Assistant Professor of Social Work University of North Dakota
Parents with disabilities face systemic biases in the child welfare system, leading to disproportionately high reporting and child removals. This systematic review synthesizes existing research, highlighting key issues such as biased assessments, inadequate disability-informed evaluations, and intersectional disadvantages. Findings emphasize the urgent need for policy reforms and disability-inclusive training.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this session, attendees should be able to:
Understand how systemic biases, specifically ableism, contribute to increased child removals for parents with disabilities within the child welfare system.
Explore evidence-based recommendations for standardized and equitable assessments for use with parents experiencing disabilities.
Identify advocacy strategies to support policy changes to increase and expand parental rights protections.
