Repeat removals of children – what you need to know

The primary aim of fostering is to ensure that children are raised in safe, nurturing and loving environments, with reunification with their families of origin being the main goal.

Some families experience what is known as repeat removals – meaning they have more than one child removed from their care.

Here are some key facts and research about repeat removals, and what is being done to reduce them and help families fostering in Liverpool, Manchester and other areas of the North West.

Why removals happen

Children are often removed from their families if their parents came from turbulent, unstable backgrounds. This has been happening more and more due to cuts to council budgets, leading to child and family services being downsized and scaled back. As a result, local authorities and social workers cannot work with the families to help them overcome their challenges without resorting to putting their children in foster care.

Impact on families

Having one child taken away is bad enough for the parent(s), but having multiple children removed and put into foster care can have a significant negative impact on their mental and physical health – especially for the mothers.

A study from the charity Pause and the University of Birmingham found that these women are 14 times more likely to die early than those who don’t undergo repeat removals.

Alternative solutions for families in need

Reducing, if not eliminating, repeat removals of children from parents, especially care-experienced ones, is a task that charities, organisations and affected individuals have advocated for. They have maintained that care-experienced parents and their children need adequate support from ‘corporate parents’. For instance, authorities should ensure they have the right to adequate, suitable housing and the statutory right to advocacy.