National - Children looked after at 31 March by characteristics
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.
On this page
Data set details
- Theme
- Children's social care
- Publication
- Children looked after in England including adoptions
- Release
- Reporting year 2020
- Release type
- Geographic levels
- National
- Indicators
- Number
- Percentage
- Filters
- Characteristic
- Time period
- 2018 to 2020
Data set preview
| time_period | time_identifier | geographic_level | country_code | country_name | CLA_group | Characteristic | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Reporting year | National | E92000001 | England | Age group | 1 to 4 years | 10850 | 14 |
| 2020 | Reporting year | National | E92000001 | England | Age group | 10 to 15 years | 31370 | 39 |
| 2020 | Reporting year | National | E92000001 | England | Age group | 16 years and over | 19030 | 24 |
| 2020 | Reporting year | National | E92000001 | England | Age group | 5 to 9 years | 14700 | 18 |
| 2020 | Reporting year | National | E92000001 | England | Age group | Total children | 80080 | 100 |
Variables in this data set
| Variable name | Variable description |
|---|---|
| Characteristic | Characteristic |
| Number | Number |
| Percentage | Percentage |
Footnotes
- In 2020 there were 13 secure units in England, therefore most placements will inevitably be outside the council boundary.
- '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).
- 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.
- 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.
- Category of need is the main category of the eight “need codes” at the time the child started to be looked after.
- Foster placements 'not Fostering for Adoption or concurrent planning' include children in long term foster placements.
- No new applications for freeing orders may be made on or after 30 December 2005, they were replaced by placement orders.
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