Care orders

A care order is given out by a court and puts a child under the care of a local Health and Social Care Trust. The trust then shares parental responsibility for the child with the parents and will make most of the important decisions about the child's upbringing, such as where they live and what school they go to.

Why care orders are made

A court can only make a care order if it is sure that:

the child is suffering, or is likely to suffer significant harm
the harm is caused by the child's parents
the harm would be caused because not enough care would be given to the child by the parents in the future
the child is likely to suffer harm because they are beyond parental control

When a care order is made, it requires the local trust to look after the child and provide them with accommodation and care. The trust is responsible for the child's welfare while the order is in place.

A care order can only be made for children under 17 years of age - or 16 if the child is married. It stops if the child is adopted and can only last until their 18th birthday.

Educating children in care

When a local trust is looking after a child, it has a duty to make sure they get the best possible education.

All children must have an overall care plan, including what is being done about their education.

In most cases, decisions about the welfare of a child will be taken by their social worker, foster carer or residential care worker. The child’s birth parents may be involved in those decisions.

The social worker in partnership with the foster carer or residential care worker, needs to take decisions about what must be done to help the child achieve his or her full potential.

Their responsibilities include:

drawing up a personal education plan for the child and making sure they are well supported at school
making sure the child attends school every day
choosing and applying for a school place
making sure that there are good links with the school
being involved in any assessment for special educational needs
making sure that the foster carers attend parents’ evenings and any other school events which parents would attend

You can find out more from your local trust website:

Find your local HSC Trust

Support for parents

Help is also available from the Citizen's Advice Bureau and the Parent's Advice Centre which operates a helpline to support parents with any family problem.

Free Phone: 0808 801 0722 - (Monday - Thursday 9.00am - 8.00pm and Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm)