July 22nd: A Message from our Executive Director
Hello there,
This week, we continue the journey to dismantle institutionalized racism embedded in the fabric of our society, including child welfare. Specifically, we are working to change the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act (MEPA) of 1994, which was later reformed and is titled the Interethnic Adoption Provisions in Placement Act (IEPA) of 1996. This reform, in VFA's opinion, created a law no longer achieving its original intended purpose. This law intended to reduce the time children spent in foster care waiting for placement in adoptive homes. It prohibited agencies from refusing or delaying foster or adoptive placements due to the child's, foster parents, or adoptive parents' race, color, or national origin. It also prohibited agencies from considering race, color, or national origin as a basis for denying approval as a foster or adoptive parent. Lastly, the law required agencies to diligently recruit diverse foster and adoptive parents to better reflect the children's racial and ethnic makeup in out-of-home care.
Because this law, in its reformed state, has been widely interpreted in various ways, a common interpretation was that one could not even discuss anything related to culture, ethnicity, or racial background. In essence, this legislation created a type of color blind child welfare system, keeping our nation's children of color, foster and adoptive families of color from being understood in their entirety. Consider the issues that not being able to discuss race, culture, or ethnic background can cause. These challenges range from the inability to talk about a black child's hair care needs, the inability to reference a child's ethnic background in logs and files of agencies, or even the restriction to using the word culture when speaking to a black child experiencing racial bullying at school. We spend more time worrying about being slapped with a penalty for using socially normal and appropriate words without using the words. Do we even have time to consider the child's best interest when we are constantly stressing to defend and dance around the best interest of the agency caring for said child?
What this law did was cause significant difficulties. It tied the hands of our front-line foster and adoption workforce, and instead of helping black children get into homes faster, I will speak frankly here. It created a pipeline for white families to get black babies.
Did this help recruit and maintain families that reflect the children in our foster care and adoption systems? No.
Did it help children of color find permanence faster? No.
Did it teach our children that while everyone may be of different races, we are equal and deserve the same rights and freedoms? No.
Did it teach that we deserve to be understood and viewed in our entirety, including for our race and ethnicity? No.
Did it help our workforce do a better job? No.
So, what are we doing about it? To start, we are fighting to return the law to its pre-1996 state, where it was permissible to consider race and culture. It was okay to use race as a potential reason for denying placement due to the inability to meet the child's needs. That's what this is about. We aren't advocating for race matching -- just considering and preparing to meet children's racial and ethnic needs.
Think about what it would be like to openly talk about the essential things we need to do? Now, little LaTray, a hypothetical black child in our care, can finally receive hair care appropriate to his needs. Feel confident that his black skin is not something that needs tearing from every conversation and interaction. Perhaps, he will someday look into the eyes of his new foster or adoptive placement, and recognize potentially black skin, dark hair, and eyes that might be like his own. An opportunity that didn't exist due to the roadblock that MEPA has caused our child-placing agency's ability to recruit families and find placements for children. Even better, this placement is now empowered to talk about LaTray's well-being and can do what is in the best interests. Does this mean only children of color belong solely in families of color? No, but when the conditions align, and the opportunity exists to preserve a child's culture and ethnic identity and place them with a family that reflects them, we can do it.
What a thought. Removing institutionalized racism could improve our system, promote a better living environment, and positively affect the lives of overrepresented children and families of color in our child welfare system. If this doesn't sound like a reason to get out of bed to fight and make the world a better place, I don't know what does.
So VFA is proud to be a member of the foster care, adoption, and child welfare communities advocating and potentially leading the call on reforming MEPA. We know that if this law was written correctly, with the proper rules and penalties, it could do what it originally intended to do to bring children into permanent families as quickly and efficiently as possible. If VFA works towards successfully reforming this law and the reforms are enacted, that would be one heck of a mission moment for us to celebrate.
Standby, we may need your help, voice, or child's story to achieve this goal. As always, if you feel empowered to help us create change and fight racism. Please become a VFA member or donate today. Advocacy and change don't come at a low cost, but the return on your investment, if achieved, could impact the entire life of many of our nation's waiting children.
Sincerely,
Schylar Baber, VFA Executive Director
