Identifying predictors of recorded child maltreatment and admission to care, using data from a birth cohort study

Objectives This study aimed to identify predictors of recorded child maltreatment and children’s admission to care, through the longitudinal analysis of data from a large birth cohort study, linked to administrative data on... [ view full abstract ]

Objectives
This study aimed to identify predictors of recorded child maltreatment and children’s admission to care, through the longitudinal analysis of data from a large birth cohort study, linked to administrative data on abuse and neglect. The study forms part of a wider study examining decision-making and outcomes for maltreated children, which is funded by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council. Child maltreatment is known to be associated with several factors including deprivation, domestic violence and parental substance misuse, however little is known about the complex relationship between these variables. Furthermore, the majority of studies in child welfare research use cross-sectional designs, due to difficulties in collecting data on children and their families before they come into contact with the child protection system. This study provided a unique opportunity to examine children’s family circumstances prior to their involvement with children's social care, drawing on data from the Born in Bradford project, a cohort study of 13,500 children born between March 2007 and December 2010 in Bradford, a city in the north of England with a multi-ethnic population.

Method
This study used a catch-up design, linking together two types of pre-existing data collected at different time points: (i) data from questionnaires administered to expectant mothers during antenatal appointments for the Born in Bradford project, and (ii) administrative data held by Bradford local authority on young children who have been identified as children in need of social care due to abuse or neglect. This study is the first to collect pre-birth data on children who subsequently come into contact with the child protection system for reasons of abuse or neglect.

Results
Measures of maternal and family characteristics captured at the antenatal stage were compared between a group of children with recorded maltreatment concerns, and a larger group of children with no recorded maltreatment concerns. Comparisons were also made between children who had entered care for reasons of abuse or neglect, and those who hadn’t. Indicators of socioeconomic status emerged as strong predictors of recorded maltreatment concerns, including: housing tenure, the mother's highest educational qualification and the father's employment status. Meanwhile, ethnic group was found to predict admission to care.

Conclusions
This paper presents important new findings on factors evident at the antenatal stage which indicate a higher risk of subsequent abuse or neglect and likelihood of care placement. These findings will advance scientific understanding of risk and protective factors in relation to child maltreatment and inform future social care interventions with children and families.

Theme
Safeguarding children in the early years