children

Children in care

For a variety of reasons, some children and young people can’t live with their parents. When parents aren’t able to look after a child, the local authority has a legal responsibility to do so. It will find somewhere for the young person to live and someone to look after them. When this happens, the child is said to be “in care” or being “looked after”.

A child's legal rights At a glance

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has been signed by 197 countries including the UK.Most parents make sure that their children grow up with care and support. Most schools do everything they can to make school a good experience. Some children, especially those phoning ChildLine, say that they feel they have no control at home and in school.