Poverty and decisions to place in care (residential and foster care): Mapping placements in care using street-level deprivation indices

In Ireland most children enter the care system primarily for reasons of neglect and concerns about their welfare. These reasons are often associated with families living in absolute and relative poverty. While this is... [ view full abstract ]

In Ireland most children enter the care system primarily for reasons of neglect and concerns about their welfare. These reasons are often associated with families living in absolute and relative poverty. While this is recognised in professional practice, relatively little research has been undertaken on poverty and child care placement decisions. What do we know about the contexts within which these children and their families live and the impact this context has on placement decisions and types of care provided? In what ways can levels of poverty be linked to placement decisions – whether a child enters, and for how long a child remains in, residential and/or foster care?

This research focuses on the mapping of placements of children in care over a period of six years, in relation to new survey data developed in Ireland, called the HP Deprivation Index. The HP Deprivation index measures the relative affluence or disadvantage, across small units of population and in both rural and urban areas, using a range of data compiled from various censuses. Through the application of this highly detailed information on deprivation to regional data of children in care (which provides information on where children came from, and where and why they were placed in care), the study provides for the first time in Ireland, detailed information on the ways that different levels of deprivation impact on children being placed in care and maps their placements in care. The study identifies clear links between decisions in child care and deprivation. The research highlights the need to reduce child/family poverty and provide focused community-based policies to promote children’s welfare. The paper also discusses the potential of using location-based databases to research a variety of types of social work intervention.