It’s estimated over 72,000 children and young people are looked after on any given day in the UK, over 51,000 per cent of whom live with foster families. Since the Baby P story broke there has been a 26 per cent rise in the number of care proceedings, and while it’s unlikely that all of these children will be taken into care, some of them who might otherwise have remained with their parents will be removed from the family home. For many children it’s a disruptive and traumatic experience. So how are such decisions made, and what happens once a child is taken into care?
