A new study led by Swansea University has mapped international evidence on the outcomes of children who grow up in out-of-home care.
Drawing on 77 reviews, published between January 2013 and July 2024, research, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), shows which areas of children’s lives are well documented and where significant gaps remain in the global evidence base.
While mental health, behaviour and placement experiences dominate the evidence, far less is known about outcomes linked to identity, bullying, mortality and early education processes. Community influences, such as schools and neighbourhoods, were rarely examined.
This lack of data has real world consequences. Children in care remain a particularly vulnerable group with complex needs stemming from adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse and neglect, and systemic disadvantages. Without a complete picture of their social and civic lives, policy decisions risk focusing only on clinical symptoms rather than the factors that help a young person integrate and thrive in their community.
The review of reviews, published in PLOS One , provides a much-needed overview of this fragmented evidence base, helping policymakers, practitioners, and researchers understand where knowledge is strong and where further research is needed.
Richmond Opoku, lead author and researcher at Swansea University, said: “Research into children in care has grown significantly, but it remains fragmented. By mapping this evidence, we can see exactly what is missing—particularly around identity, participation, and the wider community influences that are vital for a child's long-term future.”
Senior author Dr Tash Kennedy, from the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science , added: “To truly support children in care, we need a complete picture of their lives, from their sense of identity to how they participate in their communities. By gathering this high-quality data, we can build the evidence base needed to improve long-term policy and practice.”
The study was delivered as part of the wider CARELINK Wales project. Led by HDR UK Wales, this brings together leading researchers from Swansea University, Bangor University, Public Health Wales, Cardiff University, and the University of Manchester. The partnership is supported by ADR Wales and the Centre for Population Health.
To ensure the findings addressed real-world priorities, the researchers worked alongside parents and care-experienced young people from advisory group CASCADE Voices to help shape the study and interpret the results.
PLOS One
Literature review
People
Mapping the evidence on outcomes of childhood out-of-home care: A scoping review of reviews
25-Feb-2026
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.