Reasons for a Child to be Taken into Care

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Reasons for a Child to be Taken into Care

Many different factors may mean a child is taken into care.
All foster children and young people have their own unique care plan.
Fostering provides them with a safe, loving, and nurturing home to grow.

Understanding the reasons why a child may be taken into care is a great way to grasp why foster care is so important and why we are always looking for new carers to join our team. National fostering statistics found that there are currently 55,000 children and young people living with carers across England. These children are from all backgrounds and will vary in age but all will have one thing in common, that they can no longer remain living with their birth parents.

There are many reasons why social services may take a child into care. Some of the most common include:

Abuse

If a child has been abused or is at serious risk of being abused, they will be taken into care. This applies to any type of abuse, be it physical, emotional, or sexual. Physical abuse is the most common type of abuse and often comes to light when social services spot unusual bruising or other forms of harm. Emotional abuse, although just as common, is much harder to prove. It can occur in the form of name-calling, belittling, bullying, or any type of action that makes someone feel unsafe. This has become more prevalent for children being bullied via the internet.

All forms of abuse affect children in their development and it can often mean that they struggle to form trusting relationships with others. Their negative life experiences impact their behaviour as well as their sense of identity and self. Fostering means that you look after a child knowing that they will need additional love, support, and patience to help them overcome their past traumas.

Neglect

There are many different forms of neglect and all are serious. Children may be physically neglected for their basic needs such as food, care, a clean home, and other essentials. Children rely on their parents to provide them with the necessities, denying them this is in fact, a form of abuse. Other types of neglect include emotional, when a child’s needs are ignored, and medical, where a child’s health is not prioritised.

All forms of neglect can damage a child’s physical and mental wellbeing. Often, neglected children will have fallen behind in regards to their education and may struggle to read, talk, or process emotions. Foster carers provide more than just a home, they assist in guiding a young person’s personal development and growth too.

Abandonment

Children who have been abandoned will enter the care system to be fostered. Abandonment can be as extreme as deserting a child or it could mean leaving a child home alone for long periods without caring for them. Absent parents are not providing the full support and care a child needs to be healthy and happy and therefore fostering is an alternative.

Illness

Illness or disability (including mental health issues) can mean that a parent is not able to provide full, adequate care to meet a child’s needs. Alternatively, a child may have complex health needs or a disability that means a parent is struggling to provide the correct care. In both circumstances, fostering provides a home for a child where all of their care needs are met. As circumstances differ between families, there are different types of fostering to help cater to the unique needs of the child’s care plan.

Other reasons for a child to be taken into care can include family dysfunction, death of parents, incarceration, or drug and alcohol abuse. Although each child is unique and has a differing set of needs, all children need to be nurtured, loved, and cared for.

Knowing why children may be put in care is important and helps foster parents to understand and relate to their foster child or children. If you’re interested in doing something amazing, enquire about becoming a foster carer today. Full support and training are provided. Give us a call on 03301 239355, send an email to info@fusionfostering.com, or fill out our contact form to get in touch.