Children and young people come into care from a wide variety of situations, and most of the time, the plan is for the child to return to their family as quickly as possible. However, this is not always possible, and the child or young person may need on-going support until they reach adult life.

Reasons children enter care are:

There are a variety of reasons why children and young people enter care

• Children may be at risk of harm for example, physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect
• The child’s parents may have agreed – for example, if they are too unwell to care for their child, or if the child has a disability and need support with their care
• The child may be lost, abandoned or there may be no one with parental responsibility available to care for them, for example, in the case of unaccompanied, asylum-seeking children

The child may have been charged with a criminal offence and temporarily placed on remand in the care of the local authority.