§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has conducted into the reasons for the change in the number of children looked after by local councils since 1997. [15411]
574W
§ Jacqui SmithThe Department commissioned, at the beginning of the year, the Thomas Coram Research Unit (Institute of Education, University of London) to conduct a tightly focused research study into the reasons that lie behind the increase in the number of children looked after by local authorities since 1994.
The research is designed to assess, among other things, the extent to which drug taking, alcoholism, violence and mental health problems within the family may have been significant factors underlying decisions made by local authorities to look after children.