Children and young people placed outside the home

This is an updated version of the 2003 research review about the placement of children and young people outside the home. This report compiles recent Danish, Nordic and British research regarding child placement and gives an up-to-date picture of the lives of children and young people placed outside the home. As in the previous review, the conclusion is clear: children placed outside the home fare more poorly in all the areas measured (school performance, health and well-being). There is also a greater risk that children who are placed outside the home will get low-skilled or unskilled jobs as adults. Children who are placed outside the home at a late stage, or whose placement has been unstable, are particularly at risk. Placement within the extended family is usually more stable, despite the fact that foster parents in this group generally have fewer resources in that, for example, they are less educated, have less money or are in poorer health. The research review can be read in its entirety, however it can also be used as a reference book, as it addresses many aspects, e.g. the background of children placed outside the home, their schooling, health and networks, as well as placements within the extended family, placement at institutions, the stability of these placements, moving out of placement and rehabilitation. This review has been commissioned and funded by the Ministry of Social Welfare.