Work

Child protection involvement pathways, adversities, and children’s reading achievement trajectories: a population linked-data study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Child protection-involved children have adverse educational outcomes; however, research on their educational trajectories is limited, particularly in conjunction with pathways through the child protection system. Within a West Australian birth cohort (N = 177,582) who sat Year 3 reading tests, (MageT1 = 8.4, 51.3% male, 4% child protection contact by Year 3), all child protection groups had increased risk for low or declining achievement to Year 9. The lowest scores were among children with early unsubstantiated maltreatment and late out-of-home care. Child, family and neighborhood characteristics were associated with trajectories. Child protection involved children require educational support via early-years interventions and intervention for late-arising declines.

Source: Journal of Public Child Welfare

DOI: 10.1080/15548732.2026.2726245

Authors: Miriam J. Maclean, Scott Sims, Melissa O’Donnell

Institutions: The University of Western Australia, Adelaide University, The University of Adelaide

Language: English

Topic: Child Welfare and Adoption

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Quality education, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: University of Western Australia, Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council