The threshold of child protection notifications is higher in municipalities with a high level of risk factors – Is this evidence of the inverse intervention law?

Abstract

BackgroundChild protection notifications aim to secure the wellbeing of children. However, there is a large variation in the implementation of notifications across the municipalities in Finland. ObjectiveThis article explores whether the threshold of child protection notifications is higher in municipalities with a high level of socio-economic risk factors, as assumed by the inverse intervention law. Participants and settingThe study is based on the system-level data of Finnish municipalities, and their socio-economic indicators for the period of 2010–2021. MethodsA cluster analysis is used to group Finnish municipalities, based on the level of socio-economic risk factors, and a panel regression analysis, to verify whether these factors act as risk factors or as driving forces of inverse intervention law. ResultsThe municipalities with a high level of risk factors have the higher threshold level for child protection notifications compared to other municipalities. In all municipalities, the share of single-parent families acts as a risk factor, while the share of residents with higher education acts as a driver of the inverse intervention law. Reduction of unemployment and income inequalities are also recognised as drivers of this law, but only in municipalities with a relatively higher level of risk factors. ConclusionsThis study promotes the inverse intervention law, and contribute to the understanding of the driving forces of this law. Further, there is a difference in the threshold level of child protection notifications among municipalities which is based on their socio-economic context. Children are in an unequal position in relation to the municipality in which they live.