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.
