Children growing up in foster care, kinship care or residential homes face unique challenges, but a new study has found that research into their long-term outcomes is patchy and misses some of the most important aspects of their lives.
The research, led by Swansea University, looked at 77 separate reviews covering studies from 48 countries. It aimed to map what is known about how children in care fare across five key areas: health and emotional wellbeing; physical and legal security; education; living standards; and identity and belonging.
To make sure the work reflected real-life concerns, the team partnered with parents and care-experienced young people from the CASCADE Voices advisory group, who helped shape the study and make sense of the findings.
The findings show that most research focuses on mental health, behaviour, and day-to-day living conditions. But other crucial areas have been largely ignored. Identity and civic participation – things like developing a sense of self, feeling respected, and having a say in decisions – emerged as the most neglected topic.
Clear gaps were also identified within specific areas. Bullying, deaths among care-experienced young people and whether children are ready to start school were barely studied at all. When it comes to safety, research has focused heavily on offending behaviour, but very little on whether these children become victims of crime themselves.
Richmond Opoku, lead author and researcher at Swansea University, explained: ‘Research into children in care has grown significantly, but it remains fragmented. By mapping this evidence, we can see exactly what is missing—particularly around identity, participation, and the wider community influences that are vital for a child’s long-term future.’
The study also looked at what factors are most often linked to good or bad outcomes. The type of placement and quality of care came up frequently, along with individual characteristics and relationships with family and carers. But community factors – such as the neighbourhoods children live in – were almost never mentioned.
Senior author Dr Tash Kennedy, from the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science, added: ‘To truly support children in care, we need a complete picture of their lives, from their sense of identity to how they participate in their communities. By gathering this high-quality data, we can build the evidence base needed to improve long-term policy and practice.’
The research forms part of the CARELINK Wales project, a wider collaboration led by HDR UK Wales. The initiative brings together experts from Swansea University, Bangor University, Public Health Wales, Cardiff University and the University of Manchester, with support from ADR Wales and the Centre for Population Health.
The full research can be read here.
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