Socially vulnerable children

Socially vulnerable children can be difficult to identify. Often there are no specific signs of vulnerability, just a suspicion that problems could arise. This report compiles the results from four sub-studies in the field.
Research shows that the long-term impact of several simultaneous problems rather than a single problem alone causes children to be vulnerable. Teachers rely on their practical experience in particular to identify vulnerable children. One reason for this may be that during the course of their education, they only sporadically meet the theoretical knowledge available on the subject.
Local authority action guidelines also focus more on teachers’ duty to report information and treat it as confidential than on research-based knowledge about what makes children vulnerable and the relevant measures that can be taken.