Care experienced girls were 5.7 times more likely to have contact with the criminal justice system than girls outside of the care system, new research reveals.
The three-year study led by Dr Anna Leyland from Manchester Metropolitan University in collaboration with the University of Birmingham and the University of Sheffield, examined whether involvement with child welfare services in England increased the likelihood of criminal justice contact by early adulthood.
Researchers analysed linked administrative records from the Department of Education and Ministry of Justice from 2002 to 2020. It included more than 1.7m children born between 1995 and 1998 in England and measured education, child welfare service, and criminal justice data.
Many children who receive an intervention from a child welfare service have experienced maltreatment, been exposed to higher rates of adversity than the general population or have complex health issues.
Findings published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect revealed that care system involvement had a greater influence on the likelihood of girls being cautioned or convicted for a criminal offence, relative to the influence it had on boys. Although boys have a higher overall risk of youth justice involvement and make up three quarters (76%) of the children involved in the youth justice system.
Children who were referred to child welfare services but not given a formal intervention and those with a social worker were twice as likely to be cautioned or convicted, compared with those without child welfare services involvement.
However, the study found that the greatest risk of contact with the criminal justice system was for children who child welfare services placed in out of home care, with looked after children being 4.5 times more likely to be cautioned or convicted for a criminal offence.
Dr Anna Leyland, Research Fellow in Children’s Wellbeing at Manchester Met, said: “Our research filled a gap by highlighting that children at all levels of the child welfare system experience greater risk of criminalisation than other children. Our findings also show this risk is particularly pronounced for girls; a group whose specific needs are often overlooked. We need to work with policymakers and practitioners to create a system that better supports children in the child welfare system, reduces their risk of criminal justice involvement and ultimately helps them to thrive.”
Based on these findings, researchers call for local services to review their practices and policies that may be contributing to the criminalisation of vulnerable children.
This research was funded by ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK), a partnership transforming public sector data into research insights and policy evidence to improve lives. ADR UK is an investment by the Economic and Social Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.
Read the full paper: Child maltreatment and social welfare service involvement is linked to higher rates of criminal cautions and convictions by early adulthood
