Children in care

More and more children are going into care, but less children are being adopted.

Official figures showed that in 2018 there were 75,420 children in care. This number has been rising since 2008. Unfortunately, adoption numbers have fallen by 13%. There are lots of reasons why children are being put into care. The most common reason is abuse or neglect, but other causes are stress, illness and families not being able to get along.

When social services put a vulnerable child in care, it is often a last resort. Charities are trying to work with families to keep them happy and together but the numbers continue to rise. There are different types of care including: residential, kinship carers, looked- after home and adoption.

A council spokesman said, “It is often the case that many children who are looked after have very complex needs, which may result in them experiencing a range of difficulties at school.”

There are no clear cut solutions to the amount of children in care, but early intervention could help.

Hear more from Ellis and Megan below:

By, Ellis and Megan

Corby Glen Primary School