A new study led by Dr Laura Cowley and Dr Jeanne Childs from Population Data Science reveals the prevalence of disabilities amongst children receiving care and support in Wales, as well as factors influencing their placement into care.
The study, looking at data from 2017-2012, found that 28 % of children receiving care and support had a disability, and 32% of these children were placed into care. The strongest risk factors for placement in care were parental substance misuse, child mental health problems, and parental mental health problems.
Disabled children are one of the most vulnerable and marginalised groups in society. They may be more challenging to care for which likely contributes to their need for local authority care. It is important to understand which disabled children are more likely to enter care so that families can be supported to stay together.
The team used the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank to link data from the Children Receiving Care and Support Census, the Children Looked After Census, and demographic records.
Key findings:
- Out of 37,765 children receiving care and support, 10,720 children had a disability. Of these disabled children, 3,385 children were placed in care.
- The most common types of impairments among these children were: difficulty with understanding risk (44%) and Mental health issues (41%).
- Babies under 1 year old were more likely to be taken into care than children aged 16 or older.
- Black children, and children of mixed, or other ethnicity were more likely to enter care compared with White children.
Several factors increased the likelihood of a disabled child entering care:
- The child having mental health problems
- Parents with mental health issues
- Parents misusing drugs or alcohol
- Parents with learning disabilities
- Exposure to domestic abuse
Dr Laura Cowley, Senior Author, said: ‘To our knowledge, this is the first nationwide study to examine risk factors for placement into care specifically amongst a population of disabled children who are in contact with social services. Our findings highlight the urgent need for more targeted care and support for these children and their families—support that could help prevent children from having to enter the care system.’