Peer-reviewed article

American Indian and Alaska Native overexposure to foster care and family surveillance in the US: A quantitative overview of contemporary system contact

Frank Edwards, Theresa Rocha Beardall, Hannah M. Curtis · 11 Mar 2023

Abstract

Following a long history of forced assimilation through family separation, American Indian and Alaska Native children continue to be separated from their families by state child welfare agencies at exceptionally high rates. This study provides insights into the geographies and institutional sites where inequalities emerge. We find that risks of child welfare system contact are highest for AIAN infants, and that risk is highly variable across states. These exceptionally high levels of risk indicate that the crisis of Indian family separation is ongoing. For AIAN children in states like Minnesota, Alaska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Oklahoma, contact with the child welfare system is a routine part of growing up.