Mothers accused of child neglect will get cash in D.C. poverty study

Introduction

Twelve low-income Black mothers who the District’s child welfare agency has accused of neglecting their children will soon receive $500 a month as part of a study exploring whether extra income can help improve families’ lives such that the government need not take their children.

The Mother Up Program

The program, called Mother Up, is funded by $1.2 million from the anti-poverty organization Mother’s Outreach Network, which announced Wednesday it will start enrolling eligible mothers and disbursing funds. Working with Harvard Law School’s Access to Justice Lab, which is leading the research for the program, the group will examine whether the no-strings-attached payments curb the likelihood of families being separated.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• Goal 1: No Poverty
• Goal 5: Gender Equality
• Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities

Addressing Negative Narratives

“The system is penalizing families and taking children away from their homes for being poor,” said Melody Webb, the executive director of Mother’s Outreach Network. “We want to also combat negative narratives about Black women, Black mothers in particular, whose children are involved in the system.”

Eligibility and Parameters

The program is limited to Black mothers who D.C.’s Child and Family Services Agency has investigated for child neglect and found the allegations to be substantiated, but allowed their children to remain at home, said Jim Greiner, the faculty director at the Access to Justice Lab. He conceded that some might think “it’s a terrible idea because it’s going to provide a monetary incentive to neglect children,” while others “think that the underlying problem is poverty, in which case providing money is a fantastic idea because it’ll directly alleviate the problem.”

Child and Family Services Agency’s Role

D.C.’s Child and Family Services Agency investigates families when children are alleged to be victims of physical abuse, neglect, sex trafficking, substance abuse, and domestic violence. If the agency determines a child is the victim of neglect — which means a parent’s actions or habits led to their child’s lack of food, shelter, supervision, education, or medical care — officials then take corrective action, which can range from offering parents child-care resources to removing children from their homes.

Disproportionate Involvement of Black Children and Families

Last year, the Child and Family Services Agency separated 110 children from their families because of alleged neglect, by far the most cited reason for a child’s removal from their home, according to the agency’s report to the D.C. Council. Black children and families are disproportionately involved in the child welfare system, with more than 50 percent of Black children experiencing a child protective services investigation by their 18th birthday. In the District, most children served in their home or in foster care during the first quarter of this year were Black, according to data from the Child and Family Services Agency.

Impact of Poverty on Child Welfare Investigations

Decades of research have shown that when families have less access to money, clothing, housing, food, legal support, and health care, they are more likely to face investigations from child welfare agencies over alleged mistreatment of their children. Research also shows that nearly 85 percent of families investigated by child protective services nationwide have incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty line, which was $49,720 last year for a family of three.

The Study and Program Parameters

As part of the study in D.C., researchers will randomly enroll 12 mothers into a group that receives $500 a month until October, and then a lump sum of about $3,000. Another 12 will be assigned to a group that is only reimbursed about $50 to $60 for a 20-minute survey and an up to hour-long interview. The program is funded through various foundations and organizations — but not the government, Webb said. This was purposeful, she added, as many families she works with distrust the government.

Conclusion

The program is in a “pre-pilot” stage, and researchers hope to test its feasibility before expanding it to more participants and a full-scale investigation. “For this particular problem, folks are in a form of legal jeopardy,” Greiner said. “There’s a lot of strong feelings on both sides, and what we think should happen in that context is evidence. Let’s actually take a look at what happens when you take steps to alleviate poverty.”