Impact of socio-economic conditions and perinatal factors on risk of becoming a child looked after: a whole population cohort study using routinely collected data in Wales

• Published in: Public health (London) Vol. 224; pp. 215 - 223
• Main Authors: Melis, G., Bedston, S., Akbari, A., Bennett, D., Lee, A., Lowthian, E., Schlüter, D., Taylor—Robinson, D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2023
• Subjects: Children in care; Children looked after; Survival models; Children in care; Survival models; Children looked after
• ISSN: 0033-3506; 1476-5616
• DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2023.09.001

Between 1997 and 2021, the number of children looked after (CLA) in Wales, UK, increased steadily, with stark inequalities. We aimed to assess how deprivation and maternal and child perinatal characteristics influence the risk of becoming CLA in Wales. We constructed a prospective longitudinal cohort of children born in Wales between April 2006 and March 2021 (n = 395,610) using linked administrative records. Survival models examined the risk of CLA from birth by small-area deprivation and maternal and child perinatal characteristics. Population attributable fractions quantify the potential impact of action on modifiable risk factors. Children from the most deprived fifth of the population were 3.4 times more likely to enter care than those in the least deprived (demographic adjusted hazard ratios [aHRs] 3.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.08, 3.74). Maternal mental health problems in pregnancy (fully aHR, 2.03, 95% CI 1.88, 2.19) and behavioural factors, such as smoking (aHR 2.46, 95% CI 2.34–2.60), alcohol problems (aHR 2.35, 95% CI 1.70–3.23) and substance use in pregnancy (aHR 5.72, 95% CI 5.03–6.51), as well as child congenital anomalies (aHR 1.46, 95% CI 1.16–1.84), low birth weight (aHR 1.28, 95% CI 1.17, 1.39) and preterm birth (aHR 1.16, 95% CI 1.06, 1.26), were associated with higher risk of CLA status. The risk of CLA in the population may be reduced by 35% (95% CI 0.33, 0.38) if children in the two most deprived fifths of the population experienced the conditions of those in the least deprived. Deprivation and perinatal maternal health are important modifiable risk factors for children becoming CLA. Our analysis provides insight into the mechanisms of intergenerational transfer of disadvantage in a vulnerable section of the child population and identifies targets for public health action.