2.1. Analyse factors that can lead to children and young people accessing foster care or adoption

This guide will help you answer 2.1. Analyse factors that can lead to children and young people accessing foster care or adoption.

When children and young people enter foster care or adoption, it is usually because their birth family cannot provide safe, consistent, or adequate care. The reasons can vary from severe neglect to emotional harm, and sometimes the need for care arises from a combination of several risk factors.

Abuse and Neglect

Abuse can be physical, emotional, or sexual.

Physical abuse involves causing deliberate harm to a child, such as hitting, burning, or shaking. Emotional abuse includes constant criticism, rejection, or making a child feel worthless. Sexual abuse involves any sexual activity with a child, whether physical contact or exposure to sexual content.

Neglect happens when a child’s basic needs are not met. These needs include food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education, and emotional support. Chronic neglect can harm a child’s development and long-term well-being.

Abuse and neglect often lead to authorities stepping in to protect the child. If the problems cannot be resolved within the family, foster care or adoption may be arranged.

Parental Substance Misuse

Substance misuse means harmful or risky use of alcohol, prescription medicines, or illegal drugs. When parents misuse substances, they may not be able to provide stable or safe care. The child may be exposed to unsafe environments, lack of supervision, or witness distressing situations.

Drug and alcohol misuse can lead to:

• Poor home conditions
• Lack of food and hygiene
• Exposure to criminal behaviour
• Emotional trauma for the child

Children in such environments may be removed to protect their safety, often entering foster care initially before long-term solutions are found.

Domestic Violence

Domestic violence includes physical, emotional, and controlling behaviour between adults in an intimate relationship. Children who live in households with domestic violence may witness frightening incidents or be harmed themselves.

Living with domestic violence can cause:

• Fear and anxiety
• Poor school performance
• Behavioural problems
• Trauma symptoms

Authorities may decide that a child cannot safely remain in the household. Foster care or adoption may give them a safer and more stable environment.

Parental Mental Health Problems

Mental health conditions such as severe depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder can affect parenting. While many parents with mental health conditions care successfully for their children, those with untreated or severe symptoms may find it difficult to meet basic needs.

Children may lack consistent routines, face unsafe conditions, or experience emotional instability. If support does not improve the situation, a child may enter the care system.

Family Breakdown

Sometimes families break down because of conflict, persistent disagreements, or complete loss of communication. This can happen between parents or between parents and children. Divorce or separation can lead to disputes over custody, and if neither parent can provide stable care, foster care may be considered.

In cases where extended family cannot step in, the child might be placed for adoption if reunification with birth parents is not possible.

Poverty and Homelessness

Low income or unstable housing alone does not normally cause children to enter care, but in combination with other risks, it can be significant. Families without secure housing may move often, live in overcrowded or unsafe conditions, or face problems providing regular meals.

If these difficulties result in neglect or unsafe living conditions, a child may be removed. Adoption may be considered if the situation cannot be improved within a reasonable timescale.

Illness or Death of Parents

If a parent becomes seriously ill or dies and no suitable relatives can take the child, social services may arrange foster care. Sometimes illness means a parent spends long periods in hospital or is too unwell to provide care.

When there is no realistic chance for the child to return to their birth family, adoption may be planned to give them long-term stability.

Parenting Capacity and Skills

Some parents lack the skills or knowledge to care for a child. This might be because they were never taught themselves, they have learning difficulties, or they struggle to manage a child’s behaviour.

Where support and training fail to improve the situation, children may be taken into care. Adoption may follow if the level of care cannot meet the child’s needs in the future.

Abandonment

Abandonment happens when a parent leaves a child without arranging care or contact. This may be at birth, such as leaving a baby in hospital, or later during childhood.

Abandoned children are likely to be placed in foster care initially for assessment, but adoption is usually considered for long-term security.

Involvement in Crime

If a parent is imprisoned and there are no family members to care for the child, social services become involved. Long prison sentences make reunification difficult, and adoption may be arranged for younger children to provide stability.

Child’s Behaviour or Needs

Sometimes the placement in foster care is linked to the child’s own needs. Severe behavioural problems, disability, or complex health conditions can overwhelm parents, especially if they lack support.

Specialist foster carers may look after children with high needs. If it is not possible for the child to return home, adoption matching may take these needs into account to find a permanent placement.

Cultural, Domestic, or International Circumstances

In some cases, children from other countries enter care in the UK if their parents cannot be located, have died, or are unable to enter the UK legally. This can happen with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children or children affected by trafficking.

They are placed in foster care while their situation is assessed. Depending on age and circumstances, some may be placed for adoption.

Long-term and Short-term Reasons

It is useful to view these factors as either short-term crises or long-term patterns. Short-term crises include sudden illness, a temporary prison sentence, or urgent housing problems. Long-term patterns involve repeated neglect, intergenerational abuse, or chronic substance misuse.

Short-term situations sometimes allow for reunification after support is given. Long-term patterns often lead to permanent arrangements such as adoption.

The Role of Safeguarding

Safeguarding protects children from harm and ensures they grow up in safe environments. Social workers assess risk, investigate allegations, and consider the child’s wishes and feelings. If they decide staying with the parents is unsafe, court approval is often required for removal into care.

Foster care can be temporary or long-term. Adoption transfers parental responsibility permanently to the adoptive parents.

Impact of Factors on the Child

Each factor can affect a child’s physical health, emotional well-being, education, and development. They may experience:

• Anxiety
• Poor school attendance
• Lack of trust in adults
• Difficulty forming relationships
• Low self-esteem

These impacts make it more important to provide stable and nurturing care quickly.

Multi-Agency Work

Decisions about foster care or adoption often involve different agencies. Social services work with police, schools, health professionals, and legal staff. Together they assess whether the child can be kept safe at home or needs alternative care.

Court Decisions

If social workers believe adoption or long-term foster care is needed, they present evidence to the family court. Judges consider the child’s best interests before making an order. Parents are given opportunities to engage in support, but the child’s safety and stability come first.

Promoting Stability in Care

Foster care offers a safe place, but children may move placements if needs change or if carers cannot continue. Adoption aims to offer one permanent home, which can help the child form lasting attachments and heal from past trauma.

Support Services for Families

Authorities provide support to help families care for their children where possible. Services can include parenting classes, counselling, substance misuse treatment, and financial assistance.

If these services fail to create a safe environment, alternative care plans are made.

Early Intervention

Identifying problems early can help prevent children entering care. Schools, health visitors, and community workers can spot warning signs and offer help before situations worsen.

Final Thoughts

Children and young people enter foster care or adoption for many reasons. These reasons can be sudden or build up over time. Some situations are caused by abuse, neglect, and unsafe environments. Others develop from health problems, family breakdown, or circumstances beyond a parent’s control.

Foster care provides a safe base while longer-term decisions are made. Adoption offers permanence when returning home is not safe. Both are important parts of safeguarding, ensuring every child has the chance to grow up in a secure and supportive environment.