The effects of municipal preventive measures for young people

This is the second and final sub-report from a study on municipal preventive measures aimed at vulnerable young people aged between 14 and 16. The results from the first study are described in the Danish National Centre for Social Research (SFI) report 08:30.
This report compares the effects of preventive measures in the young person’s own environment with the effects of placement outside the home. The study is based on two data collections: a questionnaire survey from 2008 among case workers who work with young people on preventive measures, and a follow-up questionnaire survey from 2009.
The study shows that preventive measures in the young person’s own environment and placement outside the home are not mutually exclusive, on the contrary both approaches have strengths and weaknesses. For example, placement outside the home is better at reducing and preventing substance-abuse problems, whereas preventive measures are better at reducing and preventing problems with how the family functions in general. Furthermore, the study shows that periods with preventive measures are often very chaotic for young people, and that they have often been through one or several measures.
The study has been commissioned and financed by the former Danish Ministry of Social Welfare.