It’s time to support families and end the harms of family separation

Family and community are the bedrock of society. It is vital that all families have the support and resources that keep them safe, together, and able to thrive in their communities. Access to resources is necessary for families both involved in the child welfare system and at risk of system involvement to thrive.  

Currently, Illinois has a foster system that does not adequately serve children or families and instead disproportionately harms Black families and families experiencing poverty by threatening to separate or actually separating children from their parent(s) or caregiver(s).  

In Illinois, Black children are represented in the system at approximately 3x the percentage they make up of the state’s population, with a vast majority being removed for reasons connected to experiencing poverty.  

Far too many families, especially Black families and families experiencing poverty, experience child welfare system interventions that cause them harm while failing to meet their actual needs. For this reason, the Shriver Center worked with Representative Sonya Harper and Senator Mattie Hunter to create the Racial Disproportionately in Child Welfare Task Force. The task force will examine: 

• What brings children and families into the child welfare system and what keeps them involved;  
• Why racial disparities exist at every step within the system;   
• How involvement with this system and with the juvenile and criminal justice systems intersects; and 
• How to improve policies, programs, and practices to reduce the system’s harms to families.  

The task force is an opportunity for families impacted by the system, state agencies, advocates, and lawmakers to work together towards these critical goals.  

Sign on to show your support for reducing the harms caused by the child welfare system so that we can do better by our children and families.