CLA starting during the year by characteristics - NATIONAL
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Children who started to be looked after during the year, by gender, age on starting, category of need, ethnicity, legal status, unaccompanied asylum seeking child status, previous permanence and placement type. Data formerly in tables C1 and C2.
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Data set details
- Theme
- Children's social care
- Publication
- Children looked after in England including adoptions
- Release
- Reporting year 2024
- Release type
- Geographic levels
- National
- Indicators
- Number
- Percentage
- Filters
- Characteristic
- Time period
- 2020 to 2024
Data set preview
| time_period | time_identifier | geographic_level | country_code | country_name | cla_group | characteristic | number | percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Reporting year | National | E92000001 | England | Age on starting | 1 to 4 years | 4830 | 15 |
| 2024 | Reporting year | National | E92000001 | England | Age on starting | 10 to 15 years | 8690 | 26 |
| 2024 | Reporting year | National | E92000001 | England | Age on starting | 16 years and over | 9440 | 29 |
| 2024 | Reporting year | National | E92000001 | England | Age on starting | 5 to 9 years | 4890 | 15 |
| 2024 | Reporting year | National | E92000001 | England | Age on starting | Total children | 33050 | 100 |
Variables in this data set
| Variable name | Variable description |
|---|---|
| characteristic | Characteristic |
| number | Number |
| percentage | Percentage |
Footnotes
- Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' . Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication. However, users looking for a longer time series may wish to check for the equivalent table in earlier releases of this publication. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements.
- Only the first occasion on which a child started to be looked after in the LA during year has been counted. The number of CLA starting will include a small amount of double counting of children and young people whose care whose care transfers between LAs. These children will be counted as starting a period of care once within each LA responsible for their care during the reporting year. Nationally, for non-UASC, this has been broadly 200 children in recent years. UASC are more likely to have responsibility for their care move between LAs, due to the National Transfer Scheme (NTS), and as the number of UASC increase the number transferring between LAs (and so the number being double counted) will increase. See the methodology document for further information.
- FFA relates to Fostering for Adoption. Foster placements 'not FFA or concurrent planning' include children in long term foster placements.
- Category of need is the main category of the eight “need codes” at the time the child started to be looked after.
- '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).
- In 2024 there were 13 secure units in England, therefore most placements will inevitably be outside the council boundary.
- From 28 April 2023, supported accommodation providers in England were able to register with Ofsted and it became illegal for a supported accommodation provider to operate if they had not submitted a complete application which had been accepted by 28 October 2023. For 2024, figures in the category 'Total independent and semi-independent living arrangements/supported accommodation' include young people who started to be looked after before 28 October 2023 and were placed in former semi independent living accommodation or who formerly lived independently, and also young people who started to be looked after from 28 April 2023 onwards who had been placed at a provider that had submitted a complete application to Ofsted to operate as a supported accommodation provider by the deadline.
- Young people who started to be looked after from former semi independent accommodation on or after 28 October 2023, where the provider did not submit a complete application to Ofsted before 28 October 2023, have been reported as starting from an 'Other' placement.
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