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Open research questions in Child Welfare and Adoption

872 gap statements mined from Child Welfare and Adoption papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 8,763 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • One challenge is the complexity of identifying factors associated with different levels of youth care services. Another challenge is the need to reduce the escalation of care needs. The study also faces the challenge of using a longitudinal design to assess the association between individual, parent, and family-related factors and the use of youth care.

    Early identification of individual, parent and family related factors associated with different levels of youth care services · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of evidence on the postnatal environmental influences on autism. The study aims to address the gap in understanding the effects of post-adoption environmental factors on the long-term trajectories of deprivation-specific problems. The research investigates the role of professional intervention in improving trajectories, which is a gap in current research.

    Childhood post-adoption experiences and the long-term trajectories of deprivation-specific neurodevelopmental problems: a longitudinal study of the English and Romanian adoptee cohort · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the extent to which foster care intervention can mitigate these risks, and whether telomere dynamics predict cardiometabolic health in young adulthood remains unclear.

    Telomere trajectories from early adolescence to adulthood following early institutionalization: Protective effects of foster care in the Bucharest Early Intervention Project · 2026 · DOI

  • CYFC with heart disease represent a particularly high-risk population, yet their characteristics and outcomes are underexplored.

    Intersection of paediatric heart disease and foster care status: a multicentre retrospective cohort study · 2026 · DOI

  • Kinship care is the most prevalent out‐of‐home care placement type in Australia, yet children in kinship care face significant barriers to healthcare access that remain underexplored, particularly in rural contexts.

    Healthcare Access for Children in Kinship Care: Barriers, Enablers and Place‐Based Solutions in Rural Australia · 2026 · DOI

  • While they thus help establish chosen kinship where blood ties are lacking, the analysis also shows how normative family ideals create subtle forces and reproduce hierarchies within the foster arrangements.

    Becoming an ‘almost normal family’: fostering young male refugees as a space of doing, normalizing and transgressing family · 2025 · DOI

  • However, recent studies reveal that only one-third of children undergo these assessment, and collaborative agreements remain lacking in many local authorities.

    What challenges exist within the child welfare system in meeting the health needs of children in care? · 2024 · DOI

  • There is limited evidence on how the physical health of care experienced children and young people (CYP) compares to the general population.

    Hospitalisations for chronic conditions among care experienced and general population children and young people: evidence from the Children’s Health in Care in Scotland (CHiCS) cohort study, 1990–2016 · 2024 · DOI

  • Proportion of adolescents (12-17 years) hospitalised with mental health-related diagnoses; proportion of mental health-related hospitalisations of adolescents, by level of child protection contact (0-11 years) (no contact, notification but not screened in, screened-in notification but not investigated, investigation but not substantiated, substantiation, and out-of-home care).

    Mental health‐related hospitalisations of adolescents and their contact with child protection services to age 11 years, South Australia: a whole‐of‐population descriptive study · 2024 · DOI

  • The lack of understanding of the importance of stable and individualized relationships in family foster care. The need for expansion of foster care modality in Brazil.

    ACOLHIMENTO FAMILIAR: UMA ANÁLISE NEUROPSICOSSOCIAL EM CONTRAPONTO AO MITO DO DANO INEVITÁVEL À SAÚDE MENTAL · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of studies assessing the effectiveness of programmes such as leisure time football for enhancing health and well-being of young people in Out of Home Care. There is a need for effective models of engagement for this population.

    Fancy a Game of Football?: The Well-Being Benefits of Engaging Children and Young People in Out of Home Care in Sport · 2026 · DOI

  • Children articulated a requirement for adult support in achieving autonomy (limited evidence), competence (medium evidence), and relatedness (strong evidence). The more positive and pleasant the supportive living environment is for children, the better they will feel; there is strong evidence for feeling mentally healthy, and limited evidence for feeling physically and socially healthy.

    Children’s Perspectives on Their Living Environment: A Systematic Review · 2026 · DOI

  • The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted access to quality childcare, creating a need to improve Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation.

    Lessons Learned in Providing Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation During the COVID-19 Pandemic · 2026 · DOI

  • Future studies can be conducted on the perspectives of maternal families on their relationship with the unmarried fathers and the role they play in the social functioning of the child.

    “Lobola Gives You Access to the Child”: Human Rights Violations Within Cultural Expectations of Young Unmarried Fathers at Zeerust, South Africa · 2026 · DOI

  • Lack of access to information and community support. Cultural insensitivity at ELCC spaces. Socioeconomic challenges with accessing ELCC.

    “I’m Appalled and Astonished”: Experiences of Black Parents and Caregivers Navigating Early Learning and Childcare in Kingston and London, Ontario · 2026 · DOI

  • Future studies should investigate the experiences of Black families in other Canadian cities. Research should focus on developing policies and programs to support Black families in accessing ELCC services. Studies should explore the impact of systemic barriers on the well-being of Black children.

    “I’m Appalled and Astonished”: Experiences of Black Parents and Caregivers Navigating Early Learning and Childcare in Kingston and London, Ontario · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of research on the childcare arrangements of low-income parents of young children working nontraditional hours and unpredictable work schedules. Prior studies have not fully explored the impact of family structure, race and ethnicity, and immigration status on nontraditional hour childcare usage patterns.

    Aligning Work and Care in a 24/7 Economy: The Childcare Arrangements of Low-Income Families Working Nontraditional Hours · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need for further research on the impact of policy reforms on low-income families' well-being and opportunity. The administrative complexity of means-tested programs and restrictive requirements limit access to benefits for low-income families. The paper highlights the need for policymakers to consider reforms to simplify the administrative process and reduce restrictive requirements.

    Three Decades Since Making Ends Meet : How Single-Mother Families Survive Today · 2026 · DOI

  • The gap is addressed by analyzing the 2021 Expanded Child Tax Credit.

    Recipients’ Experiences of the Evolving Tax-Based Safety Net: The Case of the 2021 Expanded Child Tax Credit · 2026 · DOI

  • The gap between the limited safety net and the growing momentum to distribute material resources to child welfare-involved families. The lack of systematic and sustained support provided by child welfare agencies.

    Child Protective Services as Gateway and Gatekeeper in the New Welfare State · 2026 · DOI

  • Few studies have examined the educational and employment outcomes of migrant-origin young adults with a history of out-of-home care (OHC), which is the aim of our study.

    Educational and employment for adults with a history of migration and foster care in Finland · 2024 · DOI

  • The study assumes that nonparent adult household members have the potential to serve as childcare providers, regardless of their relationship to the child.

    Aligning Work and Care in a 24/7 Economy: The Childcare Arrangements of Low-Income Families Working Nontraditional Hours · 2026 · DOI

  • The limited safety net. The potential unintended consequences of child welfare agencies providing material aid. The substantial differences between providers in the privatized child welfare system.

    Child Protective Services as Gateway and Gatekeeper in the New Welfare State · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies on the importance of stable and individualized relationships in family foster care. Research on the expansion of foster care modality in Brazil. Investigations on the relação between a negligência and abuso na infância and mudanças neurocognitivas and neurobiológicas.

    ACOLHIMENTO FAMILIAR: UMA ANÁLISE NEUROPSICOSSOCIAL EM CONTRAPONTO AO MITO DO DANO INEVITÁVEL À SAÚDE MENTAL · 2026 · DOI

  • 1Bold = high quality 2Based on quality appraisal of individual studies.

    Children’s Perspectives on Their Living Environment: A Systematic Review · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Child Welfare and Adoption

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) There is a lack of evidence on the postnatal environmental influences on autism (“Childhood post-adoption experiences and the long-term trajectories of…”, 2026); (2) The extent to which foster care intervention can mitigate these risks, and whether telomere dynamics predict cardiometabolic health in young adulthood remains unclear (“Telomere trajectories from early adolescence to adulthood following early…”, 2026); (3) Kinship care is the most prevalent out‐of‐home care placement type in Australia, yet children in kinship care face significant barriers to healthcare access that remain underexplored, particularly in rural contexts (“Healthcare Access for Children in Kinship Care: Barriers, Enablers and…”, 2026); (4) The lack of understanding of the importance of stable and individualized relationships in family foster care (“ACOLHIMENTO FAMILIAR: UMA ANÁLISE NEUROPSICOSSOCIAL EM CONTRAPONTO AO MITO DO…”, 2026); (5) There is a lack of studies assessing the effectiveness of programmes such as leisure time football for enhancing health and well-being of young people in Out of Home Care (“Fancy a Game of Football?: The Well-Being Benefits of Engaging Children and…”, 2026). 872 gap statements have been mined from Child Welfare and Adoption papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 8,763 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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