Nativity and immigration status among Latino families involved in the child welfare system: Characteristics, risk, and maltreatment

The purpose of this study was to estimate the proportion of Latino children with non-citizen parents involved with the child welfare system and to identify how their household, community, and maltreatment characteristics differ from children of U.S. citizens. Data were drawn from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being - II, a nationally representative sample of children (n = 5872) who were subjects of maltreatment reports to child welfare agencies in 2008 and 2009. This study included Latino children who remained at home with a parent, for whom information was collected on citizenship and legal status (n = 822). Children of unauthorized immigrants represented 5% of all children and 19% of Latino children, reported to child welfare agencies. Additionally, 11% of Latino children had a legal resident parent. While the majority of children were citizens, 20% of children living with an unauthorized parent were also unauthorized. Children with unauthorized and legal resident parents exhibited both risk and protective factors for maltreatment. Non-citizen parents more often reported financial hardship, low educational attainment, and neighborhood disorganization. Despite these risks, children of non-citizen parents did not have higher rates of substantiated maltreatment than children with U.S.-born parents. Protective factors, such as a higher proportion of two-parent families, lower teenage childbearing, and lower active drug and alcohol abuse among noncitizen parents may act as buffers against maltreatment. Understanding the diversity within the Latino population based on factors such as citizenship and legal status is necessary to ensure provision of services that are responsive to the needs of non-citizen families.