A population level study into health vulnerabilities of mothers and fathers involved in public law care proceedings in Wales, UK between 2011 and 2019.

Introduction: Under section 31 of the Children Act 1989, public law care proceedings can be issued if there is concern a child is subject to, or at risk of significant harm, which can lead to removal of a child from parents. Appropriate and effective health and social support are required to potentially prevent some of the need for these proceedings. More comprehensive evidence of the health needs and vulnerabilities of parents will enable enhanced response from family courts and integrated other services.

Anxiety and depression among children and young people involved in family justice court proceedings: longitudinal national data linkage study.

Background: Little is known about mental health problems of children and young people (CYP) involved with public and private law family court proceedings, and how these CYP fare compared to those not involved in these significant disruptions to family life.

Aims: This study examined records of depression/anxiety in CYP involved in public and private law proceedings using linked population-level data across Wales.

Method: Retrospective e-cohort study.

Antenatal risk factors for child maltreatment: Linkage of data from a birth cohort study to child welfare records.

Background: Understanding the risk factors for child maltreatment is critical to efforts to reduce its prevalence.

Objective: This study investigated the association between characteristics and circumstances of mothers during pregnancy and the subsequent identification of concerns about child maltreatment.

Participants And Setting: The study drew on two data sets: (i) data from questionnaires administered to the expectant mothers of 11,332 children born in a deprived multi-ethnic local authority in England between 2007 and 2011, for a birth cohort study, and (ii) administrative data on children referred to child welfare services.

Disentangling the effect of out-of-home care on child mental health.

Background: Children in out-of-home care are consistently found to have poor mental health compared to children in the general population. However, UK research has so far failed to disentangle the impact of the care system on children's mental health outcomes from the effects of the adverse circumstances that led to their admission to care.

Objective: This research investigated the association between care placement and the presence of child mental health problems after controlling for children's pre-care experiences.

Mind-mindedness in parents of looked-after children.

The studies reported here aimed to test the proposal that mind-mindedness is a quality of personal relationships by assessing mind-mindedness in caregiver-child dyads in which the relationship has not spanned the child's life or in which the relationship has been judged dysfunctional. Studies 1 and 2 investigated differences in mind-mindedness between adoptive parents (ns = 89, 36) and biological parents from the general population (ns = 54, 114). Both studies found lower mind-mindedness in adoptive compared with biological parents.

Understanding care closer to home for ill children and young people.

Aim: To gather evidence to support the implementation of standard six of the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services (Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills 2004), which states that care should be provided as close to home as possible.

Methods: A mixed methods study comprising of a systematic review, a national survey of provision of care closer to home (CCTH), four in-depth, qualitative case studies and a cost analysis.

Findings: The systematic review suggests that CCTH is no less clinically effective than hospital care.

Care closer to home for children and young people who are ill: developing and testing a model of service delivery and organization.

Aims: To report findings of a national survey of care closer to home services for children and young people and a typology based on these findings.

Background: Providing care closer to home for children is a policy and practice aspiration internationally. While the main model of such services is children's community nursing, other models have also developed.