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Updated: Jun 30, 2026
09:36
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Intergenerational Child Protection Contact and Child Development Outcomes: A Whole Population Linked Data Study
Meredith Forsyth1, Alicia Montgomerie2, Kathleen Falster3
1Department of Paediatrics, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, Bedford Park, South Australia, Australia.
The Medical Journal of Australia
|June 28, 2026
Summary
Maternal child protection history significantly increases offspring
Area of Science:
- Child development and protection.
- Public health and epidemiology.
- Social determinants of health.
Background:
- Child protection contact is prevalent among mothers and their children.
- Maternal history of child protection involvement is linked to socio-economic and health disadvantages.
- Early life disadvantage and child protection system involvement are significant concerns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between maternal child protection histories and offspring's child protection contacts.
- To investigate the association between maternal child protection histories and developmental outcomes in children at age 5.
- To understand the intergenerational patterns of child protection involvement.
Main Methods:
- An observational cohort study utilizing linked South Australian administrative data.
- Inclusion criteria: children with South Australian birth registration and Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) records.
- Outcome measures: child protection system contact and developmental vulnerability on AEDC domains.
Main Results:
- 10.8% of mothers had a child protection contact history; 1.5% had out-of-home care placements.
- Children of mothers with child protection contact had higher rates of their own contact (50.4% vs. 11.4%) and developmental vulnerability (40.2% vs. 20.6%).
- Maternal child protection history correlated with increased socio-economic and health disadvantages at birth.
Conclusions:
- Maternal child protection history is a significant predictor of adverse child outcomes, including increased child protection contact and developmental vulnerability.
- The findings highlight the intergenerational cycle of child protection involvement and associated disadvantages.
- There is a need for well-resourced, health-led interventions during perinatal and early childhood periods to address these complex issues.
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