Child protection agencies collaborating with grass-root community organizations: Partnership or tokenism?

Cross-sector collaborations are increasingly being relied upon to improve accessibility of prevention and support services for marginalized communities reported to the child protection system. However, little is known about the feasibility, implementation, and impact of such collaborations. This study begins to address this gap by describing the challenges faced by a child protection agency and community organization who partnered to reduce the overrepresentation of Black children reported to the child protection agency through implementation of a parenting support program. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with all members of a stakeholder committee, representing both the child protection agency and community organization. Critical race theory (CRT) informed the qualitative approach. Three major themes were identified demonstrating how the child protection agency’s organizational context, lack of socio-political support and organizational culture posed significant implementation challenges for the partnership. These findings raise important considerations for cross-sector collaborations aiming to reduce overrepresentation and racial disparity within child protection systems.