Drugs, domestic violence and poor mental health are among the reasons few fostered children are successfully returned to their biological family, according to a leading charity chief.

Matt Forde, head of service for NSPCC Scotland said such social problems, combined with neglect were leaving children at substantial risk of physical abuse and emotional harm.

He was speaking at the launch of the first findings from a pioneering scheme which aims to give parents every chance to resolve the problems which have led their children to be taken into care at an early age.

Most of the parents of 50 children fostered between the ages of six months and five years, took part in the with the programme which aims to help parents take back care of their children, but very few made the improvements necessary.

But while 29 parents of an initial 34 completed a course of treatment lasting around eight months, only six of an initial 50 children were able to be returned home.

Mr Forde said the scheme was successful if it enabled better decisions to be taken about the best place for a child to be.

"We know that abuse and neglect have a huge adverse impact on adult health," he said. "Eearly experiences of abuse and maltreatment hugely increase the risk of thinks like cancer, heart disease, poor mental health, substance abuse and relationship difficulties in later life.

"Meanwhile one of the worrying things is that often when a family has a child removed they get no treatment and support but go on to have another child. In these cases, the help they have had may improve things for that subsequent child.

The pioneering programme, based on a scheme in New Orleans, aims to prevent the damage to children’s mental health caused by being raised in families where there is neglect, or issues such as domestic violence and drug misuse mean they cannot be safely looked after.

The Gift scheme (Glasgow Infant and Family Team), run jointly by Glasgow City Council, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and NSPCC Scotland aims to provide all the support parents need to address the problems that have led their infant children to be placed with foster carers, giving them the best chance possible of resuming care.

Researchers say the findings are evidence that many parents are simply “overwhelmed” by their own problems.

The initial findings of the project will be revealed today [Thursday] at Rebuilding Childhood, a conference hosted by NSPCC Scotland.

The scheme is still under way and it's impact will be the subject of a full academic study, but retired consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist Graham Bryce, said early findings were revealing.

Of 50 children initially taking part, 71 per cent had suffered neglect, 38 per cent had a parent or parents who abused drugs, and 31 per cent had been exposed to domestic violence.

Dr Bryce said: "The fact so many parents underwent detailed assessment speaks volumes about their commitment, but in terms of getting them to stay with the treatment through to the point where the child can come back home is a measure of how hard parents can find it."

Many are simply unable to get to grips with what their child really needs, he said. "We are regularly seeing parents who are just overwhelmed by their current experiences, which include their own early life experiences of trauma, lots of domestic violence, mental health difficulties and other adversity."

"This way of working gives parents a reasonable chance but if they can’t get it together, then it is not right that children pay the price for that. What this method does is allows reliable decisions to be made more timeously."

Scotland's children's commissioner Tam Baillie, who is chairing todays [THurs] conference, welcomed the research. "This work can improve decision making and help avoid situations where a child is returned, home, taken back into care, and returned homee agai, which is very damaging for their mental health and wellbeing," he said. "It is really encouraging that Scotland is trying to use the best evidence available and put that into practice."