New link between poverty and children sent into care
Social workers ‘overwhelmed’ by level of need in deprived homes
CHILDREN who grow up in the poorest parts of Scotland are 20 times more likely to end up in care than those in the most affluent areas, according to research.
Youngsters from the most deprived 10 per cent of neighbourhoods are also 18.5 times more likely to be on the child protection register, says the major UK-wide study involving seven universities.
Researchers found clear patterns in all four countries of the UK, with each 10 per cent increase in deprivation marked by a rise of a third in a child’s chances of being either looked after in care or on the child protection register.
The Child Welfare Inequalities Project involved academics from Edinburgh, Stirling Coventry, Sheffield, Huddersfield and Cardiff universities and the Queen’s University, Belfast.
Professor Brigid Daniel, from Stirling University, said the findings point to a gap in the Scottish Government’s Child Poverty Strategy, which makes no mention of a link between the care system and children living in poverty.
Ms Daniel said ministers should acknowledge the connection. “There is an urgent need to join up child poverty strategies with child protection strategies,” she said.
While some found such conclusions offensive to poor people, they could just point to the stresses associated with poverty and inequality, she said.
Researchers also spoke to frontline social workers and say poverty was often taken for granted as the backdrop to their work, rather than being seen as something social services could help with.
Researchers said: “Many staff reported feeling ‘overwhelmed’ by the complex level of need they encountered in families , and did not feel they had the power to change the inequalities they saw.” Ms Daniel added: “Across the UK, the issues social workers are grappling with are very similar. Most social workers are really struggling to deal with issues of poverty.”
The study also showed wealthy local authorities are more likely to intervene in the poorest neighbourhoods in their area, than deprived councils were. Researchers say this may indicate better-off councils have more resources to spend, but claim it mirrors the inverse care law in health, which states NHS resources tend to be concentrated in the areas where they are needed least.
Ms Daniel said the report was not about attributing blame. She said: “What we are doing is holding up a mirror to the child welfare sector and to the UK’s governments and saying ‘this is how it is – now what shall we do about it?’”
The findings also have implications for First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s planned review of the care system in Scotland, Ms Daniel said. She added: “Our research suggests this review must focus on poverty as one of the key factors associated with children being accommodated away from home in the first place.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Our Child Protection Improvement Programme will ensure effective protection is in place for all children in Scotland at risk from abuse or neglect.
“As part of this, we will consider any emerging evidence of the links between child protection and poverty.”