Why do children come into care?

When a child comes into care, it is usually because their family is having problems and cannot provide for the child’s needs, or the child is at risk of harm. If no one else in the family can help, a child will need to be cared for elsewhere. 

Elizabeth Leeming, a Social Worker in our Family Safeguarding team, explains…

“Children don’t come into care for one reason alone. It’s often a combination of overlapping challenges. For example, a parent may struggle with mental health after trauma. To cope, they start using drugs which negatively impacts their mental health. That leads to unsafe relationships, co-dependency, or violence in the home.”

What are the common reasons a child comes into care?

It is often layers of difficulty that create unsafe environments for children, which include: 

• Neglect – when a child’s basic needs for food, shelter, emotional care, or supervision aren’t being met. 
• Abuse – physical, emotional or sexual harm, whether ongoing or from a single serious incident. 
• Domestic abuse – living in a home where physical or emotional abuse or controlling and coercive behaviour make children feel scared or unsafe 
• Substance misuse – when drug or alcohol use impacts a parent’s ability to safely care for their child(ren).  
• Severe mental health difficulties – if a parent is struggling and it affects their capacity to provide safe, consistent care.  
• Parents unable to meet children’s needs due to unresolved trauma or adverse experiences.  
• Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who arrive alone in the UK because they have been trafficked or have fled their homeland due to war or fear of persecution. 

Sometimes it’s a specific incident, for example, unexplained injuries to a baby, that prompts immediate action. In those cases, swift protective measures may be necessary. Other times, it’s a longer journey. Families may already be working with support services through Child in Need or Child Protection Plans, and despite everyone’s best efforts, the situation doesn’t improve enough to keep children safe at home.  

The role of the local authority in caring for children

When a child comes into care, it’s the local authority’s responsibility to make sure the child is safe, well cared for, and given every opportunity to thrive.

The role of the local authority is both legal and deeply personal. Social Workers, Reviewing Officers, education professionals, and health practitioners all work together to ensure that each child’s needs are met, from housing and schooling to physical and emotional wellbeing. Every decision made is guided by what is in the best interests of the child, with an emphasis on stability, security, and long-term outcomes.

The local authority must also ensure that children are matched with the right carers, in the right settings, and that they are listened to and included in decisions about their own lives (in an age-appropriate way).

While the local authority holds such responsibility, the partnership between Social Workers and Foster Carers is a necessity in order for a child to receive the care they need. Foster Carers are an integral part of the professional network around a child. They provide daily care, routine, and nurture, with the backing of a team that ensures the child’s wider needs are supported. As they get to know a child best, Foster Carers can be a child’s greatest advocate!

Ultimately, the goal is always to create the best possible future for the child, whether that means returning home safely, moving on to independence, long-term foster care, or finding a forever family through adoption.

Becoming a Foster Carer is an incredibly rewarding role that enables people to support local children in their community. To help them in their role, Foster Carers receive emotional, financial, and practical support and training from the local authority. Training covers a vast range of topics, enabling carers to support a child to heal from their trauma – such as Secure Base and Therapeutic Parenting with PACE courses – as well as training with future outcomes in mind, such as Reunification (strengthening relationships with birth family and supporting children to return home) and Moving Children to Adoption.

What legal process is involved when children come into care?

Arranging care for a child who is unable to live with their birth family is never a decision taken lightly and there is a clear legal process that must be followed to ensure the rights of both children and their families are respected at every step.

What is a Care Order?

A Care Order is granted by a court and provides permission for a child to have a care arrangement made by the local authority. Under the Children Act 1989, the local authority will apply for a Care Order if a child is at risk of significant harm, thereby taking legal responsibility for the child and enabling them to be cared for by a Foster Carer, extended family, or in another suitable care setting. A Care Order can last until a child’s 18th birthday when they officially become an adult.

What is an Emergency Protection Order (EPO)?

An Emergency Protection Order (EPO), also under the Children Act 1989, is a legal measure used in urgent situations where a child is believed to be at immediate risk of significant harm and must be removed from their current environment quickly to ensure their safety. This is a short-term legal order, granted by the Family Court, that gives the local authority temporary parental responsibility for the child. It allows social workers or the police to remove the child from home, or to prevent them from returning home, without the usual notice period that applies in non-emergency cases.

When is care considered?

The decision to bring a child into care happens only when the risk to the child is too high, and efforts to reduce that risk haven’t worked or can’t happen quickly enough.  

Elizabeth explains, “It varies for different children. There might be an incident that is so concerning, such as, a baby who sustained very significant injuries, fractures or bruising that isn’t explained plausibly. Sometimes, it will be that our concerns are increasing rather than decreasing. We’re not seeing any change after the support we’ve provided to parents – the child is continuing to miss school or they’re seeing a parent use drugs in the home. This would then lead to discussions, with the most likely route leading into pre-proceedings.” 

Pre-proceedings is where parents are given a final opportunity to make urgent changes with clear guidance and support. A letter explains what must change and the risk of going to court if it doesn’t. Social Workers continue to support families and provide intervention. For some, this is successful, and the children never come into care. For others, despite everyone’s efforts, change isn’t enough or doesn’t happen soon enough to keep the child safe.  

Family is always the first choice

Every effort is made to keep families together if it is safe to do so.  

“Ultimately what we want is for children to be safe within their families,” Elizabeth explains. “When children come out of their family’s or parent’s care, that’s not the end of their story. It’s almost the beginning of the next part, which is how can we get those children home? What do we need to do to make it safe enough for them to go home?” 

Research and experience tell us that, wherever possible, the best place for children is with their families. Relationships with parents, siblings, and extended family often remain the most important and lasting bonds in a child’s life, even if they’ve spent time with other caregivers. Social Workers, Early Help teams, and a wide range of professionals often work with families before a child is considered for removal.  

“The expectation of a Social Worker is to give the parents all the tools, all the help and support possible. Sadly, not all parents are able to do that for a number of reasons. Many have experienced their own trauma and challenging lived experiences”.   

How do families come to the attention of social care teams?

Most families are known to services before a child enters care. Many parents will reach out themselves if they feel unable to cope; or professionals working with that child – such as Early Years staff, Teachers, Health Visitors, Midwives, or GPs – may raise concerns. Sometimes it’s a neighbour or a friend who notices something isn’t right and makes a call.

Elizabeth explains, “From there, we identify the need in our assessment team and evaluate the risk. So, children who are in need of protection would have a Section 47 child protection investigation, and children who are in need of support would have a Section 17 child and family assessment. This would involve speaking to the child(ren), parents, and extended family about, ‘Where are we right now?’, ‘What’s going well within your family?’, ‘What are the difficulties?’, ‘What support might help things get better?’. If those children need a longer-term service from Social Workers, they will move into our Family Safeguarding team”.  

The role of the Family Safeguarding team

If long-term help is needed, the family may work with the Family Safeguarding team, which includes: 

• Social Workers 

• Adult Mental Health Practitioners 

• Drug and Alcohol Workers 

• Domestic Abuse Specialists 

• Child and Family Workers 

The team will work with parents, children and extended family networks to create clear, achievable plans focused on making the home a safer place.  

“For example, some parents find it difficult to get their children into a good routine, and that may mean they are not going to school regularly”, says Elizabeth. “So, our Child and Family Workers will support those parents. Or a parent using drugs may engage with a Drug and Alcohol Worker and aim to be abstinent as part of the plan. When goals are achieved, and risks reduce, we step back. But if worries continue or grow, we may need to increase our involvement.”  

How family relationships are supported

Coming into care is never the first choice. It is a last resort, used only when every other avenue has been explored and the risks to a child remain too great. But even then, the focus is always on connection, maintaining family bonds, and supporting families.  

Supporting children to attend Family Time sessions, and showing empathy for family is an important, and often one of the trickiest parts, of fostering. But, alongside Life Story Work, having ongoing relationships with family is vital for a child’s sense of identity, and our ongoing work is to return children home safely. 

Family Time workers are responsible for ensuring that all children have safe and enjoyable time with their families.  If a worker is observing a session and believes it is not in the child’s best interest they will stop the session with immediate effect.  This could be because of inappropriate conversations – taking about returning home, the court case or historic allegations – that the child would fine upsetting and worrying. 

Family Time Team Manager, Madeline Hartley explains, “Our skilled staff work with all involved to ensure that children are supported to express their needs and preferences, recognising the significance of siblings, grandparents and wider family and friends. Family Time incorporates modern communication methods to enhance connectivity, however, face-to-face Family Time sessions are the most meaningful for a child. Following a Family Time session, workers give feedback to Foster Carers if necessary.  If things went well feedback will be very quick. However, if something arose during the Family Time session, then the worker will try to inform the Foster Carer. This is not always possible as it may not be appropriate for the child to hear, or the worker may have another session straight after, in which case they will call the Foster Carer to update them.”  

While we know that Family Time is vital for our children, the importance for parents can be significant. Some of the feedback we’ve received includes:

“I just wanted to thank the lovely Family Time team for always being so accommodating to us and our family. We really appreciate your support with the changes that have occurred along the way.” And, “I just wanted to let you know that we had court today and that Monday was our last session. The court and everyone had agreed that we can now live with our child under our parents’ supervision, which is definitely a step in the right direction. Thank you for making our sessions as comfortable as possible, our child sends you the biggest thank you!”

Foster Carers often keep in touch with families long after children have returned home, or after a child has left their care, which is one of the most rewarding parts of fostering. 

How you can help make a difference to a child in care

Every child deserves a safe, loving, and stable place to grow – and you could be the person to provide it by becoming a Foster Carer. Foster Carers come from all walks of life and make a lasting difference to children in their communities. You don’t need to be a parent, own your home, or be in a relationship – just have space in your heart and home for a child who needs it. There are lots of ways to support children through fostering, including by providing emergency, long-term, short-term, and stay-overs (formerly known as respite) care, among many other types.

If you’re curious to find out more, we’d love to hear from you. You don’t have to be ready today, you just have to be ready to find out information and get in touch.