Lausten’s research is situated at the intersection of child welfare, social policy, and life-course studies. Drawing on longitudinal surveys, population-based administrative data, and mixed-methods approaches, she investigates how childhood circumstances and child welfare interventions shape educational attainment, labour market participation, mental health, social inclusion, and well-being across the life course. A central feature of her work is the use of high-quality Danish register data combined with survey information, allowing her to examine both short- and long-term outcomes for children and young people in vulnerable positions.
A substantial part of Lausten’s research has focused on children and young people in out-of-home care. Her studies have explored educational trajectories, transitions to adulthood, labour market attachment, and social participation among care-experienced young people. She has contributed important evidence on how mental health challenges influence educational pathways among young people in out-of-home care, demonstrating the complex interactions between psychological well-being, educational opportunities, and social support systems. Through both quantitative analyses and mixed-methods, her work has provided insights into the mechanisms that facilitate or hinder successful transitions from out-of-home care into adulthood.
Lausten is actively engaged in comparative Nordic research on child welfare systems. Through collaborations with researchers in Finland, Norway, and Sweden, she has contributed to a growing body of knowledge on how specific child welfare arrangements and child protection systems influence outcomes for children and young people. Her comparative studies have examined educational outcomes among children in out-of-home care, including early school leaving and the risk of becoming NEET (not in employment, education, or training) during young adulthood. These studies have highlighted both shared challenges and important differences across Nordic welfare states, contributing to international discussions about the effectiveness of child welfare interventions and the role of institutional contexts in shaping life chances.
Her Nordic collaborations have also addressed the organisation and governance of residential care services. In recent years, she has co-authored studies investigating the increasing role of private and for-profit providers in residential care for children and young people across the Nordic countries. This work has analysed the regulation, licensing, and oversight of residential care institutions and explored how different policy frameworks influence service provision. These studies have contributed to contemporary debates on marketisation, privatisation, accountability, and quality assurance within child welfare systems.
Another important strand of Lausten’s research concerns children's participation and involvement in child protection processes. She has examined how children and young people are involved in decision-making regarding care orders and welfare interventions and how participation may influence subsequent outcomes. Her work has contributed to a growing international literature emphasising children's rights, agency, and voice within child welfare systems. Recent research has further explored the relationship between participation in child protection processes and later educational and employment outcomes, providing empirical evidence on the long-term significance of meaningful involvement in decisions affecting children's lives.
Lausten has also expanded her research to include particularly vulnerable groups of children, including children with disabilities. Through interdisciplinary collaborations with researchers in psychology and health economics, she has investigated the prevalence and risk factors associated with physical and sexual violence against children with disabilities using prospective national birth cohort data. These studies have documented elevated risks of victimisation among children with disabilities and have contributed to the evidence base needed to strengthen prevention efforts, safeguarding measures, and support services for this population.
Across her research, Lausten combines a strong empirical orientation with a commitment to producing knowledge that informs policy and practice. Her work is characterised by methodological rigour, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a focus on generating evidence that can improve the lives of children, young people, and families in vulnerable positions. She has extensive experience leading and participating in large-scale research projects, collaborating with scholars across the Nordic countries and internationally, and communicating research findings to policymakers, practitioners, and academic audiences.
hrough her contributions to child welfare research, comparative social policy, and studies of vulnerable children and young people, Mette Lausten has established herself as a leading researcher in the Nordic child welfare field. Her work continues to advance understanding of how child welfare systems can support children's development, strengthen their participation and rights, and promote positive outcomes across the life course.
Mette Lausten has a MSc in Economics from University of Aarhus and a PhD in economics from Aarhus School of Business. She has researched children, young people, and families in vulnerable positions for more than 25 years and has established a strong national and international profile in child welfare research. She is an active member of several international research networks, including EUSARF (European Scientific Association on Residential and Family Care for Children and Adolescents), TRC (International Work Groups for Therapeutic Residential Care), and NORDLOCH (Nordic Network on Longitudinal Child Welfare Research).
