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It is well known that individuals with out-of-home care (OHC) experience tend to have lower educational attainment than their peers in young adulthood, and a number of interventions have been implemented to increase their higher education outcomes. However, the timing of their higher education completion, and whether they experience educational recovery over the life course, is largely unknown. Using longitudinal Swedish data from a birth cohort of more than 13,000 individuals, this study examined OHC experienced individuals’ chances of having a higher education, here defined as a record of postsecondary education of two years or more, in midlife (age 50) and whether the timing of completion differs between them and a group of individuals who had child welfare contact (CWC) without being placed, and a group of general population peers. Results from multivariable logistic regressions corroborated prior findings that individuals who have been placed in OHC were less likely to have completed higher education compared to their general population peers. However, among those who did, they were more likely to have completed it later in life. Overall, there were no differences between the OHC group and the CWC group, both groups may thus not only benefit from specific support but also from more general inclusive education policies that allow for life-long learning.

Background. Child welfare and juvenile justice placed youths show high levels of psychosocial burden and high rates of mental disorders. It remains unclear how mental disorders develop into adulthood in these populations. The aim was to present the rates of mental disorders in adolescence and adulthood in child welfare and juvenile justice samples and to examine their mental health trajectories from adolescence into adulthood. Methods. Seventy adolescents in shared residential care, placed by child welfare (n = 52, mean age = 15 years) or juvenile justice (n = 18, mean age = 17 years) authorities, were followed up into adulthood (child welfare: mean age = 25 years; juvenile justice: mean age = 27 years). Mental disorders were assessed based on the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision diagnoses at baseline and at follow-up. Epidemiological information on mental disorders was presented for each group. Bivariate correlations and structural equation modeling for the relationship of mental disorders were performed. Results. In the total sample, prevalence rates of 73% and 86% for any mental disorder were found in adolescence (child welfare: 70%; juvenile justice: 83%) and adulthood (child welfare: 83%; juvenile justice: 94%) respectively. General psychopathology was found to be stable from adolescence into adulthood in both samples. Conclusions. Our findings showed high prevalence rates and a high stability of general psychopathology into adulthood among child welfare and juvenile justice adolescents in Swiss residential care. Therefore, continuity of mental health care and well-prepared transitions into adulthood for such individuals is highly warranted.

Previous research has demonstrated a graded relationship between cumulative childhood adversity and adverse later outcomes. Individuals with out-of-home care (OHC) experience constitute a population characterised by both childhood and educational disadvantages. Based on a fifty-year follow-up of a Stockholm cohort born in 1953, the purpose of this study was to examine the associations between cumulative childhood adversity and long-term educational outcomes in this group. The cumulative disadvantage perspective suggests that there would be a negative association, while the disadvantage saturation perspective implies that cumulative adversity would be less consequential for disadvantaged individuals. By means of multigroup path analysis, we furthermore asked whether this association may differ in relation to individuals with child welfare contact (CWC) and to the general population (GP). Adjusting for socioeconomic conditions and cognitive ability, cumulative childhood adversity had a negative influence on midlife educational attainment in the GP. However, it did not seem to influence the educational outcomes of neither OHC experienced individuals nor individuals with other types of CWC. The results of this study thus lend support to the disadvantage saturation perspective. Further studies are needed to explore this relationship.

Såväl svensk som internationell forskning visar att barn som placerats i samhällsvård har sämre skolresultat än andra barn. Däremot är kunskapen om hur deras utbildningskarriärer ser ut över en längre tid begränsad. Med hjälp av en femtioårig uppföljning av en kohort bestående av drygt 12 000 personer födda 1953, av vilka nästan 8 procent varit placerade före 13 års ålder, har vi följt deras utbildningsvägar över nästan hela livsförloppet. Analyserna fokuserade på hur de placerade barnens utbildningsambitioner, prestationer och val från årskurs 6 och framåt skilde sig från barn som haft barnavårdskontakt utan att placeras respektive barn utan barnavårdskontakt. Resultaten visade att de placerade barnen genomgående presterat sämre och gjort mindre ambitiösa utbildningsval än barnen utan barnavårdskontakt. Däremot var de placerade barnens utbildning lik och i vissa fall till och med bättre än utbildningen för dem som haft barnavårdskontakt. Våra resultat visade också att möjligheterna att återuppta studier i vuxen ålder tycks ha spelat en viktig roll för alla barn, inte minst de placerade barnen., National and international studies have shown that children with experience of out-of-home care (OHC) have poor school performance compared to their peers. However, we know less about their educational careers over time. Based on a 50-year follow up of 12 000 individuals, out of which nearly 8 percent had been placed in OHC before their 13th birthday, this study mapped out their educational pathways over the life course. The analyses focused on how the OHC group’s educational ambitions, achievement, and choices from sixth grade and onwards differed from children who had come in contact with the child welfare system without being placed, and other majority population peers. The results showed that the OHC group consistently had poorer achievements, and made less ambitious choices compared to their majority population peers. However, the OHC group had similar or even better outcomes compared to the child welfare contact group. The results also showed that opportunities to resume studies in adulthood had played an important role for children in general and children in OHC in particular.

Previous research has demonstrated a graded relationship between cumulative childhood adversity and adverse later outcomes. Individuals with out-of-home care (OHC) experience constitute a population characterised by both childhood and educational disadvantages. Based on a fifty-year follow-up of a Stockholm cohort born in 1953, the purpose of this study was to examine the associations between cumulative childhood adversity and long-term educational outcomes in this group. The cumulative disadvantage perspective suggests that there would be a negative association, while the disadvantage saturation perspective implies that cumulative adversity would be less consequential for disadvantaged individuals. By means of multigroup path analysis, we furthermore asked whether this association may differ in relation to individuals with child welfare contact (CWC) and to the general population (GP). Adjusting for socioeconomic conditions and cognitive ability, cumulative childhood adversity had a negative influence on midlife educational attainment in the GP. However, it did not seem to influence the educational outcomes of neither OHC experienced individuals nor individuals with other types of CWC. The results of this study thus lend support to the disadvantage saturation perspective. Further studies are needed to explore this relationship.

Background: Past research has consistently identified children with experience of out-of-home care (OHC) as a high-risk group for premature mortality. While many have argued that educational success is a key factor in reducing these individuals’ excessive death risks, the empirical evidence has hitherto been limited. The aim of the current study was therefore to examine the potentially mitigating role of educational success for the association between OHC experience and premature mortality. Methods: Drawing on a Stockholm cohort born in 1953 (n=15,117), we analysed the associations between placement in OHC (ages 0-12), school performance (ages 13, 16, and 19), and premature all-cause mortality (ages 20-56) by means of Cox and Laplace regression analysis. Results: The Cox regression models confirmed the increased risk of premature mortality among individuals with OHC experience. Unadjusted Laplace regression models showed that these children died more than a decade, based on median survival time, before their majority population peers. However, among individuals who performed well at school, i.e. scored above-average marks at age 16 (grade 9) and age 19 (grade 12), respectively, the risks of premature mortality did not significantly differ between the two groups. Conclusion: Educational success seems to mitigate the increased risks of premature death among children with experience of OHC., RELINK

A UK literacy intervention – Paired Reading – was replicated in seven Swedish local authorities, with 81 foster children aged 8–12 participating in a 16-week trial. Ability was measured pre/post intervention with age-standardised literacy tests and a short version of the WISC-IV. Results confirm and expand findings from the UK, namely that: almost all foster carers and children completed the programme (attrition 2.4%), average improvement in reading age was 11 months, basically the same as in the UK; younger children (aged 8–9) improved significantly on all four administered standardised reading tests, and on the WISC-IV Vocabulary subtest. Older children (aged 10–12) improved significantly on three of five literacy tests and on the WISC-IV Vocabulary subtest. On the short version of WISC-IV, vocabulary improvements over time reduced the proportion of children who could be classified as having ‘weak cognitive skills’ (IQ <85) from 54% to 36%. This finding is in line with results from other studies, indicating that scores from cognitive tests of pre-teen children in out-of-home care should not be regarded as fixed and can be improved by effective interventions.

Forskning har under lång tid visat att placerade barn klarar sig sämre i skolan än andra barn. Under 2012 genomfördes ett framgångsrikt utvecklingsprojekt där barn i familjehem och deras familjehemsföräldrar läste tillsammans utifrån lästräningsmetoden Paired Reading. I denna artikel presenteras resultaten från en studie vars syfte var att undersöka lästräningens påverkan på vardagsliv, relationer och barnens läsning samt att analysera hur variationerna i genomförandet kan förstås. Studien bygger på familjehemmens rapportering om lästräningen och fördjupande intervjuer med femton familjehemsföräldrar med sinsemellan olika erfarenheter. Resultaten visar att den stora majoriteten hade läst minst två av de tre rekommenderade tillfällena per vecka. Även om genomförandet beskrevs som tidskrävande tycktes inte vardagslivet ha påverkats i någon större utsträckning. Förutom förbättrat flyt i läsningen och utökat ordförråd hade lästräningen i vissa fall också lett till förbättrade relationer. Genomförandet tycks vara beroende av att familjehemföräldrarna tycker att lästräningen är viktig (ser nyttoaspekter) och att barnen tycker att det är roligt (ser nöjesaspekter). För att inte riskera negativa konsekvenser bör tillämpningen av metoden i vissa fall anpassas efter individuella förutsättningar. Resultaten pekar på att det är möjligt att involvera familjehem i förbättrandet av placerade barns läsförmåga.

It is well-established that children with out-of-home care (OHC) experience perform poorly in the educational system. However, we know less about their educational pathways over the life course. Utilizing longitudinal prospective survey and register data with a follow-up to more than 60 years of age, this study compared educational outcomes over the life course between children with OHC experience and their same-aged peers. Moreover, by means of multi-group path analysis, the study explored differences in educational pathways. The results showed that the OHC group had lower school grades in sixth grade, in ninth grade as well as lower educational attainment in middle age. Cognitive ability and previous school performance had the largest associations with the outcomes. Yet, these predictors had significantly weaker influence in the OHC-group. Conversely, the birth family’s attitude towards higher education was more important among children with OHC experience. Implications for policy and practice are discussed., What explains child welfare children’s underachievement in the educational system? A life course approach (WHAM)