Safer in School? Compulsory Schooling Reduces Maltreatment and Associated Harms

Adam A Dzulkipli, Nicole Black, David Johnston and Leonie Segal

No at62c_v1, SocArXiv from Center for Open Science

Abstract: Abused and neglected children are at extreme risk of school dropout, poor health, and destructive behaviours, yet evidence on interventions that prevent maltreatment and its harms is limited. We use an Australian education reform to examine whether additional compulsory schooling improves maltreatment-related outcomes. Using administrative records on all children and regression-discontinuity techniques, we find the reform reduced maltreatment reported to Child Protection Services (CPS). Among adolescents with past CPS involvement, it also reduced emergency healthcare, pregnancies, and abortions. Our findings suggest school attendance can improve child safety and reduce maltreatment-related harms, with an incapacitation effect as the likely mechanism.

Date: 2022-04-30
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://osf.io/download/626b64c3acc27b08925f3b59/

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:osf:socarx:at62c_v1

DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/at62c_v1

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in SocArXiv from Center for Open Science
Bibliographic data for series maintained by OSF ().