In examining to what extent poverty reduction policies and family support services mitigate the risk factors associated with out-of-home placement, this study found that absolute poverty influences a child’s risk factors for out of home placement.
The study focused on children and services located in Quebec, Canada. Quebec has very progressive poverty reduction programs, which include universal health care, affordable tuition fees, higher parental leave, and income redistribution.
The study examined the variations in poverty and health and social services spending by using a multilevel longitudinal analysis, which draws information from four sources: 1) Quebec’s child protection agencies; 2) Quebec Institute of Statistics; 3) Canadian Census Data; and 4) Ministry of Health and Social Services. The study’s population consisted of children investigated for maltreatment between April 1, 2002 and March 31, 2010. Children were followed for a minimum of 18 months following their initial child maltreatment investigation.
Results of the study suggests that poverty contributes to an increased risk in placement. The study found correlations between forms of economic deprivation and placements risks. Relative poverty does not increase the risk of placement. Absolute poverty, on the other hand, was found to increase the risk of placement.