Fifteen-month follow-up of children at risk: Comparison of the quality of life of children removed from home and children remaining at home

This is a prospective, longitudinal study of the psychological, physical, social and cultural quality of life of 93 children at risk who were removed from home or kept at home. Assessments were made by social workers who made the decisions, at three points of time. The findings show that the quality of life of the children who were removed from home improved incrementally over the 15 months, while that of the children who stayed at home remained at the same low level as at the first measure. The findings suggest that removing children at risk from abusive or neglectful homes can improve their quality of life, while leaving them in such homes generally does not. Pending further research on larger samples and using multiple sources of information, they also suggest that it may be worth reexamining current policy on removal. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.