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Henderson_et_al_Predictors_of_Social_Service_Contact_Final_Accepted_BJSW_Apr_2015.pdf (290.68 kB)

Predictors of social service contact among teenagers in England

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posted on 2023-06-08, 22:26 authored by Morag Henderson, Jonathan Scourfield, Sin Yi Cheung, Elaine SharlandElaine Sharland
Very few UK studies make use of longitudinal general population data to explore social service contact for children and young people. Those that do only look at specific interventions such as care placements. This paper seeks to address this gap by asking to what extent do structural, neighbourhood, familial and individual characteristics predict social service contact. We provide an empirical answer by analysing the Longitudinal Survey of Young People in England, which includes data on social service contact in connection with young people's behaviour. Our findings indicate that social class, gender, ethnicity, stepfamily status and special education needs are all significant predictors of social service contact. Difficult parent–child relationships, frequent arguments and parents' lack of engagement with school meetings also matter, as does young people's own risk-taking behaviour. We conclude with a discussion of the limitation of the data for social work research and the implications of the findings.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

British Journal of Social Work

ISSN

0045-3102

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Issue

6

Volume

46

Page range

1485-1501

Department affiliated with

  • Social Work and Social Care Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2015-09-29

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2016-05-10

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2016-10-31

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