Before and after out-of-home placement: Child health, education and crime

Petra Gram Cavalca, Mette Ejrnaes and Mette Goertz
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Petra Gram Cavalca: Danish Ministry of Finance
Mette Ejrnaes: University of Copenhagen and CEBI, Department of Economics
Mette Goertz: University of Copenhagen and CEBI, Department of Economics
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Mette Gørtz

No 22-22, CEBI working paper series from University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. The Center for Economic Behavior and Inequality (CEBI)

Abstract: We investigate the short-term impact of the first placement in out-of-home care on child health, schooling and crime. Using administrative data and an event study, we document the development in outcomes for the average child in care. We find that primary health care utilization rises temporarily when entering care before returning to pre-intervention levels. School absenteeism and criminal charges decline markedly after placement and remain lower than preplacement levels within two years of placement. Using monthly data, we infer that the decision to place a child in care may be triggered by acute events such as hospitalization or criminality.

Keywords: Child protection; health; schooling; crime; event study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H75 I14 I21 I38 J12 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 53
Date: 2026-04-17
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur, nep-hea and nep-ure
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:kud:kucebi:2222

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