A systematic literature review of the risk factors associated with children entering public care

Abstract

Children who enter public care are among the most vulnerable in society. In addition to services for their medical needs, a focus on identifying and intervening with families in need where children are at high risk of entering public care is a public health priority. This paper aims to identify the characteristics of children, their parents or their social circumstances which are associated with children entering public care. The databases searched were CSA Illumina, British Education Index, ChildData, CINAHL, Excerpta Medica, MEDLINE, the Campbell and Cochrane Collaborations, NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, NHS Evidence, Social Care Online and TRIP; from start dates to 7 February 2011. A total of 6417 titles were reviewed. After review, 10 papers with cohort or case-control methodologies met the inclusion criteria and the included papers were appraised using questions from the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme to guide the critique of case-control and cohort studies. A narrative synthesis is used to describe the research identified. Socio-economic status, maternal age at birth, health risk factors and other factors including learning difficulties, membership of an ethnic minority group and single parenthood are described as risk factors associated with children entering public care. Health risk factors have been explored using databases developed for other purposes such as health insurance or hospital discharge. A number of risk factors for children entering public care are identified from the literature, some were culturally specific and may not generalize. The interaction between different risk factors needs testing in longitudinal data sets.

Comparison of substance use, subjective well-being and interpersonal relationships among young people in foster care and private households: a cross sectional analysis of the School Health Research Network survey in Wales

“…A 2011 review22 highlighted a wide range of parental factors (socioeconomic status (SES), maternal age at birth, learning difficulties, ethnicity, single parenthood, smoking in pregnancy, mental illness and alcohol misuse) and child factors (low birth weight, prematurity, disability and attendance at accident and emergency departments) associated with entry to care. Histories of maltreatment are strong predictors of entry to care in a range of international contexts 23…”

Opioid Detoxification During Pregnancy

“…To properly assess the risk of relapse, overdose, and overdose death, participants should be followed for at least 1 year after delivery with the effects of postpartum substance use on both maternal and pediatric outcomes evaluated. 42–44 Finally, all participants should receive robust behavioral health counseling.…”

Identifying divergent foster care careers for Danish children

“…At the same time, children who enter foster care tend to come from single parent or cohabiting parent homes with younger parents that often have low levels of education and poor labor market affiliation (e.g., Andersen and Fallesen, 2010;Egelund, Hestbaek, and Andersen, 2004;Ejrnaes, Ejrnaes, and Frederiksen, 2011). (A recent systematic review by Simkiss, Thorogood, and Stallard (2013) finds that these risk factors appear to be similar across national contexts). In addition, Danish data on foster care cover the entire population and offer a very high level of detail.…”

“…(see Simkiss, Thorogood and Stallard, 2013 for a recent review). In addition, substantial shares of children across Western countries spend time in foster care.…”