Kids with special healthcare needs are more frequently known to child protection services

Embargoed until: Publicly released:
Peer-reviewed: This work was reviewed and scrutinised by relevant independent experts.

Observational study: A study in which the subject is observed to see if there is a relationship between two or more things (eg: the consumption of diet drinks and obesity). Observational studies cannot prove that one thing causes another, only that they are linked.

People: This is a study based on research using people.

Kids with chronic physical, developmental, behavioural, or emotional conditions who also require health services are more likely to have had contact with child protection before they are six than kids without special needs, according to Australian research. In particular, the study found that children with special healthcare needs had higher odds of a history of exposure to neglect and physical abuse, and higher odds of being placed in out-of-home care, compared with their typically  developing peers.

Journal/conference: Australian Journal of Social Issues

Link to research (DOI): 10.1002/ajs4.145

Organisation/s: The University of New South Wales, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Monash University, NSW Government, Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA)

Funder: This paper uses data from the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC). The AEDC is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment. This research was conducted by the University of New South Wales with financial support from the Australian Research Council [Linkage Project LP110100150, with the NSW Ministry of Health, NSW Department of Education, and the NSW Department of Communities and Justice representing the Linkage Project Partners; Discovery Project DP170101403; and Future Fellowship (FT170100294 awarded to KRL)]; and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC Project Grants APP1058652 and APP1148055 and NHMRC Partnership Project APP1133833).

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