Children in need: A focus on sexual abuse and exploitation
Data guidance
Published
Description
This guidance describes the data included in the 'Children in need: A focus on sexual abuse and exploitation' release's underlying data files. This is an ad hoc statistical release and uses the annual published data from:
The methodology document for this subject should be referenced alongside this release. It provides information on the data sources, their coverage and quality and how the analysis is produced.
Coverage
The analysis in this ad hoc release contains statistics based upon information from the data collections listed above. Each reporting year covers the year ending 31 March, and our analysis primarily looks at the time-period 2016 to 2025.
The data presented in this publication is derived by linking child-level identifiers from the data sets above, information includes:
Factors recorded at assessment for each child, including those with child sexual abuse or exploitation
Child and school characteristics
Co-occurring factors and the average number of assessment factors per child
Source of referrals and re-referral rate
Child protection plans and initial category of abuse
Longitudinal analysis looking at a child's journey through the social care system from 2017-18 to 2023-24, including children looked after
Serious incident notifications, including characteristics and breakdowns for child sexual abuse and exploitation
Police recorded crime data on contact child sexual abuse and exploitation
Users of the data should consider the following:
During the period 2016 to 2025, new assessment factors were introduced into the social care system, while others were withdrawn. In the tables provided, an ‘x’ indicates the years in which an assessment factor was not available.
Due to the disruption caused by the impact of COVID during the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years, caution should be taken when comparing data to previous years.
Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals.
Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals.
Data for 2024 is unreliable for the Herefordshire local authority.
Data for 2024 and 2025 is unreliable for the Merton local authority.
Local authority reorganisations have taken place during the ten-year period this analysis covers, including:
from April 2019 the three local authorities ‘Dorset’, ‘Bournemouth’ and ‘Poole’ reorganised into two local authorities ‘Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole’ and ‘Dorset’. As part of this, a small number of children formerly looked after in the Christchurch area of Dorset were transferred to the new authority ‘Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole’
from April 2021 Northamptonshire split into two local authorities, ‘North Northamptonshire’ and ‘West Northamptonshire’
from April 2023 Cumbria split into two local authorities, ‘Westmorland and Furness’ and ‘Cumberland’
The figures relating to serious incident notifications follows the data guidance from their annual publication.
File formats and conventions
Rounding and suppression
National and regional figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Local authority figures are unrounded.
Where any number is shown as zero, the original figure submitted was zero.
The following symbols have been used in the releases (to align with GSS standards):
‘c’ to protect confidentiality. Secondary suppression may be required
‘z’ data not applicable
‘x’ data not available
‘k’ used for a value that would round to zero but is not zero, for example where a percentage is <0.5%
‘u’ low reliability
For percentages:
to protect confidentiality some numbers are replaced by ‘c’
they may not sum to 100% due to rounding
they are rounded to whole numbers except in a few instances where they are to one or two decimal places to be consistent with related publications.
For averages:
the averages, both mean and median, having been rounded to whole numbers or two decimal places depending on the source.
For rates:
the re-referral rates represent the proportion of all referrals where the child had been referred within the previous 12 months, these are rounded to zero decimal places.
police recorded crime rates per 1,000 children in the population are rounded to two decimal places.
Data files
All data files associated with this releases are listed below with guidance on their content. To download any of these files, please visit our data catalogue.
Factors recorded at assessment, 2016 to 2025
Filename
a1_assessment_factors_2016_to_2025.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2016 to 2025
Content
The number and proportion of children in need assessed with each factor at local authority, regional and national level.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
child_count
Number of children assessed with factor
child_percent
Percent of children assessed with factor
t_child_assessed
Total number of children assessed
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' .
Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
Figures exclude the category 'no factors identified'.
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
Factors recorded at assessment, no co-occurring factors, 2016 to 2025
Filename
a2_no_cooccurring_factors_2016_to_2025.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2016 to 2025
Content
The number and proportion of children in need by assessment factor with no co-occurring assessment factors.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
child_count
Number of children assessed with factor
child_count_no_cooccurring_factors
Number of children assessed with factor with no co-occurring factors
child_percent_no_cooccurring_factors
Percent of children assessed with factor with no co-occurring factors
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' .
Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
Figures exclude the category 'no factors identified'.
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
Co-occurring factors for children assessments, 2016 to 2025
Filename
a3_co_occurring_factors_2016_2025.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2016 to 2025
Content
The number and proportion of children in need by assessment factor and their co-occurring assessment factors.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
child_count
Number of children assessed with factor
child_percent
Percent of children assessed with factor
co_occurring_assessment_factor
Co-occurring factor also identified at assessment
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' .
Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
Figures exclude the category 'no factors identified'.
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
The mean and median average number of assessment factors for children in need.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
mean_assessment_factors
Mean average number of assessment factors
median_assessment_factors
Median average number of assessment factors
Footnotes
Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
The mean and median average number of assessment factors by assessment factor for children in need.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Assessment factor
mean_assessment_factors
Mean average number of assessment factors
median_assessment_factors
Median average number of assessment factors
Footnotes
Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
The number and proportion of children in need by assessment factor and by the characteristics sex, age, ethnicity and disability.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
characteristic_type
Characteristic type
child_count
Number of children assessed with factor
child_percent
Percent of children assessed with factor
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' .
Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
Figures exclude the category 'no factors identified'.
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
The number and proportion of children in need assessed as having been affected by CSA, CSE or mental health: concerns about parent as their assessment factor at local authority, regional and national level.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
n_child_af
Number of children assessed with factor
n_child_assessed
Total number of children with an assessment
pt_child_af
Percent of children assessed with assessment factor
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' .
Includes children assessed with any of the following factors: 11A - Child Sexual Exploitation, 19A - Sexual Abuse, 19B - Sexual Abuse: child on child, 19C: Sexual Abuse: adult on child.
Children may have been assessed with more than one of these factors; each child is counted once for each year they were assessed in.
LAs excluded are Isles of Scilly and City of London.
Data for 2024 is not available for Hampshire and Herefordshire local authorities; data for 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority.
Data for 2024 and 2025 is unreliable for the Merton local authority. This data has been included in the totals at regional level but excluded from local authority breakdowns.
For local authority level breakdowns, only the highest and lowest values have been labelled.
The number and proportion of children with one or more suspensions or are permanently excluded by assessment factor.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
n_one_plus_sus
Number of children with one or more suspensions
n_perm_excl
Number of children permanently excluded
pt_one_plus_sus
Percent of children with one or more suspensions
pt_perm_excl
Percent of children permanently excluded
Footnotes
While suspensions and permanent exclusions were possible throughout the 2019/20 and 2020/21 academic years, national restrictions will have had an impact on the numbers presented and caution should be taken when comparing across years.
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
The number and proportion of children who are persistently absent from school by assessment factor.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
n_persistently_absent
Number of children who were persistently absent from school
pt_persistently_absent
Percent of children who were persistently absent from school
Footnotes
Due to the disruption caused by the impact of COVID during the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years, caution should be taken when comparing data to previous years. No absence data relating to the full 2019/20 academic year is available.
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
The number and proportion of children starting child protection plans and those assessed as having been affected by CSA or CSE, including their initial category of abuse.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
child_count
Number of children on protection plan
child_percent
Percent of children on protection plan
cpp_group
Children on protection plans by factor identified at assessment
initial_category_abuse
Initial category of abuse
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' .
Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
'Multiple' refers to instances where there is more than one main category of abuse. Children included in this category are not included in any other category of abuse, therefore a child is counted only once in this measure.
For children who had multiple CPPs during the year, the initial category of abuse in their first CPP was used.
The median number of assessment factors for those children starting child protection plans for children assessed as having been affected by CSA or CSE by initial category of abuse.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
cpp_group
Children on protection plans by factor identified at assessment
initial_category_abuse
Initial category of abuse
median_number_factors
Median number of assessment factors recorded
Footnotes
Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
'Multiple' refers to instances where there is more than one main category of abuse. Children included in this category are not included in any other category of abuse, therefore a child is counted only once in this measure.
Children starting child protection plans, 1994-2025
Filename
c5_initial_category_of_abuse_94_24.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
1994 to 2025
Content
The number of child protection plans starting during the year by initial category of abuse.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
cpp_start
Total children
emotional_initial
Emotional abuse
multiple_initial
Multiple
neglect_initial
Neglect
physical_initial
Physical abuse
sexual_initial
Sexual abuse
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' .
Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
'Multiple' refers to instances where there is more than one main category of abuse. Children included in this category are not included in any other category of abuse, therefore a child is counted only once in this measure.
Children assessed with sexual abuse or exploitation starting CPPs, 2016 to 2025
Filename
c6_child_protection_plan_starts.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2016 to 2025
Content
The number of children assessed as having been affected by CSA or CSE, and the number and proportion that started a child protection plan.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
category
Factor identified at assessment
n_assessed
Number of children who were assessed
n_starting_cpp
Number of children who started a child protection plan following assessment
pt_starting_cpp
Percent of children assessed who started a child protection plan
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' .
Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
Children recorded with each assessment factor, by referral source, 2016 to 2025
Filename
d1_referrals_by_source_by_assessment_factor.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2016 to 2025
Content
The number and proportion of referrals by assessment factor and referral source.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
referral_count
Number of referrals
referral_percent
Percent of referrals
referral_source
Source of referral
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' .
Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
CSAE children assessed in 2017/18 who became looked after in the 6 years to 31 March 2024, by characteristics
Filename
e1_cla_6_years_characteristics.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018
Content
The number and proportion of children who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment, by characteristics including legal status, placement and category of need.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristic
characteristic_type
Characteristic type
child_count
Number of children who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment
child_percent
Percent of children who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment
cla_group
Factor identified at assessment for children looked after
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' .
This analysis includes children assessed between 1st April 2017 and 31st March 2018 who entered care anytime following their assessment up to 31st March 2024 (including the day of their assessment). Any children with more than one assessment are deduplicated so only their latest assessment is included. Any children with more than one period of care in the six years are excluded and if a child has more than one value for a characteristic (e.g. legal status), only their latest characteristic value is included.
CSAE children assessed in 2017/18 who became looked after in the 6 years to 31 March 2024, by placement moves
Filename
e2_cla_placement_moves_during_6_years.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018
Content
The number and proportion of children assessed as having been affected by CSA or CSE who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment, by placement moves.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
child_count
Number of children who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment
child_percent
Percent of children who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment
cla_group
Factor identified at assessment for children looked after
CSAE children assessed in 2017/18 who became looked after in the 6 years to 31 March 2024, by reason episode ceased
Filename
e3_cla_ceased_during_6_years.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018
Content
The number and proportion of children assessed as having been affected by CSA or CSE who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment, by characteristic type.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic_type
Characteristic type
child_count
Number of children who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment
child_percent
Percent of children who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment
cla_group
Factor identified at assessment for children looked after
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' .
This analysis includes children assessed between 1st April 2017 and 31st March 2018 who entered care anytime following their assessment up to 31st March 2024 (including the day of their assessment). Any children with more than one assessment are deduplicated so only their latest assessment is included. Any children with more than one period of care in the six years are excluded and if a child has more than one value for a characteristic (e.g. legal status), only their latest characteristic value is included.
Referral type for children assessed with sexual abuse and exploitation, 2017 to 2023
Filename
f1_referral_type_csa_cse_2017_to_2023.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2017 to 2023
Content
The number and proportion of CSA and CSE referrals by referral type.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment
n_referrals
Number of referrals
pt_referrals
Percent of referrals
referral_type
Type of referral
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' .
Children assessed in 2023/24 who had a no further action referral in the previous 6 years, by assessment factor
Filename
g1_nfa_previous_6_years_by_assessment_factor.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2024
Content
The number and proportion of children assessed in 2023/24 who had a no further action referral in the previous 6 years, by assessment factor.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment
child_percent
Percentage of children assessed in 2023/24 who had a no further action referral in the previous 6 years
nfa_child_count
Number of children who had a no further action referral in the previous 6 years
total_child_count
Number of children identified with the assessment factor in 2023/24
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' .
This analysis includes children assessed between 1st April 2023 and 31st March 2024 who had a referral to social services in the previous six years which resulted in no further action. Any children with more than one assessment between 1st April 2023 and 31st March 2024 are deduplicated so only their latest assessment is included.
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
Children assessed in 2023/24 who had a Section 47 enquiry in the previous 6 years, by assessment factor
Filename
g3_s47_previous_6_years_by_assessment_factor.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2024
Content
The number and proportion of children assessed in 2023/24 who had a Section 47 enquiry in the previous 6 years, by assessment factor.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment
child_percent
Percentage of children assessed in 2023/24 who had a Section 47 enquiry in the previous 6 years
s47_child_count
Number of children assessed in 2023/24 who had a Section 47 enquiry in the previous 6 years
total_child_count
Number of children identified with the assessment factor in 2023/24
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' .
This analysis includes children assessed between 1st April 2023 and 31st March 2024 who had a Section 47 enquiry in the previous six years. Any children with more than one assessment between 1st April 2023 and 31st March 2024 are deduplicated so only their latest assessment is included.
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
The number of serious incident notifications for child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation by characteristics, social care group and placement type.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
breakdown
Subgroup
characteristic
Characteristic recorded - Filter by characteristic
number_notifications
Number of serious incident notifications
time_coverage
Time coverage - Filter by time coverage
Footnotes
Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c' therefore, excluded from charts.
The rate of children assessed as having been affected by CSA or CSE, along with both the police recorded crime rate and the police recorded recent crime rate for contact child sexual abuse.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
crime_rate
Police recorded crime rate for contact child sexual abuse
csae_rate
Rate of children identified with either sexual abuse or exploitation at assessment
recent_crime_rate
Police recorded recent crime rate for contact child sexual abuse
Footnotes
The following Home Office offence codes were used in defining contact CSA: 17B: Sexual assault on a male child under 13, 19D: Rape of a female child under 16, 19E: Rape of a female child under 13, 19G: Rape of a male child under 16, 19H: Rape of a male child under 13, 20B: Sexual assault on a female child under 13, 21: Sexual activity involving a child under 13, 22B: Sexual activity involving a child under 16, 71: Abuse of children through sexual exploitation (formerly prostitution or pornography, 73: Abuse of position of trust of a sexual nature, 88A: Sexual grooming.
Total crime rates include all crimes reported in that financial year. Recent crime rates include only crimes that were reported in that financial year, less than a year after they occurred.
Contact child sexual abuse: non-recent crime rates
Filename
h2_non_recent_contact_csa_offences.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2017 to 2025
Content
The proportion of contact child sexual abuse crimes which are not recent, by year.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
pt_non_recent_contact_csa_offences
Percent of contact child sexual abuse crimes which are non-recent
Footnotes
The following Home Office offence codes were used in defining contact CSA: 17B: Sexual assault on a male child under 13, 19D: Rape of a female child under 16, 19E: Rape of a female child under 13, 19G: Rape of a male child under 16, 19H: Rape of a male child under 13, 20B: Sexual assault on a female child under 13, 21: Sexual activity involving a child under 13, 22B: Sexual activity involving a child under 16, 71: Abuse of children through sexual exploitation (formerly prostitution or pornography, 73: Abuse of position of trust of a sexual nature, 88A: Sexual grooming.
Police force data on rate of children assessed as having been affected by CSA or CSE and the police recorded crime rate for contact child sexual abuse, by police force area.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
csae_rate
Rate of children identified with either sexual abuse or exploitation at assessment
total_contact_csa_crime_rate
Police recorded crime rate for contact child sexual abuse
Footnotes
The following Home Office offence codes were used in defining contact CSA: 17B: Sexual assault on a male child under 13, 19D: Rape of a female child under 16, 19E: Rape of a female child under 13, 19G: Rape of a male child under 16, 19H: Rape of a male child under 13, 20B: Sexual assault on a female child under 13, 21: Sexual activity involving a child under 13, 22B: Sexual activity involving a child under 16, 71: Abuse of children through sexual exploitation (formerly prostitution or pornography, 73: Abuse of position of trust of a sexual nature, 88A: Sexual grooming.
Children assessed in 2017-18 and their highest level of intervention in the next 6 years, by assessment factor
Filename
i1_child_journeys_highest_involvement_6_years.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018
Content
The number and proportion of children assessed in 2017-18 and their highest level of social care intervention in the next six years, by assessment factor.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment
child_count
Number of children who had this intervention type as their highest level of involvement in the six years after their 2017-18 assessment
child_percent
Percentage of children who had this intervention type as their highest level of involvement in the six years after their 2017-18 assessment
CSC_group
Intervention type
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' .
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
Children assessed in 2017-18 and their interventions in the next 6 years, by assessment factor
Filename
i2_child_journeys_6_years.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018
Content
The number and proportion of children assessed in 2017-18 who ever received a type of social care intervention in the next six years, by assessment factor.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment
child_count
Number of children who ever received this intervention type in the six years after their 2017-18 assessment
child_percent
Percentage of children who ever received this intervention type in the six years after their 2017-18 assessment
CSC_group
Intervention type
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' .
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
Children assessed in 2023-24 and their highest level of intervention following assessment, by assessment factor
Filename
i3_child_journeys_highest_involvement_2024.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2024
Content
The number and proportion of children assessed in 2023-24 and their highest level of social care intervention, by assessment factor.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment
child_count
Number of children who had this intervention type as their highest level of involvement in the year following their 2023-24 assessment
child_percent
Percentage of children who had this intervention type as their highest level of involvement in the year following their 2023-24 assessment
CSC_group
Intervention type
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' .
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
Children assessed in 2023-24 and their interventions following assessment, by assessment factor
Filename
i4_child_journeys_2024.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2024
Content
The number and proportion of children assessed in 2023-24 who ever received a type of social care intervention, by assessment factor.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment
child_count
Number of children who ever received this intervention type in the year following their 2023-24 assessment
child_percent
Percentage of children who ever received this intervention type in the year following their 2023-24 assessment
CSC_group
Intervention type
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' .
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
Children assessed in 2017-18 who had a Section 47 enquiry, ICPC or CPP in the next 6 years, by assessment factor
Filename
i5_S47_ICPC_CPP_conversions_6_years.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018
Content
The number and proportion of children assessed in 2017-18 who had a Section 47 enquiry, ICPC or CPP in the next six years, by assessment factor.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment
intervention
Intervention type
referral_count
Number of referrals
referral_percent
Percentage of referrals
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' .
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
Children assessed in 2017-18 who had a Section 47 enquiry, ICPC or CPP within the year, by assessment factor
Filename
i6_S47_ICPC_CPP_conversions_2018.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018
Content
The number and proportion of children assessed in 2017-18 who had a Section 47 enquiry, ICPC or CPP within the year, by assessment factor.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment
intervention
Intervention type
referral_count
Number of referrals
referral_percent
Percentage of referrals
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' .
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
Children whose assessment took place in March 2018 are excluded due to not having enough of a follow-up period to observe events occurring after assessment.
Children assessed in 2023-24 who had a Section 47 enquiry, ICPC or CPP within the year, by assessment factor
Filename
i7_S47_ICPC_CPP_conversions_2024.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2024
Content
The number and proportion of children assessed in 2023-24 who had a Section 47 enquiry, ICPC or CPP within the year, by assessment factor.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
assessment_factor
Factor identified at assessment
intervention
Intervention type
referral_count
Number of referrals
referral_percent
Percentage of referrals
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' .
Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
Children whose assessment took place in March 2023 are excluded due to not having enough of a follow-up period to observe events occurring after assessment.