But some of the explanations for removing children from their families were profoundly chilling.

In Sparta boys were removed from their families at the age of seven to be reared by the state.

There is not enough planning for the long-term wellbeing of children who are removed from their families, he said.

"This is the main safety net for children who have been removed from their families."

In the 1960s, many aboriginal children were forcibly removed from their families and adopted by non-aboriginal parents.

Most girls trained by the Watchers Council were removed from their families for a large part of that training.

Many were removed from their families, sometimes for years, while their children and spouses starved.

The nightmare began when the state removed them from their families, concentrated them in institutions.

Six children who had been removed from their families by children's services were reunited by the end of the pilot.

There are many cases in which children are removed from their families simply because of financial hardship.