Surge in Children Taken Into Care as Recession Stress Takes Toll on Parents

The recession is being blamed for a massive surge in the number of children being placed in care. Fostering agencies say that local authorities are making record numbers of referrals, partly because rising poverty levels are placing greater pressures on families, with the result that more parents are unable to look after their children.

The recession has come as social workers adopt a "no-risk" policy in the wake of the Baby Peter scandal, with the result that more children are being removed while their parents are risk-assessed. It is estimated that there is already a shortage of some 10,000 foster carers nationally, and there is now a fear that economic pressures are placing the care system under further strain.

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