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<p>The government wants every child to be in a stable, loving home that is right for
them. One of the key principles of the legislation which underpins the UK’s child
protection system, is that children are best looked after within their families, but
that is not always possible. As a last resort, local authorities may apply to the
independent courts for a decision about removing a child from his or her family –
for the child’s safety.</p><p>We regularly monitor and assess the number of children
that come into contact with our child protection system and recognise that the number
of children in care has risen. That is why, we are working across government to ensure
that local authorities and the courts have the resources they need.</p><p>The 2015
Spending Review made available more than £200 billion until 2020 for councils to deliver
the local services their communities want to see, including children’s services. In
addition, we are improving children’s social care through our £200 million Innovation
Programme. This aims to help local authorities learn from what works in order to design
services that are as efficient and effective as possible. A number of local authorities
implementing these programmes have successfully reduced the number of children in
their care. We are also working to set up the new What Works Centre, to build evidence
to help improve outcomes for vulnerable children, including a focus on reducing the
number of children in care.</p>
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