This chapter considers the rights of children who are looked after by local authorities. It is clear in both international law and domestic law that children are entitled to state care that protects their rights and promotes their welfare; yet too often the state has failed in its duties as corporate parent. This chapter starts by considering the obligations owed by the state to looked-after children, including the difficult tension between the need to respect their family relationships, but also to plan for a secure future for the child. It then considers children in residential settings. A long history of abuse in such settings demonstrates the failure to protect many children from further abuse and exploitation. The rights of children in care are further at risk from the acute shortage of suitable placements, particularly for children with complex needs who are deprived of their liberty. The shortage of proper provision for these children means that many are accommodated in circumstances that not only fail to meet their needs, but are also degrading and dangerous. The chapter concludes by considering the extent to which the state is accountable to children for failings in their care.