A Prospective Examination of Next-Generation Maltreatment Among Children Born to Young Mothers in Foster Care

Background/Purpose: Despite the decrease in adolescent rates of childbirth across the U.S., rates of adolescent childbirth among youth in or with a history of foster care placements have remained high. In California, 28.1% of youth in foster care had given birth at least once during teen years. An examination of offspring born to adolescent mothers in California found that 23% were reported to child protective services (CPS) by age 5. This same analysis determined that if the adolescent mother had a history of childhood maltreatment, the risk of next generation CPS involvement for her child was significantly heightened. In order to limit surveillance bias, this former analysis excluded adolescent mothers who had conceived while in foster care.

In the current population-level, prospective analysis we build on the previous California study by examining next generation CPS involvement among offspring born to adolescent mothers who were in foster care on or after conception. The objective was to determine rates of next generation CPS involvement and identify characteristics and foster care experiences tied to future involvement with CPS.

Methods: Vital birth records from California (2010–2015) were probabilistically linked to CPS records to identify infants born to mothers who were in foster care on or after estimated date of conception. The babies were followed for the first 3 years of life to calculate rates of CPS reports and removals. A Cox Proportional Hazard model and survival analysis were used to determine correlates of next generation reports. Predictor variables consisted of demographic, birth and prenatal characteristics identified in previous literature to be correlated with CPS involvement. Outcome variables included the presence of a CPS report of alleged maltreatment and the removal of the offspring, both of which were coded dichotomously if they occurred between birth and age 3.

 

Results:

Our findings indicate that 69.8% of children born to adolescent mothers in foster care were reported for maltreatment before age 5; a total of 30.1% were removed and placed in out of home care. Significant differences (p<.001) between babies who were reported or removed and babies with no CPS involvement, after controlling for covariates. Babies who were not first-borns [OR=1.48; 95% CI (1.12, 1.96)], did not have established paternity [OR=1.48; 95% CI (1.20, 1.83)] and who were born to mothers aged 15 and younger [OR=3.40; 95% CI (2.48, 4.73)] were significantly more likely to be reported for maltreatment. The nature of maternal placement at the time of birth also predicted subsequent offspring involvement.

Conclusions/Implications: This study highlights the high risk of next generation involvement with CPS among offspring born to adolescent mothers in foster care. Findings underscore the need to provide services to youth involved in foster care to delay pregnancy and engage pregnant and parenting foster youth in services that may prevent next generation CPS involvement. Further, these results have policy implications given the recent extension of foster care age limits to age 21 which will likely increase the number of offspring with whom the system will engage.