"When the Welfare People Come": Race and Class in the US Child Protection System

by Don Lash

Malcolm X, describing his childhood experience of “when the welfare people came” and introduced him to the US child protection system, called it “legal, modern slavery—however kindly intentioned.” That shocking characterization obscures some of the complexities of the state response to childhood poverty, but it reflects sentiments that are common among communities of color, where child welfare investigations are most concentrated. A radical assessment of institutional racism in the child welfare system is needed now more than ever. In this sweeping look at the history and politics of the US child welfare system, “ When the Welfare People Come ” exposes the system—from the “orphan trains” and Indian boarding schools to current practices in child protective investigations, foster care, and mandated services—arguing that it constitutes a mechanism of control exerted over poor and working-class parents and children. Don Lash reveals the system’s role in the regulation of family life under capitalism and details the deep and continuing consequences of what happens “when the welfare people come.” Including first-person vignettes of parents, children, and workers in the US child protection system, Lash also offers practical and cogent ideas for its improvement and transformation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Justice, Race, History, Social Work, Law, Anti Racist

222 pages, Paperback

Published February 7, 2017

Reviews

[Quin Rich · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a real disappointment, as seems to be my luck with texts published by Haymarket Books. Lash claims to provide a Marxist analysis of the US child welfare system. He does this, but in perhaps the least interesting and most conservative way possible.

First, Lash, as with most Haymarket authors, attempts to fit a complex social phenomenon threaded through with multiple, interlocking axes of oppression into a single Marxist framework. His analysis of the coercive intervention into working class families, framed through the lens of "social reproduction," often obscures more than it reveals. For example, Lash minimizes the role that race plays in whose children are valued and which families are supported. He plays lip service to systemic racism, but returns whenever possible to a class-first analysis.

Second, and most egregiously, Lash also completely sidelines the role that patriarchy plays in the dynamics he describes. For example, he lumps "domestic violence" in with social problems like "alcoholism" and "mental illness," and he obscures the central linkages between the abuse of children and the oppression of women. This leads him to idealize "the family" as a largely blameless unit struggling together against state intervention. While this is partly due to Lash's central focus on the racist and classist oppression facilitated by the child welfare system, it weakens his analysis significantly.

In sum, this book is only somewhat helpful as a starting point. It points the reader in vaguely the right direction and offers some citations that might lead to further reading. However, it is those other texts to which the reader should turn if she would like a more comprehensive analysis of the racial, gender, and class politics of child welfare. Some suggestions from the voluminous feminist literature on this topic include Dorothy Robert's "Shattered Bonds," Linda Gordon's "Heroes of their own Lives," Laura Briggs' "Somebody's Children," and Margaret Jacobs' "White Mother to a Dark Race." In fact, I personally would start with Briggs' book and skip Lash's text altogether.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I specifically wanted to read this because of my mom being a foster parent and having new adopted siblings that came to us through foster care. If you're a person who didn't grow up in the foster care system and now have some connection to it like me, I'd recommend it.

I'd also recommend if you're
-interested in learning more about how social workers can (and often do) function as cops
or

-just are interested in thinking more about how everything is connected, tbh. Like I think this definitely advanced more of my thoughts about abolition, even though this was not about the PIC.

[S.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Sarah Jensen]

Book Review: When the Welfare People Come: Race and Class in the US Child Protection System by Don Lash

Overview
In When the Welfare People Come: Race and Class in the US Child Protection System, Don Lash delivers a critical examination of the United States child welfare system, analyzing how race and class intersect to shape the experiences of families involved with child protective services. Through a historical lens, Lash traces the evolution of the welfare system, highlighting the systemic injustices that pervade its practices and policies. This book is not only a scholarly analysis but also a poignant call for reform, aimed at building solidarity among marginalized communities.

Key Themes
Historical Context and Policy Analysis: Lash provides an extensive historical overview of the US child welfare system, detailing its origins and development over time. He contextualizes the policies that govern child protection and demonstrates how they have been influenced by societal attitudes towards race and poverty. This foundational knowledge is critical for understanding the systemic biases that persist today.

Race and Class Dynamics: Central to Lash’s argument is the exploration of how race and class affect the treatment of families within the child welfare system. He illustrates how families of color and those from low-income backgrounds face disproportionate scrutiny and intervention, often based on stereotypes and systemic discrimination. This analysis is vital for discussions surrounding social justice and equity in child welfare.

Reform and Solidarity: The author not only identifies the shortcomings of the current system but also proposes pathways for reform. Lash advocates for policies that prioritize family preservation and community support over punitive measures. He emphasizes the importance of building solidarity among affected communities to challenge and change oppressive practices within the welfare system.

Implications for Social Work and Policy: Lash’s insights have significant implications for social work practice and policy development. By highlighting the complexities of race and class in child welfare, he calls on social workers and policymakers to reconsider their approaches and advocate for systemic changes that address these disparities rather than perpetuating them.

Engagement with Contemporary Issues: The book is timely, engaging with current debates surrounding child welfare reform, racial justice, and social equity. Lash’s reflections encourage readers to consider the broader societal implications of how child protection policies are enacted and the need for an inclusive, just approach to welfare.

Conclusion
When the Welfare People Come is a vital contribution to the discourse surrounding child welfare, race, and class in the United States. Don Lash’s thorough research, critical analysis, and passionate advocacy for reform make this book an essential read for scholars, social workers, and policymakers. By dissecting the systemic injustices that characterize the child protection system, Lash not only informs but also inspires action towards a more equitable future.

This book is highly recommended for those interested in social justice, child welfare, and the intersections of race and class, providing a comprehensive and thought-provoking examination of a critical societal issue. Lash’s work serves as both a lament for current injustices and a hopeful blueprint for meaningful change.

[Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lash, provides a compelling critique of the child welfare system that goes amiss in social work graduate instruction –> how do we move beyond a liberal framework that looks at impoverished communities as to blame for their own poverty and instead imagine and turn toward a critique of the structures in place that replicate oppression and utilize social workers as a means of state surveillance. This book provided me language to describe some of the critiques that I personally have of the child welfare system and the role of social workers in state surveillance and in policing/incarceration of poor Black, Indigenous and Brown communities –– as well as pushed me to think about what family could look like through a Marxist view.

What the book misses in its examination of the parent-child relationship using Marxism is the existence of extended and imagined kin networks amongst communities of color and LGBTQ+ communities, as well as the differing forms of mutual aid and care that have been created within the Disability Justice movement and its aligned communities.

[Imani Hutchinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great descriptive introduction to the child welfare system and it’s many adjacent and predatory intersecting agencies in the United States. The book also included first hand accounts of parents and children who have been victimized by said systems. Several theories are employed to support his analysis of the system. The author explicitly grounds his Marxists/communists discussion in the aspects of the family, parent, and child experiences. Given, he acknowledges that there is a dearth of original Marxist commentary on the parent child relationship and it’s transformation moving away from a capitalist society. Throughout the text he provides a breadth of strong and foundational resources and references that can be used to support more in depth application of Marxist theory.

[Raquel Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fascinating. I bought the book because the summary mentions indian border schools, but that is not a focus of the book. The writing is manageable and not full of jargon until the last few chapters which are about the bureaucracy of social work and socialism. Don Lash describes the purpose of child social work and foster care in the United States. It is a great start to understanding why social workers can be problematic for the communities most policed by welfare services. The author emphasizes that individuals in the social work field are not to blame for injustices; rather, the problems are systemic and directly related to capitalism. Highly recommend.

[Beck Sanchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars // It felt like a textbook at some points but that can be how nonfiction shit goes. I enjoyed this in a bit above average way beyond the monotony of some imo overly theoretical chapters. I've always been more of a personal accounts/narratives reader but every once & a while this shit is engaging and emotionally evocative as well.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

The parts of the book that I especially found useful were the historical roots of the child welfare system and how that manifests today. I am, admittedly, not much of a Marxist (not because I disagree, just because I don't think it's possible) so the solutions proposed felt unrealistic to me.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was useful for my thesis contextually and historically, but over all its analysis was a little heavy handed and sometimes removed

[Dayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful if you want a quick, explicitly Marxist take on the function of the child welfare system and all its attendant problems.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read that gives a broad overview of systemic issues in the child protection systems. The Marxist analysis isn't convincing unless you are already privy to the arguments.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bringing the analysis/critique of the prison industrial complex and capitalism to the child welfare system.

[Jac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent historical overview

[Isabel Staccuneddu · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good primer