Residential mobility amongst children and young people in Wales: A longitudinal study using linked administrative records.

Background: Child poverty remains a major global concern and a child's experience of deprivation is heavily shaped by where they live and the stability of their local neighbourhood. This study examines frequencies and patterns of residential mobility in children and young people (CYP) at a population level using novel geospatial techniques to assess how often their physical environment changes and to identify geographical variations in social mobility.

Methods: We used routinely collected administrative records held in the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank for CYP aged under 18 years living in Wales between 2012 and 2022.