Children involved in family court proceedings at greater risk of self-harm, study finds

A new study, led by researchers at Swansea University’s National Centre for Suicide Prevention and Self-Harm Research in partnership with the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, finds elevated risks among children involved in both private and public family law proceedings.

Family courts make key decisions about children’s care, including living arrangements and contact with family members. Cases range from private disputes following parental separation to public law proceedings initiated by local authorities over child welfare concerns. Around one in 10 separating families are involved in private family court cases.

Analysing linked data from Cafcass and healthcare records held in the SAIL databank, the researchers examined outcomes for more than 703,000 children between 2011 and 2018. Of these, over 17,000 had been involved in private law proceedings and more than 5,500 in public law cases.

The findings, published in BJPsych Open, show that children involved in family court proceedings face substantially higher rates of self-harm than those with no court involvement. Risk was approximately twice as high for children in private law cases and around three times higher for those in public law proceedings, compared with matched peers.

Lead author Professor Ann John said the findings highlight an overlooked group of vulnerable children.

“While increased risks of self-harm in children involved in child protection court proceedings are well established, less is known about children involved in private court disputes over living and financial arrangements following parental separation,” she said.

“We found that the risk of self-harm in children involved in private family court proceedings was double that of children with no such contacts.

“This is important for several reasons. Self-harm is relatively common in adolescents and while the vast majority do not go on to die by suicide, it is a strong signal of distress. Nevertheless, self-harm is one of the strongest risk factors for suicide so all children in contact with family courts should be prioritised for support and prevention efforts.

“Basically, because parental separations are common, we can underplay their impact, but where parents involve family courts, we really need to ensure the whole family but especially the children are supported.”

Researchers suggest the increased risk is likely linked to the circumstances that bring families into the justice system, including conflict, uncertainty around living arrangements and wider welfare concerns.

The study’s authors argue that family court involvement should be treated as a key opportunity for early intervention, with coordinated support spanning courts, schools and health services.

Co-author Dr Amanda Marchant said: “Pro-active self-harm and mental health support should be available for children in contact with family law proceedings. This could include a clear integrated stepped care pathway across settings from family courts to school based support and where needed specialist mental health services, tailored to the potentially complex needs of both children and adults/carers.”

The researchers conclude that strengthening preventative support at the point of court contact could play a critical role in identifying distress early and reducing longer-term risks for children.