Abstract
Comparative international data on patterns of inequality in child welfare interventions, for example, the proportion of children about whom there are substantiated child protection concerns or who are in out-of-home care, are far less developed than data about inequalities in health. Few countries collect reliable, comprehensive information and definitions, methods of data collection and analysis are rarely consistent. The four UK countries (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) provide a potential ‘natural experiment’ for comparing intervention patterns. This study reports on a large quantitative, descriptive study focusing on children in contact with children’s services on a single date in 2015. It found that children’s chances of receiving a child protection intervention were related to family socio-economic circumstances, measured by neighbourhood deprivation, within all four countries. There was a strong social gradient which was significantly steeper in some countries than others. Ethnicity was another important factor underlying inequalities. While inequalities in patterns of intervention between the four countries were considerable, they did not mirror relative levels of deprivation in the child population. Inequalities in intervention rates result from a combination of demand and supply factors. The level and extent of inequity raise profound ethical, economic and practical challenges to those involved in child protection, the wider society and the state.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | (In-press) |
| Number of pages | 23 |
| Journal | Journal of Social Work |
| Volume | (In-press) |
| Early online date | 11 Sep 2018 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 11 Sep 2018 |
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Bibliographical note
Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Funder
Nuffield FoundationKeywords
- Child protection
- Child welfare
- Ethnicity
- Inequalities
- Looked after children
- Out-of-home care
- Social gradient
- Social work
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
Cite this
Child welfare inequalities in the four nations of the UK. / Bywaters, Paul; Scourfield, Jonathan; Jones, Chantel; Sparks, Tim; Elliott, Martin; Hooper, Jade; McCartan, Claire; Shapira, Marina; Bunting, Lisa; Daniel, Brigid.
In: Journal of Social Work, Vol. (In-press), 11.09.2018, p. (In-press).Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Child welfare inequalities in the four nations of the UK
AU - Bywaters, Paul
AU - Scourfield, Jonathan
AU - Jones, Chantel
AU - Sparks, Tim
AU - Elliott, Martin
AU - Hooper, Jade
AU - McCartan, Claire
AU - Shapira, Marina
AU - Bunting, Lisa
AU - Daniel, Brigid
N1 - Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.
PY - 2018/9/11
Y1 - 2018/9/11
N2 - Comparative international data on patterns of inequality in child welfare interventions, for example, the proportion of children about whom there are substantiated child protection concerns or who are in out-of-home care, are far less developed than data about inequalities in health. Few countries collect reliable, comprehensive information and definitions, methods of data collection and analysis are rarely consistent. The four UK countries (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) provide a potential ‘natural experiment’ for comparing intervention patterns. This study reports on a large quantitative, descriptive study focusing on children in contact with children’s services on a single date in 2015. It found that children’s chances of receiving a child protection intervention were related to family socio-economic circumstances, measured by neighbourhood deprivation, within all four countries. There was a strong social gradient which was significantly steeper in some countries than others. Ethnicity was another important factor underlying inequalities. While inequalities in patterns of intervention between the four countries were considerable, they did not mirror relative levels of deprivation in the child population. Inequalities in intervention rates result from a combination of demand and supply factors. The level and extent of inequity raise profound ethical, economic and practical challenges to those involved in child protection, the wider society and the state.
AB - Comparative international data on patterns of inequality in child welfare interventions, for example, the proportion of children about whom there are substantiated child protection concerns or who are in out-of-home care, are far less developed than data about inequalities in health. Few countries collect reliable, comprehensive information and definitions, methods of data collection and analysis are rarely consistent. The four UK countries (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) provide a potential ‘natural experiment’ for comparing intervention patterns. This study reports on a large quantitative, descriptive study focusing on children in contact with children’s services on a single date in 2015. It found that children’s chances of receiving a child protection intervention were related to family socio-economic circumstances, measured by neighbourhood deprivation, within all four countries. There was a strong social gradient which was significantly steeper in some countries than others. Ethnicity was another important factor underlying inequalities. While inequalities in patterns of intervention between the four countries were considerable, they did not mirror relative levels of deprivation in the child population. Inequalities in intervention rates result from a combination of demand and supply factors. The level and extent of inequity raise profound ethical, economic and practical challenges to those involved in child protection, the wider society and the state.
KW - Child protection
KW - Child welfare
KW - Ethnicity
KW - Inequalities
KW - Looked after children
KW - Out-of-home care
KW - Social gradient
KW - Social work
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85057482537&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1468017318793479
DO - 10.1177/1468017318793479
M3 - Article
VL - (In-press)
SP - (In-press)
JO - Journal of Social Work
JF - Journal of Social Work
SN - 1468-0173
ER -