Parental contact for children placed in kinship care through care proceedings

This article reports on parental contact with children removed from their parents because of child protection concerns and placed in the long term care of relatives or family by the courts. Using data from a follow-up study of a cohort of children, from two local authorities in England, it examines the patterns of contact and its associated benefits and problems. The research suggests that more focus on contact planning is needed at the assessment stage and provision made for support to be available, as needed, throughout the placement.