Returning Children Home From Care: What Can Be Learned From Local Authority Data?

Research report: Returning Children Home From Care: What Can Be Learned From Local Authority Data?

Published by: Child & Family Social Work, December 2019

SUMMARY

Social workers are required by law to try to return looked-after children to their parents wherever possible and appropriate. The most common destination for children leaving care in the UK is back to their parents. However, children who return to their parents often end up going back into the care system.

Researchers from the University of East Anglia wanted to find out what factors are associated with “stable reunification” with parents, which they define as not re-entering the care system for at least two years. They studied 2,208 looked-after children from one large local authority in the UK, who entered care between 2009 and 2015. The researchers found 802 – 36 per cent – of the children were returned home during that period. The time between entering care and returning home ranged from one day to six months with the average being 53 days.