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Melis G, Bedston S, Akbari A, Bennett D, Lee A, Lowthian E, Schlüter D, Taylor-Robinson D. 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. Public Health 2023; 224:215-223. [PMID: 37856904 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2023.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES 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. STUDY DESIGN We constructed a prospective longitudinal cohort of children born in Wales between April 2006 and March 2021 (n = 395,610) using linked administrative records. METHODS 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. RESULTS 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. CONCLUSIONS 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.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Melis
- Department of Public Health, Policy and Systems, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK; NHS England, National Disease Registration Service, UK.
| | - S Bedston
- Population Data Science, Swansea University Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health & Life Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - A Akbari
- Population Data Science, Swansea University Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health & Life Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - D Bennett
- Department of Public Health, Policy and Systems, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - A Lee
- Population Data Science, Swansea University Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health & Life Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - E Lowthian
- Population Data Science, Swansea University Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Health & Life Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK; Department of Education & Childhood Studies, School of Social Sciences, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - D Schlüter
- Department of Public Health, Policy and Systems, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - D Taylor-Robinson
- Department of Public Health, Policy and Systems, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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Midgley N, Irvine K, Rider B, Byford S, Cirasola A, Ganguli P, Katangwe-Chigamba T, Murdoch J, Pond M, Pursch B, Redfern S, Richards ZL, Shepstone L, Sims E, Smith C, Sprecher E, Swart AM, Wyatt S, Wellsted D. The Reflective Fostering Programme-improving the wellbeing of children in care through a group intervention for foster carers: a randomised controlled trial. Trials 2021; 22:841. [PMID: 34823552 PMCID: PMC8613455 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-021-05739-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The needs of children in care are a government priority, yet the evidence base for effective interventions to support the emotional wellbeing of children in care is lacking. Research suggests that supporting the carer-child relationship, by promoting the carer’s reflective parenting, may be an effective approach to improving the wellbeing of these children. Methods The study comprises a definitive, superiority, two-armed, parallel, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial, with embedded process evaluation and economic evaluation, and an internal pilot, to evaluate the effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness, of the Reflective Fostering Programme. Randomisation is at the individual level using a 1:1 allocation ratio. The study is being conducted in local authority sites across England, and is targeted at foster carers (including kinship carers) looking after children aged 4 to 13. Consenting participants are randomly allocated to the Reflective Fostering Programme (intervention arm) in addition to usual support or usual support alone (control arm). The primary outcome is behavioural and emotional wellbeing of the child 12 months post-baseline, and secondary outcomes include the following: foster carer’s level of stress, quality of life, reflective capacity, compassion fatigue and burnout, placement stability, the quality of the child-carer relationship, child’s capacity for emotional regulation, and achievement of personalised goals set by the carer. Discussion A feasibility study has indicated effectiveness of the Programme in improving the child-carer relationship and emotional and behavioural wellbeing of children in care. This study will test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of implementing the Reflective Fostering Programme as an additional aid to the support already available to local authority foster carers. Trial registration ISRCTN 70832140.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick Midgley
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, zUniversity College London, London, UK.
| | - Karen Irvine
- Centre for Health Services and Clinical Research, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
| | - Beth Rider
- Centre for Health Services and Clinical Research, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Jamie Murdoch
- Norwich Clinical Trials Unit, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Martin Pond
- Norwich Clinical Trials Unit, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Benita Pursch
- Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, London, UK
| | - Sheila Redfern
- Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, London, UK
| | - Zena Louise Richards
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, zUniversity College London, London, UK
| | - Lee Shepstone
- Norwich Clinical Trials Unit, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Erika Sims
- Norwich Clinical Trials Unit, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | | | - Eva Sprecher
- Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, London, UK
| | - Ann Marie Swart
- Norwich Clinical Trials Unit, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Solange Wyatt
- Centre for Health Services and Clinical Research, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
| | - David Wellsted
- Centre for Health Services and Clinical Research, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
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