operational definitions of disproportionality, overrepresentation, and disproportionate minority contact. These definitions are essential to successfully focus the committee’s concerns and work.

Operational Definitions for Disproportionality and Overrepresentation

“Overrepresentation—particularly in reference to African American children has traditionally been used to define the high numbers of children of color in the child welfare system that are larger than their population in the general population” (Addressing disproportionality in the child welfare system: Defining the issue, 2002, retrieved 04/22/05 from the World Wide Web http://www.cwla.org/articles/cv0211minorities.htm ).

“…disproportionality refers to a situation in which a particular racial/ethnic group of children are represented …at a higher percentage than other racial/ethnic groups” (Addressing disproportionality in the child welfare system: Defining the issue, 2002, retrieved 04/22/05 from the World Wide Web http://www.cwla.org/articles/cv0211minorities.htm ).

Disproportionate Minority Contact address the overrepresentation of minority youth in the juvenile justice system at all points in the juvenile justice process
(Disproportionate Minority Contact, n.d., OJJDP).

“Disproportionate Minority Contact has far-reaching consequences not only for these young offenders but for society as a whole. The challenges are complex and not easily resolved…”
(Disproportionate Minority Confinement 2002 Update, OJJDP)

VISION
Children of ALL races and ethnicities are equitably served by Indiana’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

MISSION
Create equality within the Indiana child welfare and juvenile justice systems and equalize the proportion of children of color in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems with their percentage of the overall population.

GOAL
By the end of 2006 Indiana will have developed, communicated and initiated the implementation of a written, sustainable plan to reduce disproportional representation and disparities in outcomes for children of color within the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

OBJECTIVES

  1. Research Issues of Disproportionality and Overrepresentation
    1. Consistently collect data on the populations served at every point of service in child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
    2. Analyze data over time to determine patterns, trends, inconsistencies and changes.
    3. Identify factors that contribute to disproportionality
    4. Develop reports on the status of racial and ethnic representation in child welfare and juvenile justice service areas.
    5. Disseminate information about progressive or disturbing trends to the general public.
    6. Based on data analysis, identify possible cultural bias that may affect the rate that children of color are disproportionately represented.
  2. Increase awareness that Indiana has disproportional representation of children of color in Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Services.
    1. Share reports about disproportionality on a regular basis
    2. Make the child welfare and juvenile justice service systems aware of disproportionality issue.
  3. Training of all public and private professional who work with children and families.
    1. Statistical realities
    2. Research based interventions
    3. Improve the cultural competence of public and private child welfare practitioners and juvenile justice representatives.
  4. Promote a service delivery agenda that addresses disproportional issues
    1. Promote research-based practice polices and service delivery systems
    2. Community inclusion and collaborative with non-child welfare organizations that can assist with prevention and early intervention.
    3. Timeliness of community-based services
    4. Increase collaborative work with community partners, including families and alumni of care
    5. Focus on family preservation and support rather than out of home care
  5. Promote public policies in the state that addresses disproportionality in child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
    1. Make recommendations for policy changes that will incorporate sensitivity, respect, and understanding of racial, ethnic and gender diversity.
    2. Reorder funding patterns to support prevention and early intervention

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