The study, Age at entry into the Dutch child protection system of children of parents with intellectual disability: A case-control study, was published in Child Protection and Practice.
The analyses reveal that these children are not only younger at their first contact with youth care but also experience longer trajectories within the child protection system. In addition, siblings are more likely to become involved in child protection or youth care as well.
Longer trajectories within child protection
The researchers note that it has long been known that children of parents with an intellectual disability are overrepresented in child protection. Their study now also shows how the trajectories of these children differ from those of their peers.
The findings are important because they provide insight into the decisions made in youth care and child protection concerning children of parents with an intellectual disability. The fact that these children enter care earlier and more often—often together with their siblings—points to a structural difference. According to the researchers, it is important to understand which contextual factors contribute to this inequality. This knowledge can help tailor policies and support so that prevention and care better meet the needs of families in which a parent has an intellectual disability.
This study underlines the need for customized and early support to prevent children from unnecessarily or repeatedly entering intensive child protection trajectories.
