Care Leavers' Association

On Sunday 18 October, The Observer reported that the recession is being blamed for the huge surge in the number of children being taken into care.

Rising poverty levels, which put pressure on parents and mean that some are no longer able to look after their own children, have coincided with the fall out from the Baby P case. As a result of the Baby P case, more children are being removed from their families, whilst their parents are risk-assessed.

There are worries that this rise in the number of children being taken in care is placing strain on a system that is already stretched; there is currently a shortage of around 10,000 foster carers in the UK.

Read the full story here: Observer: Rise in Children Taken into Care