A recent study led by researchers at Population Data Science at Swansea University has shed light on the health vulnerabilities of infants caught up in family justice proceedings in Wales.
The study, published in the International Journal of Population Data Science, examined healthcare use in infants under one year old who were subject to Section 31 Care and Supervision proceedings – a legal process triggered when a child faces potential harm from parents or caregivers.
Researchers linked anonymised data held in the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank. The availability of individual-level electronic health data for the population of children in Wales, along with rich data containing information on family justice proceedings, allowed the research team to examine the health of infants involved in care proceedings, versus a general population comparison group of infants not involved.
The team found that infants in the care proceedings group had a significantly higher number of healthcare events across all settings, including general practice visits, emergency department attendances, and hospital admissions. This difference was most noticeable for emergency hospital admissions, where infants involved in care proceedings were over four times more likely to be admitted than those in the comparison group. Injury and poisoning events were the most common reasons for emergency admissions.
This collaborative study, funded by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, is the first population scale study in Wales to examine healthcare use in this group of vulnerable young children.
Dr Ian Farr, Senior Research Officer at Population Data Science at Swansea University and lead author said: “When children are placed in care, they often experience poorer health outcomes compared to their peers. Our study aimed to understand if these health disparities are present even before children enter care, potentially due to the circumstances that led to the care proceedings in the first place.
Our findings highlight the increased vulnerability of infants involved in family justice proceedings. Understanding their healthcare needs is crucial for developing better support services for these families.”
Lucy Griffiths, Professor of Paediatric Epidemiology at Population Data Science at Swansea University, added: “This study once again demonstrates the power of data linkage to inform our understanding of the characteristics and circumstances of very young children coming into the care system. These insights are vital for the provision of better support for families.”
Authors of this publication are part of the Family Justice Data Partnership (FJDP) – a collaboration between Lancaster University and Swansea University. The study was supported by Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, Cafcass Cymru, Administrative Data Research Centre Wales, and the Welsh Government.