RISK OF LOW EDUCATION AMONG CHILDREN PLACED IN OUT-OF-HOME CARE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Previous studies have reported that children and adolescents who have been placed in statutory out-of-home care (OoHC) for protection of their safety and welfare face considerably high risks of achieving no further education... [ view full abstract ]

Previous studies have reported that children and adolescents who have been placed in statutory out-of-home care (OoHC) for protection of their safety and welfare face considerably high risks of achieving no further education beyond primary education. Our study adds to the literature by comparing the association between children’s exposure to placement in OoHC and lack of secondary education and across three Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.

We use data from national registers for children born in the country in 1987, and follow the children until age 23. The datasets for Denmark (N = 52,784, of whom 2,634 in OoHC), Finland (N = 59,476, of whom 1,190 in OoHC), and Sweden (N = 99,864, of whom 2,921 in OoHC) cover the entire birth cohort. To estimate and compare country-specific risks, we calculate average marginal effects from binary logistic regression and adjust the effects for birth mother’s education, receipt of social assistance, and substance abuse and mental health problems.

The results show, as expected, that in each country children placed in OoHC were in a much higher risk to enter adulthood without a secondary degree. After adjusting for maternal background, young adults who experienced OoHC were 23 to 30 percentage points more likely to have no secondary education than general population. Those placed in OoHC for the first time at teenage were the weakest performers.

We discuss these results and recommend developing effective interventions to improve the educational attainment of children in OoHC, also after leaving care.