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Choose the data and area of interest you want to explore and then use filters to create your table.
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Step 1 Choose a publication
- Publication
- Children looked after in England including adoptions
Step 2 Select a data set or featured table
- Data set
- National - Time series of children looked after data - 1994 to 2020
Step 3 Choose Countries
- National
- England
Step 4 Choose time period
- Time period
- 1994 to 2020
Step 5 Choose your filters
- Indicators
- Number
- Population count
- Children ceasing to be looked after during the year
- Children looked after at 31 March
- Children looked after at 31 March who were unaccompanied asylum-seeking children
- Children looked after who were adopted during the year
- Children starting to be looked after during the year
Step 6 (current) Explore data
This data is not from the latest releaseView latest data: Reporting year 2023Number for 'National - Time series of children looked after data - 1994 to 2020' for Children ceasing to be looked after during the year, Children looked after at 31 March, Children looked after at 31 March who were unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, Children looked after who were adopted during the year and Children starting to be looked after during the year in England between 1994 and 2020 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Children looked after at 31 March 47,590 48,690 50,010 50,890 53,350 55,460 58,100 58,890 59,710 60,820 61,180 60,950 60,300 59,960 59,370 60,930 64,470 65,510 67,070 68,060 68,810 69,470 70,410 72,600 75,370 78,140 80,080 Children starting to be looked after during the year 30,220 31,730 31,710 29,560 29,620 28,090 28,400 24,640 24,810 24,390 25,020 24,910 24,590 23,960 23,250 25,680 28,090 27,520 28,390 28,980 30,730 31,360 32,160 32,940 32,190 31,770 30,970 Children ceasing to be looked after during the year 32,130 32,410 31,900 29,760 29,090 26,810 26,730 25,290 25,680 24,580 25,720 25,940 25,900 24,980 24,500 25,010 25,310 27,120 27,510 28,650 30,600 31,350 31,850 31,410 30,050 29,570 29,590 Children looked after who were adopted during the year 2,190 1,980 1,870 1,830 2,190 2,060 2,710 3,070 3,430 3,540 3,760 3,770 3,700 3,330 3,180 3,330 3,200 3,100 3,470 4,010 5,050 5,360 4,710 4,370 3,850 3,590 3,440 Children looked after at 31 March who were unaccompanied asylum-seeking children : : : : : : : : : : 3,000 3,160 3,370 3,390 3,540 3,900 3,490 2,740 2,230 1,950 2,060 2,760 4,340 4,710 4,560 5,140 5,000 Footnotes
- Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
- Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Figures for 1998 to 2003 are based on a one-third sample.
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Related information
- Release type:
- Publication: Children looked after in England including adoptions, Reporting year 2023
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