Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Apr 6;7(1):1723.
doi: 10.23889/ijpds.v6i1.1723. eCollection 2022.

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

Rhodri D Johnson  1 , Laura North  1 , Bachar Alrouh  2 , Ann John  1 , Kerina Jones  1 , Ashley Akbari  1 , Jon Smart  1 , Simon Thompson  1 , Claire Hargreaves  2 , Stefanie Doebler  2 , Linda Cusworth  2 , Karen Broadhurst  2 , David V Ford  1 , Lucy J Griffiths  1
Affiliations

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

Rhodri D Johnson et al. Int J Popul Data Sci. .

Abstract

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.

Objective: To examine health vulnerabilities of parents involved in care proceedings in the two-year period prior to involvement.

Methods: Family court data provided by Cafcass Cymru were linked to population-based health records held within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage Databank. Linked data were available for 8,821 parents of children involved in care proceedings between 2011 and 2019. Findings were benchmarked with reference to a comparison group of parents matched on sex, age, and deprivation (n = 32,006), not subject to care proceedings. Demographic characteristics, overall health service use, and health profiles of parents were examined. Descriptive and statistical tests of independence were used.

Results: Nearly half of cohort parents (47.6%) resided in the most deprived quintile. They had higher levels of healthcare use compared to the comparison group across multiple healthcare settings, with the most pronounced differences for emergency department attendances (59.3% vs 37.0%). Health conditions with the largest variation between groups were related to mental health (43.6% vs 16.0%), substance use (19.4% vs 1.6%) and injuries (41.5% vs 23.6%).

Conclusion: This study highlights the heightened socioeconomic and health vulnerabilities of parents who experience care proceedings concerning a child. Better understanding of the needs and vulnerabilities of this population may provide opportunities to improve a range of support and preventative interventions that respond to crises in the community.

Keywords: data linkage; family justice; mental health; substance-related disorders; vulnerable populations; wounds and injuries.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Statement on conflicts of interest: None to declare.

Figures

Figure 1: Flow diagram of study participants
Figure 1: Flow diagram of study participants
Figure 2: Proportion of individuals within study groups by type of healthcare use for two years prior to care proceedings
Figure 2: Proportion of individuals within study groups by type of healthcare use for two years prior to care proceedings
Figure 3: Proportion of individuals within study groups by health condition (ICD-10 chapter grouping for emergency hospital admissions) for two years prior to care proceedings
Figure 3: Proportion of individuals within study groups by health condition (ICD-10 chapter grouping for emergency hospital admissions) for two years prior to care proceedings
Figure 4: Proportion of individuals within study groups by health condition (ICD-10 chapter grouping for GP diagnosis records) for two years prior to care proceedings
Figure 4: Proportion of individuals within study groups by health condition (ICD-10 chapter grouping for GP diagnosis records) for two years prior to care proceedings
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Alrouh B, Broadhurst K, Cusworth L, Griffiths L, Johnson RD, Akbari A, et al.. Born into care: newborns and infants in care proceedings in Wales [Internet]. 2019. Available from: www.nuffieldfjo.org
    1. Griffiths LJ, Johnson RD, Broadhurst K, Bedston S, Cusworth L, Alrouh B, et al.. Born into care: one thousand mothers in care proceedings in Wales [Internet]. 2020. Available from: https://www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/app/nuffield/files-module/local/documents... - PMC - PubMed
    1. Griffiths LJ, Johnson RD, Broadhurst K, Bedston S, Cusworth L, Alrouh B, et al.. Maternal health, pregnancy and birth outcomes for women involved in care proceedings in Wales: a linked data study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2020;20(1). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Griffiths LJ, Johnson RD, Broadhurst K, John A. Born into care: One thousand mothers in care proceedings in Wales, A focus on maternal mental health |Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. 2021.
    1. Cox P, McPherson S, Mason C, Ryan M, Baxter V. Reducing recurrent care proceedings: Building a local evidence base in England. Societies. 2020;10(4).

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources