This literature review was a response to a request by the Minister for Social Development and Employment that the Families Commission undertake an “international literature review about parents who lose custody of children through a care and protection intervention who then have additional children who may be at risk … [with particular focus on] … what could be done with these families to prevent additional children coming into these families and being put at risk while the parents are still addressing their complex issues”.
Read Safety of Subsequent Children online
The review considered:
- what will assist families overcome their complex issues so that subsequent children are not at risk
- what can be done to prevent subsequent children coming into families (while parents are still addressing their complex issues).
Throughout this review, we use the term ‘subsequent children’ to refer to children coming into families at some point after a sibling was removed. We argue that families who have subsequent children removed are a subset of ‘complex families’, who have multiple needs.
The literature review focused on the identification of this group of families and children, assessment, support for parents to ensure their children’s safety and relevant services, policies, practices and legislation.
The Safety of Subsequent Children International Literature Review was prepared by Anne Kerslake Hendricks and Katie Stevens, Families Commission.