Abstract
Child maltreatment is substantiated at higher rates in low-income communities of color, with disproportionality most pronounced for Black children, who are twice as likely as non-Latino White children to enter foster care due to substantiated maltreatment. Most research has focused on individual-level risks without accounting for systemic factors, including structural racism. Using a broader contextual lens, maltreatment outcomes can be viewed as shaped by individual, family, and community factors. Structural racism is linked to poverty, higher crime, and limited health care access, creating conditions in which maltreatment occurs. This study examined contextual and systemic contributors to racial inequity using a multilevel model that included family-level variables (poverty, caregiver mental health, caregiver substance use) and county-level variables (poverty, mental health resources, incarceration rates). Two publicly available datasets from the Florida Department of Children and Families and the Florida Department of Health were used, with a sample of 618,720 Black maltreatment cases across 67 Florida counties (2017–2021). Hierarchical logistic regression assessed the odds of substantiation as a function of family and community variables. Family-level factors, especially caregiver mental health and substance use, were the strongest predictors, while community-level factors were not significant. Overlap between levels may explain these patterns, suggesting structural inequities shape caregiver risks. Findings underscore the need for culturally informed, intersectional, strengths-based approaches that recognize both risks and resilience in Black families to promote equitable child welfare outcomes.