No fairy tale

Children in care are a highly vulnerable group: marginalised, often forgotten and voiceless. As a barrister working in the family courts, I am usually only involved up to the point a care order is made, but I still get a harrowing glimpse into these children’s lives.

The process, and local authority care plans, involves difficult decisions about the best interests of such children. The aim is to ensure proper scrutiny of any proposal to remove a child from a home, examine if there are better alternative placements, and what therapy might be required. The spotlight is firmly on the local authority. However, when that is all over, what happens to the children once they are in the care system? Do they live happily ever after?