Reporting year 2021

Children in need

Data guidance

Published 28 October 2021

Description

Children in need statistics provide information on:

- children in need of social care services;
- children referred to social care services;
- assessments undertaken, primary need at assessment and factors identified at the end of assessment;
- section 47 enquiries (carried out by a local authority if they suspect a child is suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm) and initial child protection conferences;
- children who were the subject of a child protection plan.

Coverage

Data is collected by the Department for Education in the annual Children in need Census from all local authorities in England.

Data for Hackney local authority is not available for the year ending 31 March 2021.

File formats and conventions

Confidentiality

0 indicates the original figure submitted was zero.

Any number between 1 and 5 inclusive has been suppressed and replaced by ‘c’.  Secondary suppression has been applied where necessary, to preserve confidentiality.

The letter ‘z’ indicates data is not applicable.

The symbol ‘:’ indicates that data is not available. This may be because a local authority was unable to return a particular data item in the children in need census; changes to the data collected in the census; or data is not available because of concerns regarding quality.

The symbols used are in accordance with the latest Government Statistical Service (GSS) guidance.

Rounding

England and regional totals are rounded to the nearest 10 and therefore totals may not equal the sum of their component parts.

Percentages are rounded to one decimal place, therefore component parts may not sum to 100.

Rates per 10,000 children aged under 18 years are rounded to one decimal place. Rates are calculated using ONS mid-year population estimates for children aged 0 to 17 years in England.
 

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.

A1 National time series of children in need, referrals and assessments, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: a1_cin_referrals_assessments_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Children in need, episodes of need, referrals and assessments completed by children's social care services.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
category_type	Category type
number	Number
percent	Percentage
rate	Rate per 10,000 children aged under 18 years

Footnotes

1. If a child has more than one referral in a reporting year, then each referral is counted.
2. Rates per 10,000 of the population of children aged under 18 years are calculated using Office for National Statistics (ONS) mid-year population estimates for children aged 0 to 17 years in England.
3. A child can have more than one episode of need throughout the year, but episodes should not overlap.

A2 National time series of section 47s, initial child protection conferences and child protection plans, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: a2_section47_icpc_cpp_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Section 47 enquiries, initial child protection conferences and child protection plans.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
category_type	Category type
number	Number
percent	Percentage
rate	Rate per 10000 children aged under 18 years

Footnotes

1. Rates per 10,000 of the population of children aged under 18 years are calculated using Office for National Statistics (ONS) mid-year population estimates for children aged 0 to 17 years in England.

A3 National times series of children in need by gender, age and primary need, England 2018 to 2021

• Filename: a3_cin_primary_need_by_age_gender_2018_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2018 to 2021
• Content:

  Children in need by gender, age and primary need.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
characteristic	Characteristic
CIN_At31	Children in Need at 31st March
N0_Not_stated	N0 - Not stated
N1_Abuse_or_neglect	N1 - Abuse or neglect
N2_Childs_disability_or_illness	N2 - Child's disability or illness
N3_Parents_disability_or_illness	N3 - Parent's disability or illness
N4_Family_in_acute_stress	N4 - Family in acute stress
N5_Family_dysfunction	N5 - Family dysfunction
N6_Socially_unacceptable_behaviour	N6 - Socially unacceptable behaviour
N7_Low_income	N7 - Low income
N8_Absent_parenting	N8 - Absent parenting
N9_Cases_other_than_CIN	N9 - Cases other than children In need

A4 National time series of children in need by ethnicity and age and gender, England 2018 to 2021

• Filename: a4_cin_by_ethnicity_and_age_gender_2018_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2018 to 2021
• Content:

  Children in need by gender, age and ethnicity.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
characteristic	Characteristic
CIN_At31	Children in Need at 31st March
Ethnicity_Asian_or_Asian_British	Asian or Asian British
Ethnicity_Black_or_Black_British	Black or Black British
Ethnicity_Mixed	Mixed
Ethnicity_White	White
Known_ethnicity	Known ethnicity
Other_ethnic_group	Other ethnic group

Footnotes

1. Black or black British comprises Caribbean, African or any other black background.
2. White comprises white British, white Irish, traveller of Irish heritage, any other white background and Gypsy/Roma.
3. Asian or Asian British comprises Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese and any other Asian background.
4. Mixed comprises white and black Caribbean, white and black African, white and Asian, any other mixed background.

A5 National time series of child protection plans by initial category of abuse and gender, age and ethnicity, England 2018 to 2021

• Filename: a5_cpp_initial_category_of_abuse_by_gender_age_ethnicity_2018_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2018 to 2021
• Content:

  Children who were the subject of a child protection plan at 31 March by initial category of abuse by gender, age and ethnicity.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
characteristic	Characteristic
characteristic_type	Characteristic type
CPP_At31	Child Protection Plans at 31st March
Emotional_Abuse_Initial	Emotional Abuse
Multiple_Initial	Multiple
Neglect_Initial	Neglect
Physical_Abuse_Initial	Physical Abuse
Sexual_Abuse_Initial	Sexual Abuse

Footnotes

1. Black or black British comprises Caribbean, African or any other black background.
2. White comprises white British, white Irish, traveller of Irish heritage, any other white background and Gypsy/Roma.
3. Asian or Asian British comprises Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese and any other Asian background.
4. Mixed comprises white and black Caribbean, white and black African, white and Asian, any other mixed background.

A6 National time series of child protection plans by initial category of abuse, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: a6_cpp_initial_category_of_abuse_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Children who were the subject of a child protection plan at 31 March by initial category of abuse.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
CPP_At31	Child Protection Plans at 31st March
Emotional_abuse_Initial	Emotional Abuse
Multiple_Initial	Multiple
Neglect_Initial	Neglect
Physical_abuse_Initial	Physical Abuse
Sexual_abuse_Initial	Sexual Abuse

A7 National time series of children in need by gender, age and ethnicity, England 2015 to 2021

• Filename: a7_cin_by_age_gender_ethnicity_2015_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2015 to 2021
• Content:

  Children in need by gender, age and ethnicity.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
characteristic_type	Characteristic type
number	Number
percent	Percentage

Footnotes

1. Black or black British comprises Caribbean, African or any other black background.
2. White comprises white British, white Irish, traveller of Irish heritage, any other white background and Gypsy/Roma.
3. Asian or Asian British comprises Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese and any other Asian background.
4. Mixed comprises white and black Caribbean, white and black African, white and Asian, any other mixed background.

B1 Children in need and episodes of need by local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: b1_children_in_need_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Children in need episodes at any point during the year, episodes starting and ending in the year and children in need at 31 March.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
Anypoint_child	Children with an episode of need at any point during the year
Anypoint_child_rate	Rate of children with an episode of need at any point during the year per 10000 children aged under 18 years
Anypoint_episodes	Episodes of need at any point during the year
Anypoint_episodes_rate	Rate of episodes of need at any point during the year per 10000 children aged under 18 years
At31_episodes	Children in need at 31 March
At31_episodes_rate	Rate of children in need at 31 March per 10000 children aged under 18 years
Awaiting_assessment	Children in need at 31 March who are awaiting assessment or do not require an assessment
Awaiting_assessment_rate	Rate of children in need at 31 March who are awaiting assessment or do not require assessment per 10000 children aged under 18 years
Ended_child	Children ending an episode of need in the year
Ended_child_rate	Rate of children ending an episode of need in the year per 10000 children aged under 18 years
Ended_episodes	Episodes of need ending in the year
Ended_episodes_rate	Rate of episodes ending in the year per 10000 children aged under 18 years
Started_child	Children starting an episode of need in the year
Started_child_rate	Rate of children starting an episode of need in the year per 10000 children aged under 18 years
Started_episodes	Episodes of need starting in the year
Started_episodes_rate	Rate of episodes of need starting in the year per 10000 children aged under 18 years

Footnotes

1. Rates per 10,000 of the population of children aged under 18 years are calculated using Office for National Statistics (ONS) mid-year population estimates for children aged 0 to 17 years in England.
2. A child can have more than one episode of need throughout the year, but episodes should not overlap.
3. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.

B2 Children in need at 31 March by recorded disability and local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: b2_children_in_need_recorded_disability_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Children in need by disability.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
At31_episodes	Number of children in need at 31 March
At31_episodes_disability_recorded	Number of children in need at 31 March with a disability recorded
At31_episodes_disability_recorded_percent	Percentage of children in need at 31 March with a disability recorded
Autism_percent	Autism/Asperger Syndrome
Behaviour_percent	Behaviour
Communication_percent	Communication
Consciousness_percent	Consciousness
Hand_Function_percent	Hand Function
Hearing_percent	Hearing
Incontinence_percent	Incontinence
Learning_Difficulties_percent	Learning
Mobility_percent	Mobility
Other_percent	Other Disability
Personal_care_percent	Personal Care
Vision_percent	Vision

Footnotes

1. A child may have more than one disability recorded, therefore the disability category percentages may not sum to 100.
2. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.
3. The Disability Discrimination Act defines a disabled person as a person with a "physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day to day activities". The condition must have lasted or be likely to last at least 12 months to be classed as a disability.

B3 Children in need at 31 March by primary need and local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: b3_cin_primary_need_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Children in need by primary need at assessment.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
At31_episodes	Number of children in need at 31 March
N0_Not_stated	N0 - Not stated
N1_Abuse_or_neglect	N1 - Abuse or neglect
N2_Childs_disability_or_illness	N2 - Child's disability or illness
N3_Parents_disability_or_illness	N3 - Parent's disability or illness
N4_Family_in_acute_stress	N4 - Family in acute stress
N5_Family_dysfunction	N5 - Family dysfunction
N6_Socially_unacceptable_behaviour	N6 - Socially unacceptable behaviour
N7_Low_income	N7 - Low income
N8_Absent_parenting	N8 - Absent parenting
N9_Cases_other_than_CIN	N9 - Cases other than children in need

Footnotes

1. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.

B4 Children in need at 31 March by duration of episode and local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: b4_children_in_need_duration_of_open_episode_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Children in need by duration of episode of need.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
1_year_less_than_2_years	1 year but less than 2 years - number
1_year_less_than_2_years_percent	1 year but less than 2 years - percentage
2years+	2 years and over - number
2years+_percent	2 years and over - percentage
3_months_or_less	3 months or less - number
3_months_or_less_percent	3 months or less - percentage
At31_episodes	Number of children in need at 31 March
more_than_3_months_6_months	More than 3 months but less than or equal to 6 months - number
more_than_3_months_6_months_percent	More than 3 months but less than or equal to 6 months - percentage
more_than_6_months_less_than_1_year	More than 6 months but less than 1 year - number
more_than_6_months_less_than_1_year_percent	More than 6 months but less than 1 year - percentage

Footnotes

1. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.
2. The duration of episodes open at 31 March is calculated as the difference between 31 March of the reporting year and the referral date.

B5 Duration of episodes of need ending in the year to 31 March by local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: b5_children_in_need_duration_of_ended_episode_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Episodes of need ending during the year by duration of episode of need.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
1_year_less_than_2_years	1 year but less than 2 years - number
1_year_less_than_2_years_percent	1 year but less than 2 years - percentage
2years+	2 years and over - number
2years+_percent	2 years and over - percentage
3_months_or_less	3 months or less - number
3_months_or_less_percent	3 months or less - percentage
Ended_episodes	Number of episodes ending during the year to 31 March
more_than_3_months_6_months	More than 3 months but less than or equal to 6 months - number
more_than_3_months_6_months_percent	More than 3 months but less than or equal to 6 months - percentage
more_than_6_months_less_than_1_year	More than 6 months but less than 1 year - number
more_than_6_months_less_than_1_year_percent	More than 6 months but less than 1 year - percentage

Footnotes

1. The duration of episode of need ending in the year is calculated as the difference between the referral date and closure date.
2. A child can have more than one episode of need throughout the year, but episodes should not overlap.
3. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.

B6 Episodes of need ending in the year to 31 March by reason for closure and local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: b6_children_in_need_reason_for_closure_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Episodes of need ending during the year by reason for case closure.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
Ended_episodes	Number of episodes of need ending in the year
RC1_Adopted	RC1 - Adopted - Number
RC1_Adopted_percent	RC1 - Adopted - Percentage
RC2_Died	RC2 - Died - Number
RC2_Died_percent	RC2 - Died -Percentage
RC3_Residence_Order	RC3 - Residence Order - Number
RC3_Residence_Order_percent	RC3 - Residence Order - Percentage
RC4_Special_Guardianship_Order	RC4 - Special Guardianship Order - Number
RC4_Special_Guardianship_Order_percent	RC4 - Special Guardianship Order - Percentage
RC5_Transfer_to_another_LA	RC5 - Transfer to another LA - Number
RC5_Transfer_to_another_LA_percent	RC5 - Transfer to another LA - Percentage
RC6_Transfer_to_Adult_Social_Service	RC6 - Transfer to Adult Social Services - Number
RC6_Transfer_to_Adult_Social_Service_percent	RC6 - Transfer to Adult Social Services - Percentage
RC7_Other	RC7 - 'Other' incl. Child no longer in need - Number
RC7_Other_percent	RC7 - 'Other' incl. Child no longer in need - Percentage
unknown	Unknown - Number
unknown_percent	Unknown - Percentage

Footnotes

1. A child can have more than one episode of need throughout the year, but episodes should not overlap.
2. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.
3. Unknown includes episodes ending during the year where reason for closure was not known and episodes closed after an assessment where no further action was taken.

C1 Referrals and re-referrals to children's social care services by local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: c1_children_in_need_referrals_and_rereferrals_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Referrals to children's social care services, referrals within 12 months of a previous referral, referrals which resulted in no further action and referrals which were assessed and resulted in no further action.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
No_Further_Action	Referrals which resulted in no further action
No_Further_Action_percent	Referrals which resulted in no further action (%)
Not_in_Need	Referrals which resulted in an assessment and the child was assessed not to be in need
Not_in_Need_percent	Referrals which resulted in an assessment and the child was assessed not to be in need (%)
Re_referrals	Re-referrals within 12 months of a previous referral
Re_referrals_child	Number of children with a referral within 12 months of a previous referral
Re_referrals_child_percent	Number of children with a referral within 12 months of a previous referral (%)
Re_referrals_percent	Re-referrals within 12 months of a previous referral (%)
Referrals	Referrals in the year
Referrals_child	Number of children with a referral in the year
Referrals_child_rate	Rate of children referred per 10000 children aged under 18 years
Referrals_rate	Rate of referrals in the year per 10000 children aged under 18 years

Footnotes

1. If a child has more than one referral in a reporting year, then each referral is counted.
2. There is significant variation between local authorities in the number of referrals which resulted in no further action without an assessment taking place. This variation is a result of differences in local reporting practices.
3. Rates per 10,000 of the population of children aged under 18 years are calculated using Office for National Statistics (ONS) mid-year population estimates for children aged 0 to 17 years in England.
4. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.
5. There is significant variation between local authorities in the number of referrals which resulted in assessment where the child was assessed as not in need and no further action was taken after the assessment. This variation is a result of differences in local reporting practices.

C2 Completed assessments by duration of assessment and local authority, England 2014 to 2021

• Filename: c2_children_in_need_assessments_duration_2014_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2014 to 2021
• Content:

  Assessments completed by children's social care services by duration of assessment.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
1-10_days	1 to 10 days
11-20_days	11 to 20 days
21-30_days	21 to 30 days
25th_Percentile_days	25th percentile (days)
31-40_days	31 to 40 days
41-45_days	41 to 45 days
46-50_days	46 to 50 days
51-60_days	51 to 60 days
61+_days	61 days and over
75th_Percentile_days	75th percentile (days)
Assessments_completed	Number of assessments in the year
Assessments_completed_rate	Rate per 10000 children aged under 18 years
Median_days	Median (days)
Same_day	Started and finished the same day

Footnotes

1. Rates per 10,000 of the population of children aged under 18 years are calculated using Office for National Statistics (ONS) mid-year population estimates for children aged 0 to 17 years in England.
2. The duration of an assessment is calculated as the time in working days between the assessment start date and the assessment end date.
3. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.

C3 Factors identified at the end of assessment by local authority, England 2018 to 2021

• Filename: c3_children_in_need_factors_identified_at_end_of_assessment_2018_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2018 to 2021
• Content:

  Factors identified at the end of assessment.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
Alcohol_Misuse_child	Alcohol misuse: concerns about child
Alcohol_Misuse_parent	Alcohol misuse: concerns about parent
Alcohol_Misuse_person	Alcohol misuse: concerns about other person
Child_sexual_exploitation	Child sexual exploitation
Domestic_Violence_child	Domestic violence: concerns child is victim
Domestic_Violence_parent	Domestic violence: concerns parent is victim
Domestic_Violence_person	Domestic violence: concerns other person is victim
Drug_Misuse_child	Drug misuse: concerns about child
Drug_Misuse_parent	Drug misuse: concerns about parent
Drug_Misuse_person	Drug misuse: concerns about other person
Emotional_Abuse	Emotional abuse
Episodes_with_assessment_factor	Number of episodes with assessment factor information
Faith_linked_abuse	Abuse linked to faith or belief
Female_Genital_Mutilation	Female Genital Mutilation
Gangs	Gangs
Going_missing	Going/being missing
Learning_Disability_child	Learning disability: concerns about child
Learning_Disability_parent	Learning disability: concerns about parent
Learning_Disability_person	Learning disability: concerns about other person
Mental_Health_child	Mental health: concerns about child
Mental_Health_parent	Mental health: concerns about parent
Mental_Health_person	Mental health: concerns about other person
Neglect	Neglect
Other	Other factors
Physical_Abuse_adult_on_child	Physical abuse: adult on child
Physical_Abuse_child_on_child	Physical abuse: child on child
Physical_Abuse_unknown	Physical abuse
Physical_Disability_child	Physical disability or illness: concerns about child
Physical_Disability_parent	Physical disability or illness: concerns about parent
Physical_Disability_person	Physical disability or illness: concerns about other person
Privately_fostered	Privately fostered
Self_harm	Self-harm
Sexual_Abuse_adult_on_child	Sexual abuse: adult on child
Sexual_Abuse_child_on_child	Sexual abuse: child on child
Sexual_Abuse_unknown	Sexual abuse
Socially_unacceptable_behaviour	Socially unacceptable behaviour
Trafficking	Trafficking
Unaccompanied_asylum_seeker	Unaccompanied asylum seeker
Young_Carer	Young carer

Footnotes

1. An assessment may have more than one factor recorded.
2. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.
3. Figures exclude the category ‘no factors identified’. This category is only used for cases which are closed following assessments resulting in no further action
4. Information on child on child and adult on child physical and sexual abuse was collected and reported on for the first time in 2021 and so should be treated with some caution. Previously physical abuse and sexual abuse was collected and reported on (irrespective of whether it was child on child or adult on child) and some local authorities provided information on the old basis only, or a mixture of the old and new basis, in 2021. The old physical and sexual abuse categories have therefore been included in the 2021 data to provide a more complete account of this category of assessment.

C4 Section 47s and Initial Child Protection Conferences by local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: c4_children_in_need_section_47s_and_icpcs_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Section 47 enquiries and initial child protection conferences.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
Duration_0-10_days	Duration between start of Section 47 enquiry and ICPC (0-10 working days)
Duration_11-15_days	Duration between start of Section 47 enquiry and ICPC (11-15 working days)
Duration_16-20_days	Duration between start of Section 47 enquiry and ICPC (16-20 working days)
Duration_21+_days	Duration between start of Section 47 enquiry and ICPC (21+ working days)
Duration_25th_Percentile	Duration between start of Section 47 enquiry and ICPC (25th percentile working days)
Duration_75th_Percentile	Duration between start of Section 47 enquiry and ICPC (75th percentile working days)
Duration_median	Duration between start of Section 47 enquiry and ICPC (Median working days)
ICPC	Number of ICPCs
ICPC_child	Number of children undergoing an ICPC
ICPC_child_rate	Rate of children undergoing an ICPC per 10000 children aged under 18 years
ICPC_rate	Rate of ICPCs per 10000 children aged under 18 years
Section47	Number of Section 47s
Section47_child	Number of children undergoing a Section 47
Section47_child_rate	Rate of children undergoing a Section 47 per 10000 children aged under 18 years
Section47_rate	Rate of Section 47s per 10000 children aged under 18 years

Footnotes

1. Rates per 10,000 of the population of children aged under 18 years are calculated using Office for National Statistics (ONS) mid-year population estimates for children aged 0 to 17 years in England.
2. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.
3. The duration between start of a section 47 enquiry and initial child protection conference is calculated as the time in working days between the start of section 47 and the date of the initial child protection conference. For cases transferred in from another local authority, the duration is calculated as time in working days between the referral date and the date of the initial child protection conference.

C5 Referrals to children's social care services by source of referral, England 2014 to 2021

• Filename: c5_children_in_need_referrals_by_source_2014_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2014 to 2021
• Content:

  Referrals to children's social care services by source of referral.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
Anonymous	Anonymous
Education_Services	Education services
Health_Services	Health services
Housing	Housing
Individual	Individual
LA_Services	LA services
Other	Other
Other_legal_agency	Other legal agency
Police	Police
Referrals	Number of referrals
Schools	Schools
Unknown	Unknown

Footnotes

1. If a child has more than one referral in a reporting year, then each referral is counted.
2. 'LA services' includes referrals from social care, other internal local authority services and external local authority services.
3. 'Individual' includes referrals from family members, relatives, carers, acquaintances and self-referrals.
4. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.
5. The source of referral is recorded for each new referral. Where there is more than one referral for the same child on the same day, the first referral should be recorded.
6. 'Health services' includes referral from GPs, health visitors, school nurses, other primary health services, A&E and other health services.

C6 Referrals to children's social care services by month and local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: c6_children_in_need_referrals_by_month_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Referrals to children's social care services by month of the year.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
April	April
August	August
December	December
February	February
January	January
July	July
June	June
March	March
May	May
November	November
October	October
Referrals	Total number of referrals in the year
September	September

Footnotes

1. If a child has more than one referral in a reporting year, then each referral is counted.
2. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.

D1 Child Protection Plans by local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: d1_child_protection_plans_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Child protection plans starting, ending and at any point during the year and children subject to a child protection plan at 31 March.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
CPP_anypoint	Number of child protection plans at any point in the year
CPP_anypoint_rate	Rate of child protection plans taking place at any point in the year per 10000 children aged under 18 years
CPP_At31	Number of child protection plans at 31 March
CPP_At31_rate	Rate of child protection plans at 31 March per 10000 children aged under 18 years
CPP_child_anypoint	Number of children on child protection plans at any point in the year
CPP_child_anypoint_rate	Rate of children on child protection plans at any point in the year per 10000 children aged under 18 years
CPP_child_end	Number of children ending child protection plans in the year
CPP_child_end_rate	Rate of children ending child protection plans in the year per 10000 children aged under 18 years
CPP_child_start	Number of children starting child protection plans in the year
CPP_child_start_rate	Rate of children starting child protection plans in the year per 10000 children aged under 18 years
CPP_end	Number of child protection plans ending in the year
CPP_end_rate	Rate of child protection plans ending in the year per 10000 children aged under 18 years
CPP_start	Number of child protection plans starting in the year
CPP_start_rate	Rate of child protection plans starting in the year per 10000 children aged under 18 years

Footnotes

1. Rates per 10,000 of the population of children aged under 18 years are calculated using Office for National Statistics (ONS) mid-year population estimates for children aged 0 to 17 years in England.
2. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.

D2 Child Protection Plans starting in the year by category of abuse and local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: d2_cpps_starting_by_category_of_abuse_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Child protection plans starting during the year by initial and latest category of abuse.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
CPP_start	Number of child protection plans starting during the year
Emotional_Initial	Initial: Emotional abuse
Emotional_Latest	Latest: Emotional abuse
Multiple_Initial	Initial: Multiple
Multiple_Latest	Latest: Multiple
Neglect_Initial	Initial: Neglect
Neglect_Latest	Latest: Neglect
Physical_Initial	Initial: Physical abuse
Physical_Latest	Latest: Physical abuse
Sexual_Initial	Initial: Sexual abuse
Sexual_Latest	Latest: Sexual abuse

Footnotes

1. '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.
2. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.

D3 Child Protection Plans starting during year which were a second or subsequent plan, by local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: d3_cpps_subsequent_plan_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Child protection plans starting in the year and child protection plans which are a second or subsequent plan.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
CPP_start	Number of child protection plans starting during the year
CPP_subsequent	Number of child protection plans which were a second or subsequent plan
CPP_subsequent_percent	Percentage of child protection plans which were a second or subsequent plan (%)

Footnotes

1. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.

D4 Child Protection Plans at 31 March by category of abuse and local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: d4_cpps_at31march_by_category_of_abuse_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Children who were the subject of a child protection plan at 31 March by initial and latest category of abuse.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
CPP_At31	Number of children who were the subject of a child protection plan at 31 March
Emotional_Initial	Initial: Emotional abuse
Emotional_Latest	Latest: Emotional abuse
Multiple_Initial	Initial: Multiple
Multiple_Latest	Latest: Multiple
Neglect_Initial	Initial: Neglect
Neglect_Latest	Latest: Neglect
Physical_Initial	Initial: Physical abuse
Physical_Latest	Latest: Physical abuse
Sexual_Initial	Initial: Sexual abuse
Sexual_Latest	Latest: Sexual abuse

Footnotes

1. '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.
2. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.

D5 Child Protection Plans at 31 March by duration and local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: d5_cpps_at31march_by_duration_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Children who were the subject of a child protection plan at 31 March by duration of the plan.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
1_year_less_than_2_years	1 year but less than 2 years
1_year_less_than_2_years_percent	1 year but less than 2 years (%)
2_years_or_more	2 years and over
2_years_or_more_percent	2 years and over (%)
3_months_or_less	3 months or less
3_months_or_less_percent	3 months or less (%)
CPP_At31	Number of children who were the subject of a plan at 31 March
more_than_3_months_6_months	More than 3 months but less than or equal to 6 months
more_than_3_months_6_months_percent	More than 3 months but less than or equal to 6 months (%)
more_than_6_months_less_than_1_year	More than 6 months but less than 1 year
more_than_6_months_less_than_1_year_percent	More than 6 months but less than 1 year (%)

Footnotes

1. The duration of a child protection plan at 31 March is calculated as the time between the child protection plan start date and 31 March of the reporting year.
2. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.

D6 Child Protection Plans reviewed within timescales by local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: d6_cpps_reviewed_within_timescales_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Children who were the subject of a child protection plan at 31 March that had been on a plan for at least three months and had reviews carried out within the required timescales.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
CPP_At31_3Months	Children who were the subject of a child protection plan at 31 March and who had been the subject of a plan for 3 or more months
Reviewed_within_timescales	Number reviewed within the required timescales
Reviewed_within_timescales_percent	Percentage reviewed within the required timescales (%)

Footnotes

1. Statutory guidance states that a child should have a review of their child protection plan within the first three months of being the subject of the plan, and then subsequently at intervals of not more than six months.
2. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.

D7 Child Protection Plans ending during the year to 31 March by duration and local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: d7_cpps_ending_by_duration_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Child protection plans ending during the year by duration of the plan.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
1_year_less_than_2_years	1 year but less than 2 years
1_year_less_than_2_years_percent	1 year but less than 2 years (%)
2_years_or_more	2 years and over
2_years_or_more_percent	2 years and over (%)
3_months_or_less	3 months or less
3_months_or_less_percent	3 months or less (%)
CPP_End	Number of child protection plans that ended during the year
more_than_3_months_6_months	More than 3 months but less than or equal to 6 months
more_than_3_months_6_months_percent	More than 3 months but less than or equal to 6 months (%)
more_than_6_months_less_than_1_year	More than 6 months but less than 1 year
more_than_6_months_less_than_1_year_percent	More than 6 months but less than 1 year (%)

Footnotes

1. The duration of a child protection plan which ended during the year to 31 March is calculated as the time between the child protection plan start date and end date.
2. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.

D8 Child protection plans ending during the first six months of the year by duration child remained in need and local authority, England 2013 to 2021

• Filename: d8_cpps_ending_in_first_6months_by_duration_2013_to_2021.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2013 to 2021
• Content:

  Child protection plans ending during the first six months of the year by duration of the plan.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
3_months_or_less	Less than or equal to 3 months
3_months_or_less_percent	Less than or equal to 3 months (%)
3_months_or_less_transfer	Transferred to another local authority
3_months_or_less_transfer_percent	Transferred to another local authority (%)
CPP_End_first_6months	Number of child protection plans that ended during the first 6 months of the collection year
more_than_3_months_6_months	More than 3 months but less than or equal to 6 months
more_than_3_months_6_months_percent	More than 3 months but less than or equal to 6 months (%)
more_than_6_months	More than 6 months
more_than_6_months_percent	More than 6 months (%)

Footnotes

1. The duration of a child protection plan which ended during the first 6 months of the year ending 31 March is calculated as the time between the child protection plan start date and end date.
2. Data for the year ending 31 March 2021 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 national totals and regional totals for inner London and London. Refer to the methodology section for more information.

Headline Figures

• Filename: headline_figures.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2021-22
• Content:

  Children in need, referrals, assessments and child protection plans.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
child_protection_plans	Child protection plans
child_protection_plans_per_10,000_children	Child protection plans per 10,000 children
children_in_need	Children in need
children_in_need_per_10,000_children	Children in need per 10,000 children
completed_assessments	Completed assessments
factor_identified	Concerns about domestic violence towards the parent
referrals	Referrals

Footnotes

1. If a child has more than one referral in a reporting year, then each referral is counted.
2. Rates per 10,000 of the population of children aged under 18 years are calculated using Office for National Statistics (ONS) mid-year population estimates for children aged 0 to 17 years in England.

ONS mid-year population estimates

• Filename: ons_mid-year_population_estimates.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
• Time period: 2012 to 2020
• Content:

  ONS population estimates for children aged 0 to 17 (age at mid-year).

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
age_group	Age group
population_estimate	Population estimate (mid-year)