Does the child protection system intervene too much or too little? This is the wrong question The focus of children's social care needs to switch from keeping relatively few children alive to helping them and many others lead happier lives, say Carey Oppenheim and Jordan Rehill Image: rcfotostock By Carey Oppenheim and Jordan Rehill The rising number of young children in care and on protection plans has been the subject of much debate. Research led by Professor Karen Broadhurst shows that the proportion of babies under one year old subject to care proceedings in England increased from 51 to 81 per 10,000 children between 2008 and 2016. For babies under one week old, the rate more than doubled (from 15 to 35 per 10,000 children).