Professor Matthew Lindquist at SOFI, Stockholm university. Photo: Allan Seppa.

In 2021, more than 26,000 children and young people aged 0 to 20 spent at least one night in social care. The most common placements were in foster homes, followed by institutional care in residential homes. In the SNS report, "Does Social Care Affect Children's Future Criminality?" researcher Matthew Lindquist examines the consequences of such placements.

Moving children away from their families is one of the most significant interventions that society can make in family life. It is done, of course, after weighing what is best for the children, but it is also crucial to understand the effects of this intervention, says Matthew Lindquist.

In the report, Matthew reviews research studies from Sweden, Canada, and the USA. The pattern is the same here as elsewhere: those who have been in care are overrepresented in crime statistics.

In the report, Matthew Lindquist specifically looks at children born in Sweden in 1990 and 1991. Among those placed in residential or foster care before turning 20, the risk of being convicted of a crime between the ages of 20 and 25 was three to ten times higher.

– The connection is alarmingly clear, but that doesn't mean that social care is harmful. The criminal behavior of these individuals as adults could just as easily be due to their upbringing and living conditions. On average, those who have been in care have lower education levels, employment rates, and incomes than others. Additionally, they are more likely to suffer from poor health, says Matthew Lindquist.

So, children placed in social care exhibit more negative traits and behaviors and come from more challenging home environments than children who have not been placed. Therefore, children and young people with such negative characteristics are more likely to be placed in social care and commit more crimes as adults.

In large part, this is because these children come from disadvantaged backgrounds that lead to their placement in social care - and also to their future criminal behavior. But even if social care has not caused their criminal behavior, in many cases, it has not improved it.

Before taking children into care, efforts are made to provide care in the home environment. We have seen that early interventions are significant, and support for families in the home environment can make a significant difference. However, social services report that many families do not want their help. So the question is how to get them to accept help in time, says Matthew Lindquist.

Matthew argues that early interventions are more effective in preventing the emergence of inequalities in terms of education or health, which are harder to correct later in life.

– Furthermore, considering the costs of crime, both socially and economically, it really pays off to invest in higher quality social care. This includes promoting more so-called enhanced foster placements instead of institutional care. Such placements have been shown to reduce future criminality and the number of days spent in juvenile detention centers, says Matthew Lindquist.

Three Lessons Stand Out

The report draws lessons from research on the effects of social care on future criminality. Three lessons stand out:

1. Research suggests a link between the quality of social care and future criminality. Higher-quality care reduces crime. The social and economic costs of crime are so high that it is worth investing resources in improving the quality of social care.

2. Foster care is preferable to institutional care, and early interventions within families at home are most effective.

3. Research also shows that children placed in social care have significant health and education deficiencies. Therefore, more attention must be paid to the health and education of children and young people in social care. Failing in school at a young age is one of the strongest indicators of criminal behavior as an adult.

As a result of the report, Matthew Lindquist recommends six actions:

1. Increase the number of enhanced foster care placements.
2. Improve the quality of residential care homes.
3. Introduce mandatory health checkups.
4. Introduce mandatory educational assessments.
5. Examine the oversight function of the Inspectorate for Health and Care (IVO).
6. Expand the information in the National Board of Health and Welfare's registry.

Read the report here