Neighbourhood differences in the rates of criminal cautions and convictions for children in the care system

Abstract

The disproportionate criminalisation of children in the care system is well-recognised globally. The likelihood of this criminalisation is influenced by place-based differences in the practices of child welfare and criminal justice services. Administrative data for a cohort of children in England (N = 1,708,570) was analysed at the level of the local authority (n = 152). The present study reports that for children across tiers of the child welfare service (e.g., out of home placements or supported at home by a social worker) there was substantial variation between local authorities in the rates of criminal cautions or convictions such that some local authorities had rates that were up to three times greater than other authorities. This difference was found after adjusting for the local authority conviction rate in the general population and the deprivation rate. There is an urgent need to address this inequity through better understanding of what underpins these differences and from the sharing of best practices to improve outcomes for our most vulnerable children.