When services are no longer voluntary: Exploring child protection workers experiences with Black families and (in) voluntary services

Background
While the overrepresentation of Black families in contact with the child welfare system is a well-established, how child welfare workers specifically engage Black families in voluntary services is poorly understood in Canada.
Objective
This study aims (1) to explore workers’ experiences of Black families engaging with voluntary services?; and (2) understand how workers’ perceptions shape decision making practices as it relates to voluntary services. Methods: An interpretive phenomenological analysis approach is employed drawing on data collected as part of the Mapping Disparities for Black Families Project (MDBF). Data was collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews and focus groups with a total of 79 participants from April 2022 to January 2023.
Findings
Results from this study reveal racial differences between Black and white families in child welfare practices related to consent and use of legal sanctions. Study findings also uncover a pattern of documenting and perceiving Black families as ‘aggressive’ in child welfare. Lastly, it was found that workers who effectively reframed perceived anger and other emotions in their interactions with Black families had greater engagement success.
Conclusion
Implications of this study highlight the fallacies of consent and voluntary services in child welfare. Findings from this study also suggest that narratives of Black families begin to form even before Black families are formally inducted into the child welfare process due to not only worker’s preconceived bias ideas but also prejudicial reporting that is then reinforced by worker bias. Policy and practice recommendations are discussed.