Contact between looked after children and their parents has assumed in recent years a much higher profile than ever before, as have judgements about its merits. Important decisions regarding the continuation of contact and the granting of care, placement or adoption orders now rely heavily on evidence of its likely benefits to the child. Yet, as John Triseliotis asserts in this article, there is a dearth of empirically-based theory and of agreed criteria and guidelines when making judgements about whether there should be any contact at all, its frequency and the assessment of its quality.
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