We know that 'looked after children' face a higher level of disadvantage for example they are more likely to become homeless and have subsequent contact with the criminal justice system, but what is the fate of their parents? It seems logical that in addressing the number of children entering and re-entering care we need to look firstly to the parents from whom children are removed.

Social care unintentionally became a key election issue for the Conservatives through the inclusion in their manifesto of what MP Nigel Evans referred to as 'a full frontal assault on our core voters - the elderly'. The party had previously committed themselves to a new green paper, but care minister David Mowat has lost his Warrington South seat, and his role has not yet been filled in the cabinet reshuffle. The future of social care under a minority Conservative government is uncertain.