Data set from Children looked after in England including adoptions

National - Children looked after at 31 March by characteristics

Not the latest data
Published
Last updated

Children looked after at 31 March each year, by gender, age group (at 31 March), primary need, ethnicity, legal status, motherhood status, placement type (at 31 March) and number of placements during the year (placement stability). Data formerly in table A1 and A2.

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.

2. Category of need is the main category of the eight “need codes” at the time the child started to be looked after.

3. No new applications for freeing orders may be made on or after 30 December 2005, they were replaced by placement orders.

4. 'Youth Justice legal statuses' refers to children: remanded to LA accommodation or youth detention accommodation under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012; placed in LA accommodation under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984; or, sentenced to a youth rehabilitation order with residence or intensive fostering requirement under the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 (as amended).

5. Percentages for all mothers aged 12 or over looked after at 31 March are the number of looked after mothers aged 12 and over as a percentage of all looked after females aged 12 and over.

6. Foster placements 'not Fostering for Adoption or concurrent planning' include children in long term foster placements.

7. In 2020 there were 13 secure units in England, therefore most placements will inevitably be outside the council boundary.


Data set details

Theme
Children's social care
Publication
Children looked after in England including adoptions
Release type
Geographic levels
National
Indicators
  • Number
  • Percentage
Filters
  • Characteristic
Time period
2018 to 2020

Data set preview

Table showing first 5 rows, from underlying data
time_periodtime_identifiergeographic_levelcountry_codecountry_nameCLA_groupCharacteristicNumberPercentage
2020Reporting yearNationalE92000001EnglandAge group1 to 4 years1085014
2020Reporting yearNationalE92000001EnglandAge group10 to 15 years3137039
2020Reporting yearNationalE92000001EnglandAge group16 years and over1903024
2020Reporting yearNationalE92000001EnglandAge group5 to 9 years1470018
2020Reporting yearNationalE92000001EnglandAge groupTotal children80080100

Variables in this data set

Table showing all 3 variables
Variable nameVariable description
CharacteristicCharacteristic
NumberNumber
PercentagePercentage

Footnotes

  1. In 2020 there were 13 secure units in England, therefore most placements will inevitably be outside the council boundary.
  2. 'Youth Justice legal statuses' refers to children: remanded to LA accommodation or youth detention accommodation under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012; placed in LA accommodation under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984; or, sentenced to a youth rehabilitation order with residence or intensive fostering requirement under the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 (as amended).
  3. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
  4. Percentages for all mothers aged 12 or over looked after at 31 March are the number of looked after mothers aged 12 and over as a percentage of all looked after females aged 12 and over.
  5. Category of need is the main category of the eight “need codes” at the time the child started to be looked after.
  6. Foster placements 'not Fostering for Adoption or concurrent planning' include children in long term foster placements.
  7. No new applications for freeing orders may be made on or after 30 December 2005, they were replaced by placement orders.

Using this data

  • Download the underlying data as a compressed ZIP file

  • View or create your own tables

    View tables that we have built for you, or create your own tables from open data using our table tool