Sibling birth order, use of statutory measures and patterns of placement for children in public care: Implications for international child protection systems and research

Abstract

Public care of abused and neglected children is one important element of statutory intervention which aims to address the major global challenge of protecting children from abuse and neglect. Where a child is part of a sibling group, this introduces particular challenges with regard to meeting the needs of all those affected. This paper presents findings from one of the first studies examining birth order effects on statutory intervention patterns for looked-after siblings. The experiences and outcomes of children were compared depending on maternal birth order at the time of data collection. We found strong evidence that the length of time from first referral of a child deemed at risk to first statutory intervention is greater for first-born than for last-born children and firstborn children are significantly older than last-born children when they are first placed on statutory measures. The study concludes that first-born siblings may be particularly vulnerable to delayed statutory intervention and the cumulative effects of harm and certain routes to permanence may be less available to them. We argue for increased focus within international child welfare policy and practice on timely and intensive assessment of first-born children, where risk of maltreatment is identified, in order to address potential inequalities of access to protection. A focus on risk introduced by systemic factors within legal and welfare systems in addition to risk introduced by perpetrators of abuse is needed. We also argue for greater research attention to, and more precise measurement of, birth order as a variable in studies of the looked-after population. Highlights First-born children are significantly older than last-born children when they are first placed on statutory measures. The length of time from first referral to first statutory intervention is greater for first-born than for last-born children. First-born children are significantly older than last-born children when they are first accommodated and significantly more last-born than first-born children are adopted. We conclude that first-born children may be particularly vulnerable to the cumulative effects of harm and subject to delayed statutory intervention.

Adoption and permanence planning in Scotland: Impact of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 on key processes and timescales

“…Children who are part of a sibling group can face further time delays (Saunders & Selwyn, 2011;Sinclair et al, 2007) with birth order influencing the likelihood of long-term foster care or adoption (Henderson, Jones, & Woods, 2017).…”

“…Children with disabilities, as well as developmental concerns, externalizing behaviour and previous exposure to domestic abuse can also influence placement opportunities (Anthony et al, ). Children who are part of a sibling group can face further time delays (Saunders & Selwyn, ; Sinclair et al, ) with birth order influencing the likelihood of long‐term foster care or adoption (Henderson, Jones, & Woods, ).…”