[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.94,0:00:04.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I want you to imagine that you are\Na Child Protective Services worker.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.56,0:00:08.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And you have to respond\Nto a report of child abuse.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.16,0:00:14.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You walk into a home, unannounced,\Nunexpected, certainly uninvited.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.19,0:00:18.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first thing you see is a mattress\Nin the middle of the room, on the floor.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.93,0:00:20.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Three kids lying on it, asleep.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.98,0:00:25.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's a small table nearby\Nwith a couple of ashtrays,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.56,0:00:26.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,empty beer cans.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.27,0:00:30.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Large rat traps are set in the corner,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.87,0:00:34.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not too far from where\Nthe kids lie asleep.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.06,0:00:35.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So you make a note.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:37.17,0:00:40.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A part of your job is walking\Nthrough the entire home.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.37,0:00:43.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So you start with the kitchen,\Nwhere there's very little food.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.32,0:00:47.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You notice another mattress\Nin the bedroom, on the floor,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.62,0:00:50.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the mother shares\Nwith her infant child.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:52.42,0:00:55.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, generally, at this point,\Ntwo things may happen.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.65,0:01:00.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The children are deemed unsafe\Nand removed from the home,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.17,0:01:03.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and placed in state custody\Nfor a specified period of time.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.66,0:01:07.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or the children remain with their family
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.90,0:01:11.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the child welfare system\Nprovides help and support.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.70,0:01:15.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I was a Child\NProtective Services worker,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.87,0:01:18.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I saw things like this all the time.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.47,0:01:20.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some far better, some far worse.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.80,0:01:23.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I asked you to imagine\Nyourself in that home,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.02,0:01:26.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because I wonder what crossed your mind.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:26.46,0:01:28.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What guides your decisions?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.73,0:01:31.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What's going to impact\Nyour opinion of that family?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.54,0:01:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What race, ethnicity,\Ndid you think the family was?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.80,0:01:41.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I want you to realize\Nthat if those children were white,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.11,0:01:45.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it is more likely that their family\Nstays together after that visit.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.60,0:01:48.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Research done at\Nthe University of Pennsylvania
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.86,0:01:53.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,found that white families, on average,\Nhave access to more help and more support
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.70,0:01:55.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from the child welfare system.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.63,0:02:00.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And their cases are less likely\Nto go through a full investigation.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.33,0:02:04.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But on the other hand,\Nif those kids are black,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.98,0:02:08.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they are four times\Nmore likely to be removed,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.89,0:02:12.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they spend longer periods\Nof time in foster care,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.19,0:02:15.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it's harder to find them\Na stable foster placement.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.30,0:02:20.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Foster care is meant to be\Nan immediate shelter of protection
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.21,0:02:21.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for kids who are at high risk.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.89,0:02:26.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it's also a confusing\Nand traumatic exit from the family.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.03,0:02:29.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Research done at\Nthe University of Minnesota
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.16,0:02:31.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,found that kids\Nwho went through foster care
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.70,0:02:34.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had more behavioral problems\Nand internalized issues
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.93,0:02:39.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than kids who remain with their families\Nwhile receiving help and support.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.69,0:02:43.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The scenario I mentioned earlier\Nis not uncommon.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.40,0:02:45.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A single mother,\Nliving in low-income housing
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.76,0:02:47.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with her four children.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.70,0:02:50.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the rats make it\Nalmost impossible to keep food,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.33,0:02:52.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,let alone fresh food in the home.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.79,0:02:57.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Does that mother deserve\Nto have her children taken from her?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.93,0:03:01.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Emma Ketteringham,\Na family court attorney,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:01.21,0:03:04.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,says that if you live\Nin a poor neighborhood,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.11,0:03:05.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then you better be a perfect parent.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:07.11,0:03:10.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She says that we place unfair,\Noften unreachable standards
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.89,0:03:13.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on parents who are raising their kids\Nwith very little money.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.20,0:03:16.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And their neighborhood and ethnicity
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.83,0:03:19.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,impact whether or not\Ntheir kids are removed.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.78,0:03:24.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the two years I spent\Non the front lines of child welfare,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.68,0:03:26.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I made high-stakes decisions.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.29,0:03:29.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I saw firsthand\Nhow my personal values impacted my work.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.74,0:03:35.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, as social work faculty\Nat Florida State University,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.05,0:03:36.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I lead an institute
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.23,0:03:40.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that curates the most innovative\Nand effective child welfare research.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.49,0:03:45.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And research tells us that there are\Ntwice as many black kids in foster care,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.24,0:03:47.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,twenty-eight percent,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.16,0:03:50.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than there are in the general\Npopulation, 14 percent.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.67,0:03:53.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And although there are\Nseveral reasons why,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.76,0:03:55.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I want to discuss one reason today:
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.02,0:03:57.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,implicit bias.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.82,0:04:00.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let's start with "implicit."
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.41,0:04:03.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's subconscious,\Nsomething you're not aware of.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.75,0:04:07.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Bias -- those stereotypes and attitudes
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.04,0:04:09.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we all have\Nabout certain groups of people.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.02,0:04:13.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, implicit bias is what lurks\Nin the background
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.04,0:04:15.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of every decision that we make.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.61,0:04:18.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So how can we fix it?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.97,0:04:21.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I have a promising solution\Nthat I want to share.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:22.67,0:04:24.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, in almost every state,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:24.04,0:04:27.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there are high numbers of black kids\Ngoing into foster care.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.21,0:04:31.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But data revealed that Nassau County,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.36,0:04:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a community in New York,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.02,0:04:36.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,had managed to decrease\Nthe number of black kids being removed.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:36.92,0:04:42.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in 2016, I went\Ninto that community with my team
Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.08,0:04:43.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and led a research study,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.92,0:04:47.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,discovering the use\Nof blind removal meetings.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.89,0:04:49.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is how it works.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.01,0:04:52.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A case worker responds\Nto a report of child abuse.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:53.20,0:04:54.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They go out to the home,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.61,0:04:56.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but before the children are removed,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:56.70,0:04:59.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the case worker\Nmust come back to the office
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.12,0:05:00.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and present what they found.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.22,0:05:02.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But here's the distinction:
Dialogue: 0,0:05:02.93,0:05:04.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When they present to the committee,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.75,0:05:08.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they delete names, ethnicity,\Nneighborhood, race,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.73,0:05:10.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all identifiable information.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:11.30,0:05:17.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They focus on what happened,\Nfamily strength, relevant history
Dialogue: 0,0:05:17.08,0:05:19.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the parents' ability\Nto protect the child.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.82,0:05:24.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,With that information,\Nthe committee makes a recommendation,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.21,0:05:26.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,never knowing the race of the family.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:28.30,0:05:31.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Blind removals have made\Na drastic impact in that community.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.12,0:05:36.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In 2011, 57 percent of the kids\Ngoing into foster care were black.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.71,0:05:41.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But after five years of blind removals,\Nthat is down to 21 percent.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.67,0:05:49.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:49.15,0:05:52.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here's what we learned\Nfrom talking to some of the case workers.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.92,0:05:55.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"When a family has a history\Nwith the department,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.91,0:05:58.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,many of us hold that history against them,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.58,0:06:01.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,even if they're trying\Nto do things differently."
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.89,0:06:04.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"When I see a case from a certain\Napartment building,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:04.53,0:06:06.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,neighborhood or zip code,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.54,0:06:08.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I just automatically think the worst."
Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.03,0:06:13.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Child welfare is very subjective,\Nbecause it's an emotional field.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:14.11,0:06:17.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's no one who doesn't have\Nemotions around this work.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.25,0:06:20.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's very hard to leave\Nall of your stuff at the door
Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.17,0:06:21.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when you do this work.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.43,0:06:25.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So let's take the subjectivity\Nof race and neighborhood out of it,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:26.72,0:06:28.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and you might get different outcomes."
Dialogue: 0,0:06:30.72,0:06:33.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Blind removals seem to be\Nbringing us closer
Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.50,0:06:37.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to solving the problem of implicit bias\Nin foster-care decisions.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.49,0:06:40.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My next step is figuring out
Dialogue: 0,0:06:40.84,0:06:43.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how to use artificial intelligence\Nand machine learning
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.82,0:06:45.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to bring this project to scale
Dialogue: 0,0:06:45.86,0:06:48.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and make it more accessible\Nto other states.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.51,0:06:51.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I know we can transform child welfare.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.52,0:06:53.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We can hold organizations accountable
Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.71,0:06:56.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to developing the social consciousness\Nof their employees.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:57.29,0:06:58.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We can hold ourselves accountable
Dialogue: 0,0:06:59.01,0:07:02.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to making sure our decisions\Nare driven by ethics and safety.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.42,0:07:08.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let's imagine a child welfare system\Nthat focuses on partnering with parents,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:09.01,0:07:10.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,empowering families,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:10.56,0:07:13.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and no longer see poverty as failure.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.67,0:07:17.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let's work together to build a system
Dialogue: 0,0:07:17.24,0:07:21.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that wants to make families stronger\Ninstead of pulling them apart.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:22.56,0:07:23.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.76,0:07:27.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause) (Cheering)