Reviews the reasons why Asian American families in New York City may end up in the child welfare system, the subsequent challenges they face, and recommendations for eliminating misunderstandings that can cause children to be removed unnecessarily from their homes. Data shows the inadequacy of the present child welfare system in the City, the growth of the Asian American population, housing conditions, income and education levels, and child welfare cases. Among the important points are that investigations to assess the safety of a child frequently are conducted in a haze of cultural or socioeconomic bias, and information available to child welfare professionals often is contradictory, confusing, or incomplete. Recommendations include: (1) improve data collection and reporting; (2) lift language barriers by ensuring easy access to trained interpreters; (3) educate the immigrant community about local child abuse and neglect laws; (4) increase preventive services in newer or emerging immigrant communities; (5) mandate cultural competency training for public- and private-sector child welfare workers; (6) strengthen relationships between Asian American community-based organizations and government agencies; and (7) reform Family Court by, for example, providing cultural sensitivity training for attorneys, judges, and other court personnel.
