Addressing Race Equity to Promote Better Outcomes for Families and Communities with Keith Bostick

Keith Bostick is the President of the Black Administrators in Child Welfare and a long-term clinician, administrator, and director in the child welfare space. He currently serves as the Deputy Director of Broward County Human Services in the state of Florida. Along with the Haywood Burns Institute, Keith provides technical assistance to the Thriving Families, Safer Children initiative to help advance the principle of addressing racial equity and disproportionality. 

In this episode, hosts Tecoria and Elliot join Keith as he delves into the hard truth that not all families are treated fairly in communities. Keith shares his unflinching perspective on the structural racism that underpins many child welfare practices, leading to disproportionate impacts on Black and Brown children. He explains how, until we view these systems through a race equity lens, meaningful change will remain out of reach. Keith assesses where the Thriving Families, Safer Children initiative is in terms of the race equity principle and how sites can make progress. He also shares critical insights about who holds authority and how inclusivity, especially involving those with lived experiences, can lead to change.