Detection of children at risk of maltreatment: longitudinal understanding of teachers’ concern for children’s home situation in Sweden

The purpose of the study is to understand how kindergarten teachers’ concerns about children’s home situation can identify children who are at risk of neglect over time, from kindergarten to early school age. The researchers investigate both temporary and persistent concerns among teachers and what factors may affect these, such as the child’s development, parental socioeconomic status, and teacher-parent contact. Using a bioecological approach, the study seeks to shed light on how different person, process and context factors can contribute to a better understanding of children’s vulnerability. The research questions are:

1. What characterises the different categories of teacher-assessed concern about children’s home situation: no concern, temporary concern (in kindergarten or school), and persistent concern (from kindergarten to school)?
2. How are factors related to the child’s personal characteristics, processes and context associated with teachers’ temporary concerns (in kindergarten or school) and persistent concerns (from kindergarten to school) about children’s home situation?

The results show that teachers’ concerns about children’s home situation correlates with several risk factors, including the child’s gender, social development, and parental income and level of education. Children associated with persistent concerns often faced challenges in social development and school performance. The study also found that weak teacher-parent contact is a key factor in relation to persistent concerns, especially for boys and children with disabilities. The study highlights the importance of good collaboration between teachers and parents in order to identify children at risk of neglect at an early stage.

The investigation is a longitudinal study that uses data collected from Swedish teachers and parents at three points in time over a five-year period, where children transitioned from kindergarten to school. Data were collected through questionnaires where teachers assessed concerns about the children’s home situation, including parental care, child safety and living conditions. For the analysis, the researchers used multinomial logistic regressions to identify which factors independently contribute to temporary and persistent concerns related to children’s home situation.

Persdotter, B., Landstedt, E., & Hellfeldt, K. (2024). Detection of children at risk of maltreatment: longitudinal understanding of teachers’ concern for children’s home situation in Sweden. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 32(2), 266–280.

Online year: 2023

Issue year: 2024

Review year: 2023