VAUPRO Research Project
Babies at risk in the service system – perspectives on rights, experiences, and professionals
The first years of life are critical for a child’s development, health, and well-being. However, some babies are born into circumstances where their well-being is at risk due to factors such as parental substance use, mental health challenges, or family violence.
Social and health services play a key role in identifying and responding to these situations. Yet, there is still limited research on how babies’ rights are recognized in the service system and how risks are identified at an early stage.
The VAUPRO project addresses this gap by examining the situations of at-risk babies from multiple perspectives, including professionals, parents, and register data.
The aim of the project is to improve early identification of risks and strengthen the realization of babies’ rights. The study explores how professionals understand and identify risks related to babies, what kinds of service pathways babies experience from pregnancy to early childhood, and what kinds of life situations and experiences parents have in their interactions with services.
Based on the findings, the project will develop the VAUPRO model, a multidisciplinary approach to help professionals recognize critical points in a baby’s life course and act in a timely and appropriate way.
The study combines several types of data, including group interviews with professionals, interviews with parents living in a prison family unit, and social and healthcare register data on babies placed in out-of-home care during their first year of life and their parents.