Does GOING HOME truly serve the best interest of children placed in out-of-home care? Patterns of family reunification and its impact on the use of healthcare services in children and young people

Research problems and specific questions.

Reunification of children placed in out-of-home care (OHC) with their family of origin is an overarching goal of Swedish child welfare.

However, limited knowledge exists on (i) the frequency and characteristics of reunification, (ii) how various factors inherent to the child, the family and the system in which they live influence such reunions, and (iii) how family reunification influences children´s health.

Therefore, this project aims to increase understanding of family reunification patterns and their impact on children´s healthcare utilisation in Sweden- by comparing reunified children with those remaining in care and peers in the general population.Data and method.

We will compile a new, large-scale register-based cohort of children born between 1999 and 2004 (The Turn of the Millennium Swedish Children Cohort Study), as well as their siblings and parents.

Patterns of reunification will be identified through the first placement in OHC, reunification with the family of origin, and replacement following reunification, in combination with individual, family, and other placement-related characteristics.

We will analyse tracers of inpatient and outpatient care, and medication use in children with specific diagnoses and injuries until age 24, employing advanced statistical methods for complex longitudinal data.Social relevance and utilisation.

In line with ethical and moral advocates of children’s rights and family integrity, this project aims to enhance decision-making in family reunification.

The project can provide a knowledge base for creating a better system that works together with healthcare providers and policymakers, prioritizing the best opportunities for every child – regardless of whether this might be to remain in OHC or be reunited.

Furthermore, it will support ongoing discussions on legislation revisions and how to strengthen the rights of children in OHC.Plan for project realisation. This will be a three-year project in co-production between research and practice. Ethical application and data requests will be conducted over the first months of the project.

Each of the three specific objectives of the project will be addressed yearly.

Although anchored on social work, it will have a multidisciplinary approach by capitalizing on the project members’ various backgrounds. Several academic articles will be published and efforts to disseminate knowledge to the wider community will be made.