Reporting year 2024

Children in need: A focus on re-referrals

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Introduction

This ad-hoc release contains statistics on re-referrals to children's social care services in England. This includes demographics of children referred and factors identified at assessment. 

It contains data drawn from the children in need census. It presents breakdowns and analysis not included in the annual statistical release of children in need statistics.

Children in need are a legally defined group of children (under the Children Act 1989 (opens in new tab)), assessed as needing help and protection as a result of risks to their development or health.

The latest statistics and charts relate to the year ending 31 March 2024. The standard period for data in this release is for the year ending 31 March 2017 to the year ending 31 March 2024.

Data from March 2020 to March 2022 may have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This potential impact should be taken into consideration when interpreting trends over time.

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Headline facts and figures - 2024

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Referrals and re-referrals

A referral is defined as a request for services to be provided by children’s social care and is regarding a child who is not currently in need. A re-referral occurs when a child is referred within 12 months of a previous referral.

There were 621,880 referrals in (the year ending 31 March) 2024, of which 139,080 (22%) were re-referrals within 1 year of a previous referral.

The number of referrals has remained relatively stable since 2017 with the exception of a dip in 2021 which was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools are a big source of referrals and their closures during the pandemic led to a fall in the number of children referred. 

Repeated referrals

The great majority of children referred to children's social care services are referred only once in a year. In the year to March 31st 2024, 89% of children referred had only one referral. A further 10% of children were referred twice, 1% referred three or more times. That means 7,400 children were referred at least three times in a year.

Re-referrals over one, three and five years.

Although most children only have one referral in a year, many children do return repeatedly to children's social care services. In fact, the re-referral rate increases as more time passes since the initial referral. For children initially referred in 2017, 24% were re-referred in the following year. This increases to 43% in the three years following the initial referral, and 50% in five years.  

This pattern is consistent for children initially referred in 2018 and 2019 despite the effect of the Covid pandemic.

Previous research (opens in new tab) published by the Department of Education shows a similar pattern for earlier years. It studied a a cohort of all children referred to children's services in 2010-11. It showed that the re-referral rate after five years was 50% (for those who were still under 18). 

Duration of episodes

An episode of need begins when a child is referred to children’s social care services and is assessed as being in need of children’s social care services. An episode of need ends when the case is closed and the child is no longer deemed to be in need of children’s social care services. Episodes of need exclude referrals which require no further action or where a child is subsequently assessed as not in need. A child can have more than one episode during the year, but episodes should not overlap.

Almost half of all episodes ending in 2023 lasted 3 months or less, whereas 1 in 10 lasted for two years or more. 

However the duration of episodes resulting from re-referrals tend to be longer than for initial referrals. Only 42% of episodes resulting from re-referrals last less than three months compared to 47% for those resulting from initial referrals. Re-referrals are more likely to result in episodes that last between 6 months and two years (32% of episodes) compared to initial referrals (28%). 

Source of referrals

Referrals to children’s social care services can be made from various sources. Referrals from the police are the most common source, accounting for nearly 3 in 10 referrals. This was followed by those from schools, which accounted for 2 in 10 referrals.

Re-referrals are more likely to come from the police and local authority services, whilst initial referrals are more likely to come from schools and health services. 

Primary need of children referred

A social worker determines the child’s primary need at their first assessment. Only one primary need can be reported at this point and is selected from a hierarchical list (as shown in the chart below). In cases where multiple needs are identified, the need highest in the list is reported.

Nearly two thirds of children assessed in the year to 2024 had abuse or neglect identified as their primary need. This is similar for initial referrals and re-referrals. 

This pattern is repeated for all other primary needs. There are only small differences between initial and re-referrals in the proportion of children assessed with each primary need. The largest difference is for family dysfunction where 10% of children initially referred had this primary need compared to 14% of children re-referred. 

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Characteristics of children referred

The 621,880 referrals in 2024 relate to 551,060 children of whom 115,550 (21%) had a referral in the previous year.

The number children of re-referred is stable over time at around 21%. The only substantial shift was in 2022 – which is due to the pandemic affecting the number of referrals in 2021.

Gender

There is little difference in the gender split between children who are re-referred and those who are not. Males make up a greater share of the children referred (51%) than females (47%) . Males also form the majority of Children In Need and Children Looked After. However, they are no more likely to be re-referred than females. Males are 51% of the re-referred children compared to 49% who are female.

Age

Children who are re-referred are more likely to be older. Some of this effect is just a matter of time – older children have had more time to be re-referred. Those under 1 year and the unborn make up 7% of all referred children but only 3% of re-referred children. This compares to children aged 1 to 4 who make up 18% of all referred children but 19% of re-referred children. 

The age of children re-referred is rising at about the same rate as for all referred children. The proportion of children referred who are aged 10 or over has risen from 42% in 2017 to 48% in 2024. Over that same time period the proportion of children re-referred, who are aged 10 or over, has risen from 43% to 51%.

Ethnicity

Children who are re-referred are less ethnically diverse then those who are not. White children are more likely to be re-referred than those from minority ethnic groups. White children make up 71% of all children re-referred but only 62% of those not re-referred.  This compares to Asian/Asian British children who are 7% of children re-referred but 10% of children not re-referred. 

The ethnic make-up of referred children has been growing more diverse over recent years, in line with trends in the wider child population. White children made up 66% of all children referred in 2017 which fell to 64% in 2024. In that same period the proportion re-referred children who were white fell from 74% to 71%. The level of under representation of children in ethnic minorities in the re-referred population has not changed very much in this period.  

Disability

There is little difference in the share of children with a disability between those who are or are not re-referred. Children with a disability are 6% of those re-referred compared to 5% of those who are not. 

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Free School Meals (FSM) and Special Educational Needs (SEN)

The Children in Need Census is matched to the National Pupil Database (NPD) to find which children are eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) or have Special Educational Needs (SEN). The matching is not perfect, a substantial share of the CIN population cannot be matched hence their FSM eligibility and SEN provision are unknown. For full details of CIN-NPD matching see the methodology for Outcomes for children in need.

Free School Meals (FSM)

School age children referred to social services are much more likely to be eligible for Free School Meals (62% of those with known FSM status in 2024) than the general school population (25%). 

The number of children who are eligible for free school meals has been rising over the past seven years. However, FSM eligibility is rising quicker among children referred than in the general school population. In 2017, 43% of children referred were FSM eligible compared to 14% of all school pupils. 

Children from deprived backgrounds make up a bigger share of the population of children who are re-referred. Children who are FSM eligible make up 70% of school age children who are re-referred. This compares to only 59% of those not re-referred.

Special Educational Needs (SEN)

School age children referred to social services are more likely to have special educational needs (36% of those with known SEN provision) than the general school population (18%). Among children referred, 12% have education, health and care plans and 24% have SEN support. 

Children who are re-referred are about as likely to have SEN as those who are not. Children with SEN make up 39% of children who are re-referred and 36% of those who are not re-referred.  

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Factors identified at the end of assessment

Occurrence of assessment factors

Factors identified at the end of assessment are additional factors that social workers record as being relevant in a case.

These figures are based on assessment factors recorded against individual episodes of need, which begin when a child is referred to children’s social care services and is assessed as being in need of children’s social care services. Each unique factor is counted once against a given episode, irrespective of the number of times the same factor was recorded in that episode. However, as a child can have more than one episode of need during the year (ending 31 March), the same child can be recorded more than once for a given factor.

The majority of children have more than one unique factor recorded for each episode of need. It should be noted that not all episodes have factors recorded, but this has improved over time. Nonetheless, there can be differences in the recording practices between local authorities therefore this data should be treated with caution and shouldn’t be taken to represent the national, regional or local authority level prevalence of particular issues.

Assessment factors that are more common in re-referrals than initial referrals

The factors that are recorded at assessment are noticeably different in initial referrals compared to re-referrals. For instance, drug misuse is recorded in 17% of initial referrals but it is recorded in 21% of re-referrals. The rate is 17% for both initial referrals that lead to a re-referral and those that do not.  These patterns are similar to that for alcohol misuse and mental health - they more frequently occur in re-referrals than in initial referrals. 

However, we see a different pattern for neglect and emotional abuse. These factors are more common in re-referrals than in initial referral but there are substantial difference between initial referrals that lead to a re-referral and those that do not. For initial referrals where the child is later re-referred, neglect is recorded in 11% of referrals. This compares to initial referrals where the child is not later re-referred where neglect is recorded in 15% of referrals. 

Assessment factors that are less common in re-referrals than initial referrals

Another group of assessment factors are less common in re-referrals than initial referrals. In all these cases, the factor is most common in referrals where a child is not re-referred. This group includes sexual abuse, physical disability or illness, learning disability and physical abuse. When these four factors are recorded at initial referral, a child is less likely to be re-referred within 12 months. 

Re-referral rates by assessment factor

The analysis above measured the proportion of all referrals that had each assessment factor recorded. For example, gangs is recorded at assessment in 1.8% of all initial referrals where the child is not re-referred, 2.1% of all initial referrals where the child is re-referred and, 3.1% of all re-referrals.

The re-referral rate in this section refers to the proportion of referrals for each assessment factor that are re-referrals. For example, there were 9,740 referrals where gangs were recorded at assessment, and 3,250 of these were re-referrals. Therefore the re-referral rate for gangs is 33%.

Children are more or less likely to be re-referred depending on which assessment factors are recorded by social workers at assessment. Factors associated with harms outside the home have the highest re-referral rates. Re-referrals make up over 30% of referrals where gangs, child criminal exploitation or going/being missing are recorded at assessment. 

At the opposite end, re-referrals make up less than 20% of all referrals when abuse linked to faith or belief, sexual abuse, or Female Genital Mutilation are recorded. 

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Journeys through social care

When a child is referred to children's services there are a number of things that can happen, these range from social workers taking no further action (NFA) right up to the child being taken into care and becoming a Child Looked After (CLA).  In this analysis, the levels of intervention have been ranked from smallest (NFA) to the biggest (CLA). Referrals have been classified based on the highest level of intervention. 

CINO refers to children in need, excluding children on a child protection plan and children looked after. 

Among initial referrals (children who have not been referred in the previous year), the highest level of intervention tends be either NFA (18% of initial referrals), assessed as not in need (22%) or CINO (31%). Less than 30% of referrals get beyond a CIN plan but those that do tend stop at a s47 enquiry. Only 1% of initial referrals lead to an Initial Child Protection Conference (ICPC), 7% to a Child Protection Plan (CPP) and only 4% lead to a child becoming looked after. 

The pattern is different for children who will be re-referred in the coming year compared to those who will not. Referrals where the child will later be re-referred tend to have a lower highest level of intervention. They tend to follow one of three paths:

  • No further action is taken on their referral
  • They are assessed as not in need 
  • They become a Child in Need (but not be put on a CPP or become looked after)

A child that is subject to a s47 enquiry or a higher intervention is very unlikely to be re-referred within 12 months. 

The pattern of highest intervention is different for re-referrals, when children are referred back to children's services within one year of previous referral it is more likely that:

  • a s47 enquiry takes place ,
  • the child is placed on a Child Protection Plan (CPP),
  • the child becomes looked after.  

The pathways through the social care system differ for children who will only have one referral in a year, children who will be re-referred in the coming year and children who already have been re-referred.  When children are referred to CSC, those who exit at low levels of intervention are more likely to be re-referred. When they come back, higher level interventions are more common. 

For initial referrals where the child is later re-referred, no further action is taken in 21% of referrals compared to 17% of those that do not lead to a re-referral. Similarly, 27% of referrals where the child is later re-referred are assessed but found not to be in need this compares to 21% for referrals where the child is not later re-referred. 

For re-referrals higher levels interventions are more likely. In 11% of re-referrals the child is placed on a CPP compared to 8% of initial referrals that will not lead to a re-referral. Although a similar share of re-referrals and initial referrals that lead to no re-referral lead to a child become looked after. 

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Regional variation in re-referrals

Over the past five years, re-referral rates have remained broadly stable at the regional level, with the exception of a slight dip observed in 2022. The South East and East Midlands regions have consistently reported the highest re-referral percentages, whereas London has recorded the lowest.

And whilst the South East has also reported high referral rates per 10,000 population, along with the North East since 2021, it is the East of England that consistently records the lowest referral rates.

When a referral is made to a local authority’s children’s social care service, it is reviewed by a social worker within 24 hours. A decision is then made regarding the appropriate course of action, which may include conducting an assessment of the child’s needs, providing information and/or advice, or taking no further action.

Since 2013, the proportion of referrals closed with no further action has declined, while the percentage of referrals assessed as not in need has increased, producing a low but non-negligible effect by 2025. This shift is generally positive, as it indicates that a greater number of referrals are being assessed. However, while it is difficult to determine an optimal level, sudden changes at the local level may signal issues at the ‘front door’. In the most concerning scenarios, such fluctuations could suggest the rationing of protective services.

Re-referrals by deprivation

The following chart illustrates a correlation between referral rates per 10,000 population and re-referral percentages at the local authority level. When overlaid with deprivation data, it becomes evident that more deprived local authorities tend to experience higher rates of referrals.

Interestingly, however, when comparing local authorities with differing levels of deprivation—such as a highly deprived area and a less deprived one—if both record similar referral volumes, the less deprived authority is more likely to exhibit a higher re-referral percentage. This suggests that deprivation alone does not fully explain patterns in re-referrals and that other factors, such as local authority capacity or variations in thresholds for support, may be influencing repeat contact with children’s social care.

Re-referrals and Ofsted judgements

Ofsted inspects and reports on the performance of local authorities children's services. They give one of four headline judgements - outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate. 

There is a weak relationship between Ofsted judgements and re-referral rates. Local authorities who receive outstanding judgements tend to have a lower re-referral rate in the years before inspection. Those that are judged to require improvement tend to have higher re-referral rates in the years before inspection. 

When a local authority's children's services are judged by Ofsted to be inadequate they tend to experience a rise in re-referrals in the years after inspection. 

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Methodology

Find out how and why we collect, process and publish these statistics.

Ad hoc official statistics

Ad hoc official statistics are one off publications that have been produced as far as possible in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics.

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Find out more about the standards we follow to produce these statistics through our Standards for official statistics published by DfE guidance (opens in new tab).

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