The Main and Intersecting Predictive Effects of Out-of-Home Child Welfare Placement, Sex, and Ethnicity on Arrest in Canada
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21560015 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Amy M Alberton (0000-0002-4746-0704, Texas State University, corresponding author), Lisa M J Milloy (Texas State University), Harvey McCue (Texas State University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 917-936 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0738-0151 • E-ISSN: 1573-2797 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10560-025-01060-8 |
| OpenAlex | W7110812564 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 62 |
In Canada, Indigenous Peoples are disproportionately represented in both the child welfare and criminal legal systems. Despite longstanding recognition of this inequity, limited research has examined the impact of out-of-home child welfare placement on arrest within the Canadian context, particularly for Indigenous populations. This study investigates the relationship between intrusive child welfare involvement and arrest, with a focus on the moderating roles of sex and ethnicity. Using data from Canada’s General Social Survey, four hypotheses were tested. Controlling for all study variables, Indigenous Peoples were approximately four and a half times as likely as White individuals to have been arrested in the past 12 months. Individuals with a history of out-of-home placement were more than twice as likely to have been arrested compared to those without such experience. Indigenous Peoples who had experienced out-of-home placement were nearly six times as likely as their White counterparts to have been arrested. The most extreme disparity was observed among Indigenous females with out-of-home placement histories, who were over 94 times more likely to have been arrested than White females with no such history. Even without placement histories, Indigenous females faced the highest risk of arrest. These findings underscore the profound and compounding risks associated with the removal of Indigenous children, particularly girls, from their homes, highlighting the urgent need for policy and systemic reform
Ethnic group · Indigenous · Welfare · Welfare dependency · Welfare system · White British · Child Abuse and Trauma · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Homelessness and Social Issues
A Test of Missing Completely at Random for Multivariate Data with Missing Values
In History’s Shadow
Promoting Cultural Connectedness Through Indigenous-led Child and Family Services
The Indigenous Child Removal System in Canada
A Longitudinal Study to Better Understand Child Protection Intervention for First Nations Children
A National Crime
Extraction and pulverization
A Review of Literature on the Involvement of Children from Indigenous Communities in Anglo Child Welfare Systems
Familial Attendance at Indian Residential School and Subsequent Involvement in the Child Welfare System Among Indigenous Adults Born During the Sixties Scoop Era
Historical Trauma, Race-Based Trauma, and Resilience of Indigenous Peoples
Parent-Child Separations and Mental Health among First Nations and Métis Peoples in Canada
Care Providers of Indigenous Children and Youth in the Child Welfare System
The association between out-of-home placement and offending behavior among maltreated youth
Indigenous Women’s Experiences with Child Protection at Their Child’s Birth
Individual and community predictors of arrests in Canada
First Nations parenting and child reunification
Shining Light on the Dark Places
Gendered Racial Violence and Spatialized Justice
A prospective, longitudinal study of risk factors for early onset of delinquency among maltreated youth
Homelessness among Indigenous peoples in Canada
Childhood experiences, growing up “in care,” and trust
Race/ethnicity and foster youth outcomes
Child protection services and youth experiencing homelessness
Sovereignty, Indigeneity, and Biopower
Pathways to the Overrepresentation of Aboriginal Children in Canada’s Child Welfare System
Child Protection and Adult Crime
The Cedar Project
Navigating Structural Violence with Indigenous Families
Genocide, Indian Policy, and Legislated Elimination of Indians in Canada
Racism, Colorblindness, and Police Culture in Canada
Violence, Peace, and Peace Research
Cultural Continuity as a Hedge against Suicide in Canada's First Nations
Aboriginal peoples in complete mental health
An Anthropology of Structural Violence
Indigenous Cultural Identity Protects Against Intergenerational Transmission of ACEs Among Indigenous Caregivers and Their Children
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |