Home or care? Pathways and outcomes for children referred to child protection services

Researchers: University of York: Professor Nina Biehal, Jim Wade, Dr Linda Cushworth, Helen Baldwin, Professor Kate Pickett, Dr Victoria Allgar and Dr Louise Tracey.
University of Leicester: Professor Panos Vostanis
Funder: ESRC
Duration: 2014-2016

This study, funded by the ESRC, investigated outcomes for children placed in care due to concerns about abuse and neglect to those for similar children who were supported at home. It collected data on 390 children who:

had ever been looked after (‘in care’) due to concerns about maltreatment or
had been the subject of a Child Protection Plan but were never placed in care.

The study used a survey of social workers to collect data on the children’s histories, including the nature and severity of the maltreatment they had experienced. Information on children’s current circumstances and their health and development, including their mental health and educational progress, were collected through interviews with their current caregivers (parents or foster carers).

The study also explored predictors of recorded maltreatment, linking data collected by the Born in Bradford cohort study of over 11,000 children to administrative data on children referred to Children’s Services.

The study was an inter-disciplinary collaboration between researchers at the University of York, in partnership with the survey company TNS BMRB, the University of Leicester and the Born in Bradford study. The research team included Nina Biehal, Jim Wade, Helen Baldwin, Linda Cusworth, Kate Pickett, Victoria Allgar and Louise Tracey (University of York) and Professor Panos Vostanis (University of Leicester).

Publications

Biehal,N.,Baldwin, H., Cusworth, L., Wade, J. & Allgar, V. (2018) 'In-home support or out of home care? Thresholds for intervention with abused and neglected children.' Children and Youth Services Review 89, June 2018, pp. 263-271.
Baldwin, H., Biehal, N., Cusworth, L., Wade, J., Allgar, V. & Vostanis, P. (2019) Impact of out-of-home care on the mental health of maltreated children. Child Abuse and Neglect 88, February 2019, pp.189-200.
Fishburn,S., Meins, E., Sarah Greenhow, S., Jones, C., Hackett, S., Biehal, N., Baldwin, H., Cusworth, L. & Wade, J. (2017) Mind-Mindedness in Parents of Looked After Children, Developmental Psychology 30 March 2017

The study builds on Nina Biehal and Jim Wade's earlier study of the reunification of children placed in care due to abuse or neglect, which compared decision-making and outcomes for looked after children who return home to those for children who remain in care. See:

Biehal, N., Sinclair, I. and Wade, J. (2015) Reunifying abused or neglected children: decision-making and outcomes. Child Abuse and Neglect, 49, pp.107-118.
Wade, J.,Biehal, N., Farrelly, N. & Sinclair, I. (2011) Caring for Abused and Neglected Children: Making the Right Decisions for Reunification or Long-Term Care. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Please contact nina.biehal@york.ac.uk for more information

Home or care? Pathways and outcomes for children referred to child protection services

Associated Research