What happens when a child is taken into care?
Benefits of being a foster parent
What is a care leaver?
How to become a foster parent
How to foster a child
What are the foster care requirements
Can I choose who I foster?
Fostering with pets FAQ
How long does it take to become a foster parent?
What is the role of an independent fostering agency?
Fostering a disabled child
Whether social services remove a child, or a child is put into foster care voluntarily by their parents, some of the most common reasons for foster care include:
Find out more of the most common reasons for foster care to occur, and what happens when a child is taken into care, from our helpful guide.
There are many different types of neglect that could lead to a child being taken into foster care. This includes:
Abuse also comes in many forms which could lead to a child being removed by social services:
Sometimes in rare cases, parents can simply abandon their children with no explanation. This could be dropping the child round to a babysitter’s and never returning, or leaving a child at home for an extended period of time on their own.
If parents or guardians of a child are sentenced to jail, and there is no one who can take care of the child in their absence, alternative care will need to be provided for the child – which often comes in the form of fostering.
Both physical and mental illness of a parent can lead them to be incapable of caring for a child – which is likely to lead to either temporary or permanent foster care, depending on the extent of the illness.
If the parents or guardians have died, and there is no other appropriate adult to take care of the child, the child would then be placed into the care system.
On some occasions, parents may place their child into foster care voluntarily. The reasons for this could be due to some of the reasons listed above, such as parental illness or death of one parent, but mainly this happens when the parents cannot, or do not want to, care for the child any longer.
It should also be noted that children may need to be put into care due to their own actions, if their parents cannot take care of them or manage their behaviour. This would include:
When a child is placed into the care system, a local authority assesses the child’s situation – determining the level of care required. This care will be to ensure the child is provided with a substantial substitute home that they can be taken care of in a safe and secure environment. This may be on a short-term basis – if the child is able to return back to their birth parents, or it could become long-term fostering. It’s not uncommon for foster parents to stay in the lives of the children they foster after they have aged out of the system.
Find out more about who can foster, the different types of foster care and more from Foster Care UK today. For more information on the reasons why children are taken into care, get in touch with our expert team now.
If you’ve got any questions or would like to find out more about fostering with Capstone, fill out the form below.
An experienced fostering advisor from your local area will then be in touch.
Start the conversation today. Our team of friendly advisors are on hand to answer any foster care questions you may have. We can offer you honest and practical advice that can help you decide if becoming a foster carer is the right path for you.