The selective child welfare funnel. Children's exposure to violence and CWS investigations in Sweden.

Background: Research indicates that child welfare services reach out to children exposed to violence unequally depending on the child's social background, living conditions and violence type.

Objective: Based on the notion of selective recognition of vulnerability and risk, this study explores which children CWS pursue to a complete child welfare investigation.

Participants And Setting: A register was set up including all children (n = 1764) between 7 and 12 years that were investigated for suspected exposure to violence by CWS in the municipality of the City of Stockholm, Sweden, in 2019.

Methods: This cohort was systematically compared to demographic data and national self-report prevalence studies to explore possible biases regarding which children CWS investigates. Descriptive analysis, cluster analysis and logistic regressions were used.

Results: The results confirm previous research that children exposed to violence have reduced access to material resources and inferior living conditions compared to non-exposed children. Physical abuse is more prevalent among boys of foreign backgrounds in stable, two-parent families residing in higher-status suburbs. Conversely, neglect is more common among children of Swedish backgrounds in low-income, single-parent households living in low-status suburbs. In comparison with self-reported prevalence studies, sexual and psychological abuse seem underrepresented in the study group, while neglect and violence in the family are relatively more frequently investigated compared to self-reported prevalence studies.

Conclusions: The results indicate that CWS should develop its methods to reach certain vulnerable groups that are underrepresented for safeguarding and support, for example, girls exposed to sexual abuse.