1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«Building on the existing literature, this study will: (1) use age-specific models to compare the youngest children to early school age children and adolescents to middle school age children; (2) separately analyze behavioral problems and other reasons for child protection services; (3) examine whether a request for youth criminal justice services influences the risk of placement; and (4) examine if neighborhood area socioeconomic disadvantages further contribute to the unique age-specific risk of placement.» (p. 2032)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«For this study, two different data sources were merged together to create a provincial dataset. The first data source consists of anonymized longitudinal clinical–administrative child protection data from all sixteen mandated child protection jurisdictions across the province of Québec. […] The second data source, therefore, is provincial data extracted from the 2006 Canadian Census public archive at McGill University, used to create a neighborhood area socioeconomic disadvantage composite index.» (p. 2032-2033)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«The results of this study are rather encouraging and in-line with child protection objectives of family preservation. The majority of children served by the Québec child protection system in the last decade are not placed in out-of-home care. Of those who are, the oldest followed by the youngest are admitted to out-of-home care the most often and the most rapidly. This study has identified who these children are. [T]he current study finds that the high risk lifestyle of parents and hospital referrals contribute significantly to the risk of placement for the very young. Additionally, it echoes the earlier studies of Berger et al. (2009), Walrath and Liao (2005), James et al. (2006), Brook and McDonald (2009), and Lindsey (1991) in that behavioral problems and police interventions seem to be the driver of out-of-home placement for older children. It may be that hospital staff and police referrals are an indication of the severity of the situation, or that these organizations unduly influence caseworkers’ decisions to remove older children from the home.» (p. 2037-2038)