Statistical presentation

Data description

These statistics contain information about incidents, events and the status of placements. Status is per 31.12 of the year in question. These statistics are calculated at the municipal level and by province - dependent on discretion needs.

These statistics are based on persons (0-22 year old) who are registered in Statistics Denmark's accumulated register of placements of children and young persons in out-of-home care. The statistics are compiled according to reporting municipality, type of measure (with and without consent), place of accommodation, cause of placement in out-of-home care, gender and age. Age is calculated at year-end. Municipalities are obligated to report each time a ruling/decision has been made that a child is to be placed in out-of-home care. This also applies in the case of reinstatement in out-of-home care after a repatriation/ termination. Municipalities often indicate several reasons for placement of a given child in out-of-home care.

The statistic is published annually as 10 separate statistical tables, 3 registers and a NYT article. Statistical tables contain information on the number of initiations and placements in out-of-home care divided by province/municipality, type of measure, place of accommodation, gender and age.
The registers contain above-mentioned information on an individual level. Furthermore the registers contain information on changes in placement in out-of-home care, the cause of a termination of out-of-home care and the location of a child/young person after the termination of foster care.

In the period between the 1st of July 2019 and the 31st of December 2020, there has been a change in categorization of foster families. These have been changed to common, reinforced and specialized foster families. The information has been retrieved from the Danish Ministry of Social Affairs.

Classification system

These statistics are grouped geographically by municipalities and provinces. In addition, the children and young persons placed outside own home are grouped by gender and age, and by:

Measure

• Decision/ruling by the administration with consent
• Committee for children and young people without requirement of consent
• Foreigners under the age of 15 years (Aliens Acts §36 and 37)
• Provisional decision/ruling (the chairman of the committee for children and young people)
• Sentence (juvenile sanction)
• Sentence (imprisonment)
• Surrogate custody
• The Social Appeals Board's own initiative/ruling
• Decision/ruling by the Board for Juvenile Delinquency with consent
• Decision/ruling by the Board for Juvenile Delinquency without requirement for consent
• Provisional decision, (the chairman of the committee for children and young people, juvenile delinquency)
• Not stated

Place of accommodation

• Foster family from the family network
• Ordinary foster family
• Municipal foster family
• Common foster family
• Reinforced foster family
• Specialized foster family
• Foster family according to section 76a (functionally impaired adolescents)
• Residential institution, general ward
• Partly closed residential institution or partly locked ward in open residential institution
• Residential institution, locked ward
• Residence for children and young persons
• Boarding school and/or continuation school
• Own room, student residence, facility similar to student residence
• Not stated

Cause of placement in out-of-home care

• Addictive behavior in a child/young person
• Criminal behavior of a child/young person
• School problems with a child/young person, e.g. absence
• Other behavior of a child/young person causing concern, e.g. aggressive behavior
• Considerably or permanent reduced physical or mental capacity in a child/young person
• Health conditions of a child/young person
• Molestation of a child/young person, e.g. sexual or violent
• Other types of neglect of a child/young person
• Addictive behavior on parents
• Criminal behavior in parents
• Other behavior of parents causing concern
• Considerably or permanently reduced physical or mental capacity in parents
• High level of conflict or violence in the home between adults
• Inadequate parental care and control
• Enforcement proceedings or eviction
• Other
• Not stated

Sector coverage

Not relevant for these statistics.

Statistical concepts and definitions

Placement measure: The child or adolescent is placed outside the home, with or without the parents consent.

Handling Municipality: The municipality, who decide on providing assistance or support under the Act on Special Support to children and young people.

Statistical unit

Occurrences, stock of people (0-22 years) per 31.12 and sequences.

Statistical population

Decisions and other cases concerning the placement of children and young persons outside the home pursuant to section 52 (2). 1, cf. 3 (7), § 58 (2). 1-3, section 75 (1) and section 76 (3) cf. 1 of the Social Services Act, § 74 a of the Criminal Code, § 78 (2). 2 of the Act on the Enforcement of Punishment, etc., § 765 of the Administration of Justice Act, § 36 of the Aliens Act and § 14 of the Action against Youth Crime Act.

Reference area

Denmark.

Time coverage

The statistics cover the time period from 2011 and onwards.

Base period

Not relevant for these statistics.

Unit of measure

Number.

Reference period

Calendar year.

Frequency of dissemination

Yearly.

Legal acts and other agreements

Data about municipal authorities' placements of children and young persons outside the home (sections 52, 58, 75 and 76 of the Social Services Act, section 74 of the Criminal Code, section 78 of the Penal Code Enforcement Act, sections 765 of the Administration of Justice Act, section 36 of the Aliens Act and section 14 of the Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Act) is collected with warrant in: Executive Order on Data Reporting in the Social Area (current). The Order and the requirements to report the data are based upon sections 82 and 84 of the Legal Rights and Administration Act and Section 6 of the Danish Statistics Act.

The statistic is not subjected to EU regulations.

Cost and burden

These statistics are primarily based on administrative data. There is thus no direct response burden in relation to the compilation of these statistics. This is the case for approx.. 80 of the municipalities. Those municipalities, who supplement with manual reporting, do have a non-specific report burden. The statistic does include a process of municipal approval of reported data. Report burden of the municipalities in connection to this, is not estimated.

Comment

Further information can be found at the Subject page of the statistics: Udsatte børn og unge – anbringelser , or by contacting Statistics Denmark directly.