The ROCKWOOL-Duke Comparative Indigenous Child Welfare Contact dataset compiles cross-national aggregate information about child welfare contact of indigenous (or native, aboriginal) children compared to non-indigenous children, between 2010 and 2023, from 3 countries who have a history of colonial rule: Denmark, Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat), and the United States. This dataset is a new and unique resource for comparative and longitudinal research of how indigenous children’s child welfare outcomes differ to those of non-indigenous children. Data were collected from national child welfare or national statistical agencies, and measures include notifications of child maltreatment, investigations of maltreatment, confirmed cases of maltreatment, placements in out-of-home care, and the number of children in out-of-home care. Population data are also included for the measurement of incidence and prevalence of system contact. It is important to note that child welfare definitions and the administration of child welfare and protective service vary between countries and caution is warranted in the interpretation of variation and change in system contact. Users should read the User’s Guide carefully before using the data.

Investigators: Mikkeline Nielsen, M.Sc., ROCKWOOL Foundation Alexander F. Roehrkasse, Ph.D., Butler University Peter Fallesen, Ph.D., Stockholm University and the ROCKWOOL Foundation Martin Eiermann, Ph.D., Duke University Christopher Wildeman, Ph.D., Duke University and the ROCKWOOL Foundation Sarah Sernaker, M.Sc., Duke University Alexandra Gibbons, Duke University