Reporting year 2022

Children in need

Statistics on children in need in England, including child protection plans and referrals to and assessments completed by children’s social care services.

Release type
Published
UK statistics authority quality mark

Get help by contacting us

If you have a specific enquiry about Children in need statistics and data:

Children’s Services Statistics Team

Email: cin.stats@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Andy Brook

Press office

If you have a media enquiry:

Telephone: 020 7783 8300

Public enquiries

If you have a general enquiry about the Department for Education (DfE) or education:

Phone: 0370 000 2288

Opening times

Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5.30pm (closed on bank holidays)


Accredited official statistics

These accredited official statistics have been independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (opens in new tab) (OSR). They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics (opens in new tab). Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 (opens in new tab).

Accreditation signifies their compliance with the authority's Code of Practice for Statistics (opens in new tab) which broadly means these statistics are:

  • managed impartially and objectively in the public interest
  • meet identified user needs
  • produced according to sound methods
  • well explained and readily accessible

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).

OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics (opens in new tab) that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website (opens in new tab).


Pre-release access list

Beside Department for Education (DfE) professional and production staff the following post holders were given pre-release access up to 24 hours before release:

  • Secretary of State for Education
  • ​​​​Minister for Schools and Childhood
  • Minister for the School and College System
  • Special Advisor, Communications Specialist
  • Special Advisor, General Education Policy
  • Permanent Secretary
  • Director General, Families
  • Head of Unit, Children in Need Outcomes Unit
  • Team Leader, Children in Need Outcomes Unit
  • Policy Adviser, Children in Need Outcomes Unit
  • Chief Statistician and Director, Strategic Analysis, Research, Data, Intelligence and Science Directorate
  • Chief Data Officer and Director, Data Directorate
  • Deputy Director and Deputy Head of Profession for Statistics, Data Insight and Statistics Division
  • Deputy Head of News
  • Chief Media Officer
  • Senior Press Officer
  • Press Officer
  • Senior Executive Officer, Children in Need and Looked after Children Analysis