The Importance Of Foster Care In The UK

This is a common occurrence within the UK, currently there are over 69,540 children were in the care of local authorities on 31st March 2015 and that number is said to be growing and when I child id taken into care then the responsibility of local authority to look after a child Physical, intellectual, emotional and social needs within the family home as stated by the Children’s Act 1989 and 2004. However, there can be times where this is not possible and the local authority like social workers and other bodies will then have to step in and protect the child and place a care order on the child in order to make sure that they are taken care off by either relative or foster carer; there children are called children who are being ‘looked after’.
Any children who is being suspected of being neglected or abused or maltreated then that local authority will conduct researching looking into the allegations but if there is solid evidence that this is the case then social workers will take these children away and place them into emergency foster care until they can find a permeate home for these children that is not with their parents who abused them. This is because under the children’s act it states that children have the right to be “safe and protected from harm or abuse”. Therefore it is down to social workers are other authorities figures within the children’s lives to make sure that they remove a child who is being harmed from their parents. Moreover, another reason as to why children might be removed from their homes is due to their own health and or stability. If a child is mentally ill or has a long term illness then that will mean that the child will have to spend long period of time in either a psychiatric hospital or a children hospital getting better. This will mean that even though children’s services did not come to take the children away but they are having to not be under the care of their parents due to their
This is a great concern as some children be either abusive or violent towards their parents, siblings or family members and as a result it will mean that some parents might ask family services to help then with their child who has behaviour problems as they pose a threat to themselves and everyone around them. Therefore, these children will be removed until they sort out what ever issues that they have and would have to stay in a detention centre until they can prove to professionals that they are not presenting behaviour problems anymore and they will be brought back to their parents. Moreover, another reason could be that a parents is look after a child who a saver learning difficulties and requires intensive care 24/7 then sometimes if parents have other children they have to look after or they can’t cope with the demand of looking after a child who is severely disabled child and they can ask local authority if they can have help with the child or ask for the child to be look after in special facilities that is cared to their child care for a short period or an extended time. This will allow time for the parent to get the respite care that they require in order to be able to decide if they want their child back or if it would be better for the child to stay in care of others.
In conclusion there are many reason as to why children are asked to be looked after