Family Reunification and Labour Market Attachment of Parents With Children in Out‐of‐Home Care in Sweden: Findings From the SWIFT90 Cohort Study

ABSTRACT

This study examines the association between family reunification and parental labour market attachment (LMA) (i.e., core workforce, student, insecure workforce or ‘Not in Education, Employment or Training’ [NEET]) among parents whose children experienced out‐of‐home care (OHC) in Sweden. Using data from the population‐based Swedish Families of the 1990s (SWIFT90) cohort ( N  = 11 907), we examined parental labour market outcomes 3 years before and 3 years after their child's first OHC placement episode. Descriptive analysis and conditional transition probabilities between LMA states were presented. Multinomial logistic regression models and the corresponding predictive probabilities were used to estimate the association between reunification status and LMA 3 years after the child's placement. Overall stability in LMA was observed pre‐ and post‐placement, with NEET status showing persistent disadvantage. Findings indicate the most vulnerable LMA among parents not reunified with their children. Non‐reunified parents had a higher relative risk ratio (RRR) of being NEET than those in the core workforce, compared with reunified parents (RRR = 1.24; 95% CI 1.02–1.52), after adjusting for key factors. This study extends the current knowledge by showing that the parents of these children are themselves part of a socially excluded population. Strengthening parental outcomes may require integrating employment‐focused support within child welfare services to address the structural barriers that persist beyond reunification.