The child welfare system can be confusing and complex. Families are often expected to navigate administrative systems, the criminal justice system, the legal system, and the social system—all at the same time and with no prior instruction.
Our guest today knows the child welfare system inside and out—and she’s passionate about helping families navigate it with hope and clarity. She also understands that its challenges don’t impact everyone equally. Her work focuses on uncovering why families of color often face worse outcomes and unpacking the systemic issues behind those disparities.
Shanelle Dupree is a former child welfare administrator who has practiced child welfare law. She is currently the executive director of Racial Equity Collaborative, a nonprofit focused on advancing racial equity for families and communities through collaborative action.
In this episode, Shanelle shares the correlation between child welfare outcomes and race, why it’s crucial for parents to have the uncomfortable conversations about race with their foster or adoptive children, how to advocate for your child when they encounter racial discrimination, and much more.
- Connect with Shanelle on her website, Instagram, or Facebook
- Skin DEEP Course
- Give to The Forgotten Initiative
- Foster Care & the Church
TAKEAWAYS FROM TODAY’S CONVERSATION:
1. Navigating the child welfare system is complex.
There are mountains of paperwork, bureaucracy, and rules that are unique to each system (legal, administration, criminal justice, child welfare, social, etc…). When people are thrown into this confusing new world without any education or assistance, they can feel like they’re drowning. Families need robust support in order to traverse these systems.
“I believe that people need to be given an opportunity to understand and to learn—and that wasn’t happening.”
2. Outcomes in the child welfare system are impacted by race.
Through her research, Shanelle discovered data which shows that families of color often experience worse outcomes in the child welfare system. In a balanced situation, the racial makeup of children in foster care would reflect the general population—but that’s not what the data shows. Instead, systemic biases built into our policies, practices, and legislation have contributed to a disproportionate number of children of color entering the system.
“Black and brown families really do have worse outcomes at every single metric within the child welfare system.”
3. Making a difference starts with curiosity.
You don’t know what you don’t know. The easiest way to start making change is to ask questions—seek to form meaningful relationships with people who are the same race as your foster or adoptive child, ask your child if they experience bullying or discrimination, and take the time to learn about the history that contributes to negative outcomes for families of color. When we seek to truly understand and work toward racial equity, real progress can be made.
“From where you sit, how can you impact racial equity? Because what I can do is very different from what you can do.”
Meet Our Guest
Shanelle Dupree is a former child welfare administrator who has practiced child welfare law. She is currently the executive director of Racial Equity Collaborative, a nonprofit focused on advancing racial equity for families and communities through collaborative action. Shanelle also created an online course called Skin DEEP. This helps equip people to learn the history of child welfare by race and embrace action for restoration. She is a self-described strategic connector with deep Midwestern roots. Shanelle is also a wife and “Mama” to four active teenagers.
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