The role of financial support in preventing the need for child protection services: a mixed method study on the effects and pathways of additional income support

ABSTRACT

Previous studies show that household economic insecurity is associated with poor child health and an increased risk of child maltreatment. Therefore, it can be assumed that family financial support can also prevent the need for child protection services. This study asks: What is the association of families’ poverty and granted additional income support with the need for child protection services, and through which pathways does this effect arise? The research is mixed method, and based on Finnish municipality-specific statistical data in 2019 (Sotkanet Indicator Bank, 294 municipalities) and interviews with Finnish social workers (N = 23). Linear regression analysis and qualitative methods were employed. The study shows that poverty has a positive association with the need for child protection services, but on the other hand, additional income support buffers this effect. The research has also revealed pathways through which additional income support prevents the need for child protection services. Through the interviews, pathways of immediate material help, alleviating economic stress and supporting parenting, as well as strengthening social inclusion were identified. Furthermore, the importance of social work and its cooperation practices emerged in the study.

TIIVISTELMÄ

Aiemmat tutkimukset osoittavat, että kotitalouksien taloudellinen epävarmuus on yhteydessä heikentyneeseen lasten terveydentilaan ja lisääntyneeseen lasten kaltoinkohtelun riskiin. Näin ollen voidaan olettaa, että perheiden taloudellisella tuella voidaan myös ehkäistä lastensuojelun tarvetta. Tässä tutkimuksessa kysytään: Millainen on perheiden köyhyyden ja myönnetyn kunnallisen toimeentulotuen yhteys lastensuojelupalvelujen tarpeeseen ja millaisten polkujen kautta tämä vaikutus syntyy? Lähestymistapa on monimenetelmäinen. Tutkimus perustuu Suomen kuntakohtaisiin tilastotietoihin vuodelta 2019 (Tilasto– ja indikaattoripankki Sotkanet, 294 kuntaa) ja suomalaisten sosiaalityöntekijöiden haastatteluihin (N = 23). Tutkimuksessa käytettiin lineaarista regressioanalyysiä ja kvalitatiivisia menetelmiä. Tutkimus osoittaa, että köyhyydellä on positiivinen yhteys lastensuojelupalvelujen tarpeeseen, mutta täydentävä toimeentulotuki puskuroi tätä vaikutusta. Tutkimus myös löysi erilaisia polkuja, joiden kautta kunnallinen toimeentulotuki vähentää lastensuojelupalvelujen tarvetta. Haastattelujen avulla tunnistettiin välittömän aineellisen avun, taloudellisen stressin lievittämisen ja vanhemmuuden tukemisen sekä sosiaalisen osallisuuden vahvistamisen polut. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa nousi esiin sosiaalityön ja sen yhteistyökäytäntöjen merkitys.

KEYWORDS:

• Child protection
• poverty
• income support

AVAINSANAT:

• lastensuojelu
• köyhyys
• toimeentulotuki

Introduction

Even in developed Western countries, children face various social risks that endanger their well-being and health, and which may create the need for child protection services. In practice, the problems can manifest themselves in different ways, such as the neglect and abuse of the child, deficiencies in the child's everyday care, parental substance abuse or mental health problems, or the child's own substance abuse, mental health problems or suicidality. In the 2020s, Europe has also faced new child protection challenges, such as those caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and with the children fleeing Ukraine.

Children living in economically insecure households face more social risks than other children. Financial difficulties and poverty may affect the parents’ ability to meet their children's fundamental needs for care and individual development, as well as the support offered by parents in their children's educational choices, hobbies and other social activities (Gupta & Holloway, 2017). Furthermore, financial difficulties and poverty may have an adverse effect on children's psychological wellbeing and socio-emotional development in early childhood, which can also have lasting consequences on children's lives (Huang et al., 2017). There is also plenty of research evidence on socio-economic inequalities in health, both in general (e.g. Whitehead et al., 2016) and specifically targeting children's health (Currie, 2009; Hoffmann et al., 2022; Pearce et al., 2019). Studies indicate that parental socio-economic status affects child health, which in turn relates to future educational and labour market outcomes (Currie, 2009). Furthermore, it has been found that children with long-term illnesses are at risk of child maltreatment (Seppälä, Vornanen, & Toikko, 2021) and children with parental mental illness are more likely to be placed in out-of-home care (Nevriana, 2022).

Several studies have shown that economic insecurity is associated with the risk of child maltreatment (Conrad-Hiebner & Byram, 2020; Hunter & Flores, 2021; Walsh et al., 2019; Yang, 2015). Although child maltreatment occurs in all socio-economic groups, children from poor families are at a higher risk (Pelton, 2015; Yang, 2015). Researchers have found a complex interrelationship between poverty, neglect and different psychological and social factors, and on a broader level, the relation to inequality and social justice (Gupta & Holloway, 2017). Studies have also found different mediating factors through which household economic insecurity may affect child health, children's wellbeing and the risk of child maltreatment. First, according to the family stress model (Conrad-Hiebner & Byram, 2020; Pearce et al., 2019), economic insecurity creates pressure on parents, which in turn can also be reflected in deficiencies in parenting and child maltreatment. However, according to Yang (2015), the association between material hardship and the involvement of child protective services is not fully explained by parenting stress or mental health matters. It is necessary to also address the family's unmet material needs through financial support. These different mechanisms, through which the effect of socio-economic factors on child health and child maltreatment is mediated, have been conceptualised using the term of ‘pathway’. In particular, a material pathway related to poor living conditions and a psychosocial pathway related to parents’ experience of social inequality, lack of control and economic stress due to social disadvantage have been identified (Pearce et al., 2019; Pelton, 2015).

Thus, it can be concluded that the economic insecurity of families, health problems and the need for child protection services are linked to each other. This association is not only apparent on an individual and inter-personal level, but can also be found at the community and societal level. According to Lotspeich et al. (2020), at the neighbourhood level, the need for child protection is linked with the low median of household incomes, the high proportion of households below poverty, the low proportion of residents with higher education, and the low proportion of residents with health insurance. In addition, studies have identified societal level risk factors for child maltreatment related to economic policies (Austin, Lesak, & Shanahan, 2020) and economic trends (McLaughlin, 2017).

Previous studies have also given indications that policies that ease the financial burden of families with children can prevent child maltreatment (Austin et al., 2020). Researchers have found that an increase in the minimum wage (Raissian & Bullinger, 2017), paid family leave (Klevens et al., 2016) and the provision of full child support (Cancian et al., 2013), as well as earned income tax credit (Kovski et al., 2022) and expanded child tax credit (Bullinger & Boy, 2023), may reduce the risk of child maltreatment. The study by Chapin Hall has also pointed out that economic and concrete supports are essential for preventing child maltreatment, and an increase in direct and flexible funding and political reforms are needed to reduce unnecessary child welfare involvement (Heaton et al., 2023).

Instead of direct financial aid, various practices have also been proposed to serve economically insecure families with children. One practice which has also stimulated critical discussion is the Australian compulsory income management, in which a significant part of the income is allocated to paying essential bills to support a person's financial balance (Mendes, 2020; Roche et al., 2021). In financial counselling (Callegari et al., 2023) and financial social work (Sherraden et al., 2016), the aim is to support the capacity of people's financial activities so that they can independently manage their personal economy. Family-centred anti-poverty strategies (Briar-Lawson et al., 2021) and increasing social cohesion in reducing child maltreatment have also been emphasised (McLeigh et al., 2018). Conrad-Hiebner and Byram (2020), in turn, call for a cooperation between child protection services and various support services related to economic insecurity, such as housing and employment services.

Overall, the previous research shows that poverty is a risk factor that can weaken the well-being of families with children and create a need for child protection services, but these problems can be alleviated with the help of more comprehensive and targeted financial support for economically insecure households. Studies have also identified different pathways through which poverty affects child health and child maltreatment. In contrast, there is less research on the importance of additional income support based on the individual need assessment of social work in preventing the need for child protection services. This study analyses the association between additional income support and the need for child protection services, examined through national statistics and the experiences and views of social workers. The term ‘need for child protection services’ is understood in this broad sense and refers to the entire child protection process, from reported concerns to child protection interventions. Within the statistical analysis, we focus on child welfare notifications which are the first step in the child protection process. The study asks the following:

1. What is the association between family poverty and granted additional income support with the proportion of child welfare notifications at the municipality level?

2. What is the effect of additional income support on the need for child protection services?

Material and methods

Study design and approach

The study utilises a mixed-method approach by combining a cross-sectional study based on Finnish national statistics and a qualitative study based on interviews with social workers. The quantitative analysis describes the statistical relationship between poverty, additional income support granted and the proportion of child welfare notifications at the municipal level. The qualitative analysis, in turn, describes, based on the views and experiences of social workers, the pathways through which the effects of additional income support arise. The collection and analysis of the qualitative data follows the methodology of the qualitative attitude approach (Vesala & Rantanen, 2007; Peltola & Vesala, 2013; Pyysiäinen & Vesala, 2013), based on Billig's (1987) rhetorical approach.

Finnish context

This study is limited to the Finnish context. Finnish public policy aims to support the inclusion of different population groups. Education plays a central role in this regard as does social security (Saikkonen & Ylikännö, 2020). From this perspective, social work can also be seen as an instrument of inclusive social policy (Matthies, 2022). Social work aims to support clients’ participation in society, although its practical implementation reflects a range of different views and moral expectations (Raitakari et al., 2019).

In Finland, the share of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion was the second lowest (13.2%) in the EU in 2021 (Eurostat, 2022), but poverty in families with children is still a problem in Finland. In 2022, there were a total of 730,800 low-income people in Finland, i.e. 13.4% of the population, if the poverty line is considered to be 60% of the median income (1410 euros per month) or 346,700 low-income people, i.e. 6.4% of the population, if the poverty line is 50% (1175 euros per month) (Official Statistics of Finland, 2022).

Finland's social security system includes an insurance system (unemployment insurance), the level of which depends on the individual’s income, and a universal system, which is a kind of minimum-level insurance for all residents living in the country. In addition, there is also a means-tested system, which only covers essential expenses, such as food and housing (Kela, 2024). The means-tested system includes basic social assistance, which is based on a calculation of the family's income, assets and expenses. As expenses, the calculation takes into account the basic amount, which covers, e.g. food and clothing (555 euros per month for a single adult, and, for example, 1015 euros for a single-parent family with one child under 10 years in 2023), as well as housing costs up to the municipality-specific upper limit, some health care costs, early childhood education fees, and certain specific costs. Furthermore, there is additional income support, which is divided into two forms of financial support. Supplementary social assistance is based on the same calculation as basic social assistance and a professional assessment of needs for social services. Preventive social assistance is mainly based on a professional social assessment.

The best interest of the child is the main principle of the Finnish child protection system. The child protection social worker is responsible for planning supportive services and their implementation in cooperation with children and their parents (Child Welfare Act 13.4.2007/417). Generally, the process starts with a child welfare notification, which can be made, for instance, by teachers, health care professionals, relatives and neighbours among others. Based on the assessment, social workers will decide whether there is a need for child protection interventions. Not all children for whom a notification is made will become clients of child protection services, but families in need are offered different supportive services, such as family work in-home, family rehabilitation, financial aid, and directing parents to substance abuse treatment. Many support measures require that the social worker cooperates with health services, early childhood education, school, housing services and other agencies. Child placement is undertaken only if it is assessed to be in the best interest of the child, and supportive measures are not possible or sufficient (Child Welfare Act 13.4.2007/417).

Mental health problems and substance abuse are the key issues in child protection services, but social workers also investigate the family's financial situation from the child's perspective. Thus, child protection social workers can make decisions, for example, about certain financial and concrete supports based on the plan made (e.g. support for the costs of the child's hobby activities or school-related costs), however, social work for adults is responsible for supplementary and preventive social assistance. In 2023, the responsibility for health and social care services (including child protection services and social work for adults) was transferred from the municipalities to regional-based organisations called well-being services counties.

Statistical study

Hypotheses

Our statistical hypotheses are:

1. Poverty (operationalised to the proportion of basic social assistance receivers) has a positive association with the need for child protection services (operationalised to the proportion of child welfare notifications) at the municipality level.

2. Additional income support (operationalised to the receivers of supplementary social assistance) buffers the effect of poverty on the need for child protection services at the municipality level.

Sample

The data were retrieved from the Sotkanet Indicator Bank, which is maintained by the National Institute of Health and Welfare. The data is based on individual-level information, which is aggregated to the municipality level and includes information from 294 municipalities (year 2019).

Measures

The indicator of child welfare notifications was used as the dependent variable (Indicator 1086) and indicates the proportion (%) of children of equivalent age (under 18) who have been reported to child protection in each municipality. Each child has been included in the indicator only once, even if several notifications had been made.

The following independent variables were used in the analysis (see Table 1). The indicator of basic social assistance recipients gives the percentage of those living in households with a basic social assistance recipient during the calendar year in the 25–64 age group (% of population of the same age, Indicator 295). The indicator of recipients of supplementary social assistance gives the percentage of those living in households with a social assistance recipient receiving supplementary social assistance during the calendar year in the 25–64 age group (% of population of the same age, Indicator 296). The age-standardised morbidity index describes the morbidity in a specific municipality in relation to the whole country’s morbidity. It considers seven different groups of disease and four different aspects of weighting to evaluate the significance of diseases. The value of the index increases as the morbidity in the region increases. The value of the index is 100 for the whole country. Furthermore, the municipalities differ according to their demographic structure of the population, because of which we take the proportion of population aged 0–17 as a confounding variable in the analysis. The relative share of children is an indicator which is connected to the demand for child protection.

Table 1. Descriptive statistics.

Variable	Min	Max	Mean	SD	N	Missing values
Dependent variable
Child welfare notifications (%)	0.00	15.90	7.17	2.47	294	0.0%
Independent variables
Basic social assistance (%)	0.80	13.00	5.81	2.16	294	0.0%
Supplementary social assistance (%)	0.20	7.40	1.85	1.00	284	3.4%
Morbidity (index = 100)	51.40	190.30	109.67	20.16	294	0.0%
Share of children (%)	9.80	38.50	18.62	4.57	294	0.0%

Data analysis

Statistical analyses were carried out using the Pearson Correlation Coefficient and linear regression analysis. A review of the assumptions for regression analysis found that there was no interfering multicollinearity between the variables (all VIF values were <1.3). Furthermore, the linear relationship between the response variable and the explanatory variables was examined using a residual pattern that showed no violations. However, the Breusch–Pagan test for Heteroskedasticity yield did not provide an acceptable result (Chi-Square = 5.389, df = 1, sig. = 0.020), so the HC3 estimator was used for controlling heteroskedasticity (Cai & Hayes, 2008).

Interview study

Sample

The sample spread of the interview study was formed using the statistical data (Sotkanet Indicator Bank, 2019). Finnish municipalities were divided into four clusters by using k-means clustering, based on the indicators for child welfare notifications and supplementary social assistance. In the case of each cluster, one municipality was selected from Western Finland, Southern Finland, and Northern and Eastern Finland, together with one municipality with less than 10,000 inhabitants, one medium-sized municipality, and one larger city. Two selected municipalities refused to participate in the study, and new corresponding municipalities from were chosen in their place.

Interviews and participants

Our goal was to interview two social workers from each municipality participating in the study: one being responsible for adult social work and a second for child protection services. Only one interviewee was obtained from two municipalities, and three people were interviewed in one municipality, so a total of 23 social workers were interviewed. Thirteen of the interviews were conducted as one-on-one interviews, and the rest as couple interviews at the request of the interviewees. The interviews were agreed on using e-mail or telephone, and were carried out as a virtual conference in the spring of 2022. All interviews were conducted by one of the authors, and their duration was 45 minutes on average.

The age of the interviewees ranged from 38 to 64 years (52 years on average). Most of them (20/23) were women. The interviewees had long work experience in social work, all with at least three years of experience. Only three had less than 10 years of experience, and half (12/23) had at least 20 years.

The interviews were carried out in line with a qualitative attitude approach (Peltola & Vesala, 2013), using ready-made statements to stimulate argumentative discourse. The statements were presented using the same wording in each interview. The interviewees were asked to present their position on the statements and to justify it. After that, the interview proceeded freely, and the interviewer asked spontaneous additional questions to clarify or expand on issues that were raised and to obtain a rich depth of data. The interviews contained a total of 10 statements about the significance of additional income support in preventing the need for child protection, child maltreatment and child placements, as well as queries about professional judgements, good practices and municipality-specific differences in granting additional income support. The interpretations presented in this article are based on the entire interview data, but the analysis is particularly focused on this statement: ´Child placement can be prevented by granting sufficient additional income support´.

Qualitative analysis

The qualitative analysis progressed from transcription to classification and interpretation. In accordance with the qualitative attitude approach (Vesala & Rantanen, 2007; Peltola & Vesala, 2013), the classification was carried out by analysing interviewees´ positions towards the statements and the justifications they provided for their views. The positions were analysed, paying attention to whether the interviewee agreed or disagreed with the statement, and at the same time, any reservations or conditions related to the positions that were expressed. The justifications were analysed by position, classifying them in terms of content. Through this, a broad set of themes related to the topic was formed, which were then interpreted from the point of view of the pathways that mediate the effects of financial support. A total of four different pathways (immediate material help, alleviating parents´ economic stress and supporting parenting, strengthening social inclusion, and the significance of social work and cooperation) were identified. The entire qualitative data was reviewed, and it was concluded that all the identified pathways appear in most of the conducted interviews. In practice, the analysis was carried out as a collaboration between three researchers, and there was reflective discussion about the interpretations that were derived from the data.

Ethical issues

The study was conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the World Medical Association [WMA] (2017). Research approvals were applied for separately from each of the 12 municipalities (or Social and Health Care District) that were involved in the qualitative study. Participation in the study was voluntary, and a statement of informed consent was obtained from all interviewees.

Results

The results of the quantitative analysis

According to the correlation analysis (see Table 2), child welfare notifications and basic social assistance correlate with each other (r = .385***). Similarly, child welfare notifications correlate with morbidity (r = .267***) and the share of children (r = −.242***). Furthermore, it is noteworthy that there is no statistically significant correlation between child welfare notifications and supplementary social assistance.

Table 2. Pearson correlation coefficients.

Variable	Notification	Basic social assistance	Suppl. social assistance	Morbidity	Share of children
Child welfare notifications (%)	1
Basic social assistance (%)	.381***	1
Supplementary social assistance (%)	.063	.342***	1
Morbidity (index = 100)	.267***	.300***	.224***	1
Share of children (%)	−.242***	−.314***	−.168***	−.258***	1

*** p < .001.

The results of the linear regression analyses are presented in Table 3. All predictors reached statistical significance, with basic social assistance at the level of p <.001, and supplementary social assistance, morbidity and the share of children at the level of p < .05. Thus, the increase in basic social assistance recipients and morbidity predict the increase of child welfare notifications. The increase in supplementary social assistance, and the share of children, reduce the rate of child welfare notifications. We also tested different interaction terms, but no statistically significant associations were found.

Table 3. The predictors of child welfare notifications (parameter estimates with robust standard errors, Method = HC3).

Parameter	B	SE	t	Sig
Intercept	4.074	1.105	3.685	<.001
Basic social assistance	.474	.083	5.682	<.001
Supplementary social assistance	−.527	.213	−2.478	.014
Morbidity	.017	.007	2.322	.021
Share of children	−.061	.030	−2.006	.046
Adjusted R^2	.218

The linear regression analysis suggests that the more poverty there is in a municipality (i.e. people receiving basic social assistance), the more there is a need for child protection. Similarly, the greater level of disease morbidity, the more there is a need for child protection in a municipality. In this sense, both risk factors for disadvantage predict an increase in child welfare notifications. However, the main finding of the analysis focuses on the reducing effect of supplementary social assistance in child welfare notifications. It seems that financial support for families at risk has a preventive effect on the requirement for child protection services. These results are valid at the system level and reflect the fact that there are differences between municipalities in terms of how much poverty and morbidity are present. However, according to this study, the municipality's investment in additional income support reduces the demand for child protection when differences related to poverty and morbidity are adjusted for.

The findings of the interviews

The social workers described the prevention of risk factors of families with children in many ways. The interviewees talked about poverty mostly through various concrete issues, such as problems of families paying bills, the high costs of children's hobbies and clothes, etc. In contrast, the concept of poverty or the poverty line in relation to the need for additional income support was not significantly discussed. In the interviews, child protection services were understood in a broad sense, including an assessment of the need for child protection, drafting a client plan, various support services (e.g. in-home support) and, in its extreme form, child placement. The question of whether additional income support can be used to prevent the need for child protection services appeared to be controversial. When the issue was discussed at a general level, most of the interviewees believed in the possibility of using financial support to help families with children at risk. On the other hand, the statement that child placement can be reduced by granting sufficient additional income support raised conflicting views (six agreed, eight agreed with reservations and nine disagreed with this statement).

In the following excerpt, the interviewee is quite critical of the possibilities of financial support to prevent child placements, and pointed out that focusing on financial support can even hide other problems from view:

It is completely the wrong approach to think that money will fix all problems. I do not believe in it. In my opinion, we cover up problems using money, because there must be very serious deficiencies in parenting and everyday life management if a child should be placed [in care]. It's as if we then cover them up by just giving them tons of money, so that the family stays quiet. I think it's pretty wild if by giving money you can avoid a placement. (Interviewee 1)

On the other hand, by analysing the justifications, we can identify some pathways through which additional income support prevents the need for child protection services.

Pathway of immediate material help

The data revealed several examples where a situation that endangered housing was resolved with the help of additional income support. The interviewees talked, among other things, about unpaid electricity bills, as well as the threat of eviction, which was caused by rent arrears. In these situations, the importance of income support is obvious.

We can influence the need for child protection in general, and yes, it will also affect child placements. For example, if there is a family that is losing their home and this has happened again, or the electricity goes out in winter and you can't heat the home well, then it is important to still be able to secure housing, electricity, heating, rents and so on. Of course, it has an impact on child placement. (Interviewee 7)

This kind of pathway of immediate material help emerged in the comments of 21/23 interviewees. On the other hand, the cases related to rent arrears raised the question of the long-term nature of the support, and what is done when the need for help recurs several times. Indeed, the long-term direct effectiveness of additional income support can be considered to be limited if the parents’ life management is not strengthened, despite being of immediate help.

Pathway of alleviating economic stress and supporting parenting

Almost everyone interviewed (20/23) also considered the indirect effects of financial support through economic stress. When the household's financial situation is secured, the economic stress experienced by parents decreases, which can also contribute to good parenting and reduce the risk of child maltreatment, preventing the need for child protection services. In the following excerpt, the interviewee describes this mechanism at a concrete level:

I think it can be done. For example, if the washing machine has broken down, and the laundry has been washed by hand for many weeks, and the family can't afford to buy a new washing machine, then I don’t doubt that nerves will start to tighten if there is no help from someone. And that washing machine can be the best help. (Interviewee 6)

In this excerpt, the purchase of a new washing machine was emphasised, but it is often long-lasting material hardship which affects parenting and can even increase the risk of violent behaviour. The interviewees also considered whether financial support for the family is sufficient, or whether the prevention of child maltreatment should focus on financial counselling and family support:

It's probably a fact that such financial pressures, stress, and such enormous scarcity create something in families that exposes children to maltreatment. That way, probably yes. But I don't know if income support is how it's done. By supporting economic activity and stabilising the family's situation through its financial stress, we can probably achieve something that promotes the family's situation. (Interviewee 17)

The excerpt above illustrates that financial stress is a mediating factor between material hardship and child maltreatment; but in addition to financial support, families at risk also need other means of support.

Pathway of social inclusion

Strengthening social inclusion and participation by means of additional income support emerged as a one way to reduce the need for child protection services (15/23 interviewees). The interviewees especially emphasised that a child living in a financially insecure household should not stand out negatively from their peer group. Here, supporting children's hobbies plays a central role:

But I think about it in the long term, so that what we do this year affects the events of the family for the next three years … And precisely the experience of inclusion, social security and these types of things, for example, by supporting hobbies or in some other way – I think these are meaningful. (Interviewee 5)

Likewise, in the following excerpt, the perspective of social inclusion is concretely highlighted:

If you think that in your circle of friends, one has money and buys something nice every day and the other has nothing at all, then yes, maybe something will happen … There may be bullying. Or if the clothes aren't the same or as nice as the others. (Interviewee 6)

Support for inclusion was discussed in the interviews from different perspectives. The interviewees emphasised the child's inclusion in relation to their peer group, but also from the broader concept of social participation, i.e. that family members feel that they are part of society. One part of this is that additional income support can be used to support the parent's employment, for example by paying for commuting expenses.

The importance of social work and cooperation practices

Along with the pathways related to the family and children's situation and family dynamics, we also identified the importance of social work and it´s cooperation practices. This emerged in the case of 15/23 interviewees. First, the interviewees pointed out that sometimes various risk factors of families and the need for child protection become apparent during the processing of applications for additional income support. This offers an opportunity to assess the situation of the child and the family and to plan appropriate support measures. Second, the importance of communication and professional cooperation between the social workers of child protection services and the social workers of social welfare services who process applications was emphasised. Through professional cooperation, financial support and family support services can form a planned entity that also prevents child maltreatment and the need for child protection services.

Summary

Overall, the qualitative analysis gives indications that additional income support may prevent the need for child protection services in many ways. Identified pathways are shown in Figure 1. The figure is based on the extensive experience of social work professionals, but it should not be interpreted as a description of causal relationships.

Figure 1. Pathways through which additional income support prevents the need for child protection services.

Discussion

Main findings and a reflection on the results

Both of our hypotheses were supported, i.e. (1) poverty has a positive association with the need for child protection services at the municipality level, and (2) additional income support buffers the effect of poverty. According to our qualitative analysis, the effect of additional income support on the need for child protection services mediates through different pathways. Financial support can help in situations requiring immediate material help, reduce parents’ economic stress and support their parenting, as well as increase the social inclusion of children and their parents. The cooperation related to the processing of additional income support applications further opens the possibility of a comprehensive assessment of the situation of a family and planned support measures.

Studies have shown that household economic insecurity increases the risk of child maltreatment (Conrad-Hiebner & Byram, 2020; Hunter & Flores, 2021; Walsh et al., 2019; Yang, 2015), and social and economic policy measures that support at-risk families can prevent the risk of child maltreatment (Austin et al., 2020). Prior work has also found a community-level association between socio-economic circumstances and the number of children placed in out-of-home care (Lotspeich et al., 2020). Our results are in line with these studies. In particular, the study advocates investing in means-tested additional income support, which also considers social aspects in the need for financial support to reduce the need for child protection services.

Researchers have identified the significance of socio-economic factors in terms of health inequality (Hoffmann et al., 2022; Whitehead et al., 2016), as well as the effects of poor child health on, for example, child abuse (Seppȁlȁ et al., 2021). Correspondingly, the present study found a positive association between poverty and morbidity, as well as morbidity and the number of child welfare notifications. Thus, the public health perspective can also be essential in supporting families at risk and in preventing the need for child protection service intervention.

Previous studies have further identified various pathways through which socio-economic circumstances influence children´s health (Pearce et al., 2019) and the risk of child maltreatment (Pelton, 2015). In this study, we found a pathway that focuses on material living conditions and especially on securing housing. A second pathway relates to the negative impact of economic stress on parenting and the resulting risk of maltreatment (see Conrad-Hiebner & Byram, 2020; Pearce et al., 2019). Furthermore, our study highlighted the significance of social inclusion in reducing the need for child protection services. The financial support of the child's hobbies was particularly emphasised as one way to prevent the child's social isolation from their peer group.

The assessment and decision-making related to additional income support can also act as a way through which the family's social risk situation becomes known to social workers. This makes it possible to support the family in the future, and thereby, in some cases, also prevent the need for child protection interventions. In turn, the significance of financial counselling and financial social work can be central in preventing financial problems, such as recurring rent arrears. Accordingly, the qualitative data emphasised the importance of cooperation. Conrad-Hiebner and Byram (2020) have argued that child welfare agencies should collaborate with organisations that address economic insecurity, including housing authorities and job placement agencies. In this study, the cooperation between the child protection social workers and the social workers responsible for the income support decision was particularly emphasised and enabled decision-making in the best interests of the child.

Previous research on the risk factors and protective factors of child maltreatment has shown the importance of interventions, not only at the individual and family level, but also at the community and societal level (Austin et al., 2020). Consistent with this, the present study indicates that along with the family's financial situation, poverty is also related to psychosocial factors and belonging to the community. The effects of poverty and additional income support were significant at the municipal level, which leads us to recommend policy-level interventions and regional solutions. The financial support of families at risk must especially be seen from a broad perspective, which also includes child welfare, social policy and public health dimensions.

Limitations

Some limitations associated with the study should be acknowledged. First, while the data used open two perspectives on the significance of additional income support, it does not provide reliable evidence of effectiveness at the individual or family level. As a second consideration, the research is limited to Finland, and the results cannot be directly applied to other countries, especially if their social welfare system and child protection services are essentially different from the Finnish system. Third, the interviews were carried out in 2022, before the health and social services reform that entered into force in Finland in 2023, within which child protection services and additional income support were transferred to the responsibility of well-being services regions. This is a major change regarding the organisation of public services, which also affects the practices in child protection services and adult social work. As such, further research is required to confirm these findings in the current setting. However, it will take a few years before the new practices become established in the regions and reliable statistical data can be obtained from them.

Furthermore, the significance of ethnic background is limited outside the scope of our study. Several studies in North America and Europe have revealed the existence of structural racial disparities in child welfare systems (Cenat et al., 2021), and also in Finland, children with an immigrant background are overrepresented among children placed out-of-home (Anis & Malin, 2023). However, the Sotkanet database used does not contain information on the ethnicity of child welfare clients, nor did the topic come up in interviews with social workers.

Conclusion

The study shows that material hardship contributes to the number of child welfare notifications, and yet, additional income support buffers this relationship. Although material deprivation is only one factor that features in the need for child protection services, the study recommends paying attention to the financial support of families at risk. According to the results, investment in additional income support reduces the demand for child protection services when differences related to poverty and morbidity are adjusted for. The qualitative analysis, in turn, shows that this effect is mediated through several different pathways. However, helping families at risk requires planned and long-term support that combines financial and psychosocial support. The cooperation between child protection social work and other actors is also a key consideration in this context.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (Finland) [grant number VN/13990/2021] and Strategic Research Council at the Academy of Finland [grant number 327169, 327145, 352506, 352501].

Notes on contributors

Teemu Rantanen

Teemu Rantanen (Dr. Soc. Sc.) is a Principal lecturer at the Laurea University of Applied Sciences and an Adjunct Professor in social psychology at the University of Helsinki. His research interests focus on the attitudes study, desistance from crime and the factors related to the adoption of new technology in health and social care. His latest publications concern digital inclusion of vulnerable groups and social welfare.

Tarja Juvonen

Tarja Juvonen (Dr. Soc. Sc., Licenced Social Worker) is a Principal Lecturer at the Laurea University of Applied Sciences. She has also been working as a social worker among various areas of social work. Her research interests include social work practice and vulnerable youth and families. Her latest academic publications are concerning homesickness among migrant youth, economic abuse among young people and the use of the Mess Mapping™ tool for collectively understanding, visualising and aiding in decision-making related to the complexities of socially oriented design research.

Kari Eklund

Kari Eklund (M. Soc. Sc.) is a Senior Lecturer at the Laurea University of Applied Sciences. His research interests focus on issues and questions related to gender and intersectionality in social work.

Timo Toikko

Timo Toikko (Dr. Soc. Sc.) is a Professor of Social Work, and the Head of the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland. His research interests are focused on citizens’ attitudes towards the state’s responsibility for welfare. His current research project addresses the child protection system.