Keith Bostick is president of the Black Administrators in Child Welfare and a long-term clinician, administrator, and director in the child welfare space. He currently serves as the deputy director of Broward County Human Services in Florida. Bostick partners with the School of Social Work and the Illinois Permanency Enhancement Project at Illinois State University.
Along with the Haywood Burns Institute, Bostick provides technical assistance to the Thriving Families, Safer Children initiative to help advance the principle of addressing racial equity and disproportionality.
In this episode, Bostick delves into the hard truths with hosts Tecoria Jones and Elliott Hinkle that not all families are treated fairly in communities. Bostick shares his unflinching perspective on the structural racism that underpins many child welfare practices, leading to the disproportionate impact on Black and Brown children. He explains how, until we view these systems through a race-equity lens, meaningful change will remain out of reach.
Bostick assesses where the Thriving Families, Safer Children initiative is in terms of the race-equity principle and how sites can make progress. He also shares critical insights about who holds authority and how inclusivity, especially involving those with lived experiences, can lead to change.
Further reading provided by Keith Bostick:
Learn more about B.A.C.W. Black Administrators in Child Welfare
Race Equity Strategy Areas 2.0 RESA 2.0 Booklet
The Haywood Burns Institute: Learn how the Burns Institute is working to transform justice
Please email comminsite@gmail.com if you want to connect with the creative team or find out how to engage with the family well-being movement.
