Public Discussion: Community Alternatives to Child Welfare

Join in a public discussion on Community Alternative Responses to Child Welfare on January 11, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. live on Facebook.

The Black community is in a state of emergency. Not only are we encountering police abuse and state sanctioned violence, our Black family systems are being disrupted and permanently severed due to child welfare involvement. Black families are under attack by a social institution that engages in racial terrorism by disproportionately placing Black children and youth in foster care.

We as a community must protect children and youth at all costs. They are being kidnapped, trafficked and sold through the child welfare system. Community control is a way to restore public safety while implementing transformative and Black healing justice. Black families deserve accessible resources that include non-punitive engagement and are spiritual and aligned with unique Black family structures.

As a community, let's navigate and identify alternative solutions to child welfare services in order to prevent Black families from experiencing unnecessary and harmful encounters with enforcement agencies. Black children are 14% of the general child population yet comprise more than 23% of the foster care population. Child maltreatment is experienced across races at roughly the same rates, however, Black children enter the system at much higher rates.

Over the course of their childhood, 53% of Black children will be investigated by child welfare services. We are in a state of emergency, let's discuss ways to prevent racial terrorism on Black families.

**This space is Black led and prioritizes Black individuals who are impacted by the ongoing genocide of Black people**