No Cover Image

Journal article 22 views 4 downloads

Mapping the evidence on outcomes of childhood out-of-home care: A scoping review of reviews

RICHMOND OPOKU, Natasha Judd, Katie Cresswell, Michael Parker, Michaela James Orcid Logo, Jonathan Scourfield Orcid Logo, Karen Hughes, Jane Noyes, Dan Bristow, Evangelos Kontopantelis Orcid Logo, Sinead Brophy Orcid Logo, Tash Kennedy Orcid Logo

PLOS One, Volume: 21, Issue: 2, Start page: e0325409

Swansea University Authors: RICHMOND OPOKU, Michael Parker, Michaela James Orcid Logo, Sinead Brophy Orcid Logo, Tash Kennedy Orcid Logo

  • 71611.VOR.pdf

    PDF | Version of Record

    © 2026 Opoku et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.

    Download (2.5MB)

Check full text

DOI (Published version): 10.1371/journal.pone.0325409

Abstract

Background: Children placed in out-of-home care in high-income countries face complex challenges due to exposure to adverse childhood experiences and systemic disadvantages. While research on their outcomes has grown, the evidence base remains fragmented. An overview of review-level evidence was con...

Full description

Published in: PLOS One
ISSN: 1932-6203
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2026
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71611
first_indexed 2026-03-11T11:08:35Z
last_indexed 2026-03-12T05:33:38Z
id cronfa71611
recordtype SURis
fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2026-03-11T11:10:50.9849489</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>71611</id><entry>2026-03-11</entry><title>Mapping the evidence on outcomes of childhood out-of-home care: A scoping review of reviews</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>ed7d86e4ee6e5f3b0d46810ef83e92df</sid><firstname>RICHMOND</firstname><surname>OPOKU</surname><name>RICHMOND OPOKU</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>a4dfe07a6b18fdf6d537962b8f24fbdf</sid><firstname>Michael</firstname><surname>Parker</surname><name>Michael Parker</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>9a717d184fb8f768e462d95b91e63e23</sid><ORCID>0000-0001-7047-0049</ORCID><firstname>Michaela</firstname><surname>James</surname><name>Michaela James</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>84f5661b35a729f55047f9e793d8798b</sid><ORCID>0000-0001-7417-2858</ORCID><firstname>Sinead</firstname><surname>Brophy</surname><name>Sinead Brophy</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author><author><sid>3f6f07de33204db4c0ab665fb4b36367</sid><ORCID>0000-0002-1500-7112</ORCID><firstname>Tash</firstname><surname>Kennedy</surname><name>Tash Kennedy</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2026-03-11</date><abstract>Background: Children placed in out-of-home care in high-income countries face complex challenges due to exposure to adverse childhood experiences and systemic disadvantages. While research on their outcomes has grown, the evidence base remains fragmented. An overview of review-level evidence was conducted to identify patterns, gaps, and priorities for future research and practice. Methods: A scoping review of reviews was conducted. Peer-reviewed review articles published between January 2013 and July 2024 were identified through searches in databases including EBSCOhost, ProQuest, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Epistemonikos. Eligible reviews focused on childhood out-of-home care experience and reported outcomes for care-experienced individuals (assessed either in childhood or adulthood) and/or associated factors. Outcomes were categorised under the following domains: Health and Emotional Wellbeing (HEW), Physical and Legal Security (PLS), Education and Learning (EL), Living Standards and Social Wellness (LSSW), and Identity and Civic Participation (ICP). Factors were classified across multiple levels, including individual child-level, socio-relational-level, community-level, system-level, and other factors. Results: A total of 77 reviews were included, spanning diverse methodologies and contexts. Research was concentrated in domains such as HEW and LSSW, with indicators such as mental and emotional health and attachment and behaviour functioning receiving substantial attention. Conversely, key gaps were identified, including the limited reporting of ICP outcomes (e.g., identity and self-respect). System-level factors, such as care quality and placement type, were most frequently reported across outcome domains and indicators. Individual child level and socio-relational-level factors were consistently highlighted, while community-level factors were largely underrepresented. Conclusion: Future research should target gaps in underexplored outcome domains like ICP and indicators such as bullying, mortality, and educational readiness. Community-level factors warrant more attention as they play a significant role in supporting transitions to independence and social integration.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>PLOS One</journal><volume>21</volume><journalNumber>2</journalNumber><paginationStart>e0325409</paginationStart><paginationEnd/><publisher>Public Library of Science (PLoS)</publisher><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic>1932-6203</issnElectronic><keywords/><publishedDay>25</publishedDay><publishedMonth>2</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2026</publishedYear><publishedDate>2026-02-25</publishedDate><doi>10.1371/journal.pone.0325409</doi><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm>SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal)</apcterm><funders>NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research Programme (NIHR156826 - CARELINK Wales - Comprehensive Analysis of Risk factors and outcomes for vulnerable children through LINKed Welsh Data), UK; Economic and Social Research Council&#x2013;Administrative Data Research UK (ESRC-ADR UK) through a PhD studentship.</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2026-03-11T11:10:50.9849489</lastEdited><Created>2026-03-11T10:44:22.0124542</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences</level><level id="2">Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science</level></path><authors><author><firstname>RICHMOND</firstname><surname>OPOKU</surname><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>Natasha</firstname><surname>Judd</surname><order>2</order></author><author><firstname>Katie</firstname><surname>Cresswell</surname><order>3</order></author><author><firstname>Michael</firstname><surname>Parker</surname><order>4</order></author><author><firstname>Michaela</firstname><surname>James</surname><orcid>0000-0001-7047-0049</orcid><order>5</order></author><author><firstname>Jonathan</firstname><surname>Scourfield</surname><orcid>0000-0001-6218-8158</orcid><order>6</order></author><author><firstname>Karen</firstname><surname>Hughes</surname><order>7</order></author><author><firstname>Jane</firstname><surname>Noyes</surname><order>8</order></author><author><firstname>Dan</firstname><surname>Bristow</surname><order>9</order></author><author><firstname>Evangelos</firstname><surname>Kontopantelis</surname><orcid>0000-0001-6450-5815</orcid><order>10</order></author><author><firstname>Sinead</firstname><surname>Brophy</surname><orcid>0000-0001-7417-2858</orcid><order>11</order></author><author><firstname>Tash</firstname><surname>Kennedy</surname><orcid>0000-0002-1500-7112</orcid><order>12</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>71611__36388__857c644301214666ac31e48bff660188.pdf</filename><originalFilename>71611.VOR.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2026-03-11T11:07:45.1945697</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>2619154</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>Version of Record</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>&#xA9; 2026 Opoku et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language><licence>http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</licence></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2026-03-11T11:10:50.9849489 v2 71611 2026-03-11 Mapping the evidence on outcomes of childhood out-of-home care: A scoping review of reviews ed7d86e4ee6e5f3b0d46810ef83e92df RICHMOND OPOKU RICHMOND OPOKU true false a4dfe07a6b18fdf6d537962b8f24fbdf Michael Parker Michael Parker true false 9a717d184fb8f768e462d95b91e63e23 0000-0001-7047-0049 Michaela James Michaela James true false 84f5661b35a729f55047f9e793d8798b 0000-0001-7417-2858 Sinead Brophy Sinead Brophy true false 3f6f07de33204db4c0ab665fb4b36367 0000-0002-1500-7112 Tash Kennedy Tash Kennedy true false 2026-03-11 Background: Children placed in out-of-home care in high-income countries face complex challenges due to exposure to adverse childhood experiences and systemic disadvantages. While research on their outcomes has grown, the evidence base remains fragmented. An overview of review-level evidence was conducted to identify patterns, gaps, and priorities for future research and practice. Methods: A scoping review of reviews was conducted. Peer-reviewed review articles published between January 2013 and July 2024 were identified through searches in databases including EBSCOhost, ProQuest, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Epistemonikos. Eligible reviews focused on childhood out-of-home care experience and reported outcomes for care-experienced individuals (assessed either in childhood or adulthood) and/or associated factors. Outcomes were categorised under the following domains: Health and Emotional Wellbeing (HEW), Physical and Legal Security (PLS), Education and Learning (EL), Living Standards and Social Wellness (LSSW), and Identity and Civic Participation (ICP). Factors were classified across multiple levels, including individual child-level, socio-relational-level, community-level, system-level, and other factors. Results: A total of 77 reviews were included, spanning diverse methodologies and contexts. Research was concentrated in domains such as HEW and LSSW, with indicators such as mental and emotional health and attachment and behaviour functioning receiving substantial attention. Conversely, key gaps were identified, including the limited reporting of ICP outcomes (e.g., identity and self-respect). System-level factors, such as care quality and placement type, were most frequently reported across outcome domains and indicators. Individual child level and socio-relational-level factors were consistently highlighted, while community-level factors were largely underrepresented. Conclusion: Future research should target gaps in underexplored outcome domains like ICP and indicators such as bullying, mortality, and educational readiness. Community-level factors warrant more attention as they play a significant role in supporting transitions to independence and social integration. Journal Article PLOS One 21 2 e0325409 Public Library of Science (PLoS) 1932-6203 25 2 2026 2026-02-25 10.1371/journal.pone.0325409 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research Programme (NIHR156826 - CARELINK Wales - Comprehensive Analysis of Risk factors and outcomes for vulnerable children through LINKed Welsh Data), UK; Economic and Social Research Council–Administrative Data Research UK (ESRC-ADR UK) through a PhD studentship. 2026-03-11T11:10:50.9849489 2026-03-11T10:44:22.0124542 Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science RICHMOND OPOKU 1 Natasha Judd 2 Katie Cresswell 3 Michael Parker 4 Michaela James 0000-0001-7047-0049 5 Jonathan Scourfield 0000-0001-6218-8158 6 Karen Hughes 7 Jane Noyes 8 Dan Bristow 9 Evangelos Kontopantelis 0000-0001-6450-5815 10 Sinead Brophy 0000-0001-7417-2858 11 Tash Kennedy 0000-0002-1500-7112 12 71611__36388__857c644301214666ac31e48bff660188.pdf 71611.VOR.pdf 2026-03-11T11:07:45.1945697 Output 2619154 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2026 Opoku et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Mapping the evidence on outcomes of childhood out-of-home care: A scoping review of reviews
spellingShingle Mapping the evidence on outcomes of childhood out-of-home care: A scoping review of reviews
RICHMOND OPOKU
Michael Parker
Michaela James
Sinead Brophy
Tash Kennedy
title_short Mapping the evidence on outcomes of childhood out-of-home care: A scoping review of reviews
title_full Mapping the evidence on outcomes of childhood out-of-home care: A scoping review of reviews
title_fullStr Mapping the evidence on outcomes of childhood out-of-home care: A scoping review of reviews
title_full_unstemmed Mapping the evidence on outcomes of childhood out-of-home care: A scoping review of reviews
title_sort Mapping the evidence on outcomes of childhood out-of-home care: A scoping review of reviews
author_id_str_mv ed7d86e4ee6e5f3b0d46810ef83e92df
a4dfe07a6b18fdf6d537962b8f24fbdf
9a717d184fb8f768e462d95b91e63e23
84f5661b35a729f55047f9e793d8798b
3f6f07de33204db4c0ab665fb4b36367
author_id_fullname_str_mv ed7d86e4ee6e5f3b0d46810ef83e92df_***_RICHMOND OPOKU
a4dfe07a6b18fdf6d537962b8f24fbdf_***_Michael Parker
9a717d184fb8f768e462d95b91e63e23_***_Michaela James
84f5661b35a729f55047f9e793d8798b_***_Sinead Brophy
3f6f07de33204db4c0ab665fb4b36367_***_Tash Kennedy
author RICHMOND OPOKU
Michael Parker
Michaela James
Sinead Brophy
Tash Kennedy
author2 RICHMOND OPOKU
Natasha Judd
Katie Cresswell
Michael Parker
Michaela James
Jonathan Scourfield
Karen Hughes
Jane Noyes
Dan Bristow
Evangelos Kontopantelis
Sinead Brophy
Tash Kennedy
format Journal article
container_title PLOS One
container_volume 21
container_issue 2
container_start_page e0325409
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 1932-6203
doi_str_mv 10.1371/journal.pone.0325409
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
college_str Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
department_str Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Swansea University Medical School - Health Data Science
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Background: Children placed in out-of-home care in high-income countries face complex challenges due to exposure to adverse childhood experiences and systemic disadvantages. While research on their outcomes has grown, the evidence base remains fragmented. An overview of review-level evidence was conducted to identify patterns, gaps, and priorities for future research and practice. Methods: A scoping review of reviews was conducted. Peer-reviewed review articles published between January 2013 and July 2024 were identified through searches in databases including EBSCOhost, ProQuest, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Epistemonikos. Eligible reviews focused on childhood out-of-home care experience and reported outcomes for care-experienced individuals (assessed either in childhood or adulthood) and/or associated factors. Outcomes were categorised under the following domains: Health and Emotional Wellbeing (HEW), Physical and Legal Security (PLS), Education and Learning (EL), Living Standards and Social Wellness (LSSW), and Identity and Civic Participation (ICP). Factors were classified across multiple levels, including individual child-level, socio-relational-level, community-level, system-level, and other factors. Results: A total of 77 reviews were included, spanning diverse methodologies and contexts. Research was concentrated in domains such as HEW and LSSW, with indicators such as mental and emotional health and attachment and behaviour functioning receiving substantial attention. Conversely, key gaps were identified, including the limited reporting of ICP outcomes (e.g., identity and self-respect). System-level factors, such as care quality and placement type, were most frequently reported across outcome domains and indicators. Individual child level and socio-relational-level factors were consistently highlighted, while community-level factors were largely underrepresented. Conclusion: Future research should target gaps in underexplored outcome domains like ICP and indicators such as bullying, mortality, and educational readiness. Community-level factors warrant more attention as they play a significant role in supporting transitions to independence and social integration.
published_date 2026-02-25T05:25:16Z
_version_ 1859523199607242752
score 11.099629

Similar Items