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Reporting year 2021
Children looked after in England including adoptions
Data guidance
Published
Description
This document describes the data included in the ‘Children looked after in England including adoptions: 2020 to 2021’ National Statistics release’s underlying data files. This data is released under the terms of the Open Government License and is intended to meet at least three stars for Open Data.
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 data is produced.
A guide for the 2021 data collection provides further information on the data collected.
Coverage
This data is based upon information collected in the SSDA903 (CLA) data collection. It is a child level dataset collected from local authorities in England annually. The data includes information on:
children looked after on 31 March in each year, including unaccompanied asylum seeking children
children looked after at any time
children who started to be looked after
children who ceased to be looked after
children looked after who were adopted
care leavers now aged 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 years old
children who went missing or away from placement without authorisation
The longitudinal nature of the collection means historical information can be amended each year, so we update all time series figures published in each release. Unless otherwise stated, numbers and percentage exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements.
Users of the data should consider the following:
for some local authorities, for example Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by large numbers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and their distinctive characteristics.
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’.
Information on children who are missing or who are away from their placement without authorisation are published as Official Statistics. Users should refer to the methodology guide when using this data and should be cautious interpreting any figures across years or between local authorities due to differing practices. Hackney did not provide any missing or away without authorisation data in 2021.
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 release:
‘c’ to protect confidentiality. Secondary suppression may have been applied
‘z’ for not applicable
‘:’ for not available
‘~’ for negligible – also used for a percentage (<0.5%) that would round to 0 but is not zero
For percentages:
where the numerator or denominator is small then the figure is replaced by ‘c’
they may not sum to 100% due to rounding
they are rounded to whole numbers
Also in the release:
the average duration for adoptions (formerly table E2) are rounded to the nearest month
the average number of missing or away without authorisation incidents (formerly in table G1) have been rounded to one decimal place.
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.
Care leavers accommodation - LA
Filename
la_care_leavers_accommodation_type.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content
Local authority level data on care leavers aged 17 to 21, by accommodation type (as measured on or around their birthday).
For some local authorities, such as Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
accommodation_type
Accommodation type
age
Age
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
'Accommodated with parents or relatives' is likely to be an under count - if a young person's former foster carer is a relative they should be recorded as accommodated with their former foster carer.
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures exclude young people who were looked after under an agreed series of short term placements, those who have died since leaving care, those who have returned home to parents or someone with parental responsibility for a continuous period of at least 6 months and those whose care was transferred to another local authority.
Care leavers aged 17 to 21, by accommodation type (as measured on or around their birthday). Data formerly in tables F2 and F4.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
accommodation_type
Type of accommodation the care leaver is in
care_leaver_age
Age of the care leaver
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
'Accommodated with parents or relatives' is likely to be an under count - if a young person's former foster carer is a relative they should be recorded as accommodated with their former foster carer.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures exclude young people who were looked after under an agreed series of short term placements, those who have died since leaving care, those who have returned home to parents or someone with parental responsibility for a continuous period of at least 6 months and those whose care was transferred to another local authority.
'Local authority not in touch' excludes young people where activity information is known, as a third party provided it even though the local authority is not directly in touch with the young person.
Local authority level data on care leavers, aged 17 to 21, by activity (as measured on or around their birthday).
For some local authorities, such as Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
activity
Activity
age
Age
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures exclude young people who were looked after under an agreed series of short term placements, those who have died since leaving care, those who have returned home to parents or someone with parental responsibility for a continuous period of at least 6 months and those whose care was transferred to another local authority.
Care leavers, aged 17 to 21, by activity (as measured on or around their birthday). Data formerly in tables F1 and F3.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
age_group
Age of the care leaver
characteristic
Characteristic - By measure
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures exclude young people who were looked after under an agreed series of short term placements, those who have died since leaving care, those who have returned home to parents or someone with parental responsibility for a continuous period of at least 6 months and those whose care was transferred to another local authority.
'Local authority not in touch' excludes young people where activity information is known, as a third party provided it even though the local authority is not directly in touch with the young person.
Care leavers by whether their accommodation is suitable - LA
Filename
la_care_leavers_accommodation_suitability.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content
Local authority level data on care leavers, aged 17 to 21, by whether their accommodation is deemed to be suitable.
For some local authorities, such as Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
accommodation_suitability
Suitability of accommodation
age
Age
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
Accommodation suitable/not suitable figures also exclude young people who have gone abroad, been deported or their residence is not know as in these cases the suitability of the accommodation will be unknown. Regulation 9(2) of the Care Leavers Regulations defines what is meant by 'Suitable accommodation'. 'Not known' includes young people whose accommodation is not known because wither the local authority is not in touch, or the young person has refused contact or no longer requires services.
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures exclude young people who were looked after under an agreed series of short term placements, those who have died since leaving care, those who have returned home to parents or someone with parental responsibility for a continuous period of at least 6 months and those whose care was transferred to another local authority.
Care leavers, aged 17 to 21, by whether their accommodation is deemed to be suitable. Data formerly in tables F2 and F4.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
accommodation_suitability
Suitability of accommodation
care_leaver_age
Age of care leaver
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
Accommodation suitable/not suitable figures also exclude young people who have gone abroad, been deported or their residence is not know as in these cases the suitability of the accommodation will be unknown. Regulation 9(2) of the Care Leavers Regulations defines what is meant by 'Suitable accommodation'. 'Not known' includes young people whose accommodation is not known because wither the local authority is not in touch, or the young person has refused contact or no longer requires services.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures exclude young people who were looked after under an agreed series of short term placements, those who have died since leaving care, those who have returned home to parents or someone with parental responsibility for a continuous period of at least 6 months and those whose care was transferred to another local authority.
Care leavers in contact with the responsible authority - LA
Filename
la_care_leavers_intouch.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content
Local authority level data on care leavers, aged 17 to 21, by whether the LA was in touch (as measured on or around their birthday).
For some local authorities, such as Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
age
Age
in_touch
Contact with local authority
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures exclude young people who were looked after under an agreed series of short term placements, those who have died since leaving care, those who have returned home to parents or someone with parental responsibility for a continuous period of at least 6 months and those whose care was transferred to another local authority.
'Local authority not in touch' excludes young people where activity information is known, as a third party provided it even though the local authority is not directly in touch with the young person.
Care leavers who left foster care aged 18 and were eligible for care leaver support (Staying put ) LA
Filename
la_care_leavers_stayput.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content
Young people aged 18, 19 and 20 who ceased to be looked after in a foster placement on their 18th birthday, were eligible for care leavers support and who were living with their former foster carer.
For some local authorities, such as Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
age
Age
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
stay_put
With former foster carer
Footnotes
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures exclude young people who were looked after under an agreed series of short term placements, those who have died since leaving care, those who have returned home to parents or someone with parental responsibility for a continuous period of at least 6 months and those whose care was transferred to another local authority.
Care leavers who left foster care aged 18 and were eligible for care leaver support (Staying put) - NATIONAL
Filename
national-care_leavers_staying_put.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content
Young people aged 18, 19 and 20 who ceased to be looked after in a foster placement on their 18th birthday, were eligible for care leavers support and who were living with their former foster carer. Data formerly in table F2 and F4.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
care_leaver_age
Age of care leaver
characteristic
With former foster carer
number
Number
Footnotes
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures exclude young people who were looked after under an agreed series of short term placements, those who have died since leaving care, those who have returned home to parents or someone with parental responsibility for a continuous period of at least 6 months and those whose care was transferred to another local authority.
Care leavers, aged 17 to 21, who were formerly unaccompanied asylum seeking children, by gender. Data formerly in table F1 and F3.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
care_leaver_age
Age of the care leaver
characteristic
Characteristic
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures exclude young people who were looked after under an agreed series of short term placements, those who have died since leaving care, those who have returned home to parents or someone with parental responsibility for a continuous period of at least 6 months and those whose care was transferred to another local authority.
CLA ceasing during the year by characteristics - LA
Filename
la_children_who_ceased_during_the_year.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content
Local authority level data for children who ceased to be looked after during the year by:
age group
gender
reason episode ceased.
For some local authorities, such as Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristic
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
In 2021, 65% of all children who were stated as ceasing due to other reasons left care on their 18th birthday.
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Only the last occasion a child ceased to be looked after has been counted.
'Aged 18 (or over) and remained with current carers' was a new category introduced in 2021. It's likely many of these children were previously reported within the 'care ceased for any other reason'.
Children who ceased to be looked after during the year by gender, age on ceasing, reason episode ceased, legal status, category of need, ethnicity, placement and duration of latest period of care. Data formerly in tables D1, D2 and D3.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristic
number
Number
percent
Percentage
Footnotes
In 2021, 65% of all children who were stated as ceasing due to other reasons left care on their 18th birthday.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages and averages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
No new applications for freeing orders may be made on or after 30 December 2005, they were replaced by placement orders.
'Youth justice legal statuses' refers to children: remanded to LA accommodation or youth detention accommodation under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012; placed in LA accommodation under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984; or, sentenced to a youth rehabilitation order with residence or intensive fostering requirement under the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 (as amended).
In 2021 there were 13 secure units in England, therefore most placements will inevitably be outside the council boundary.
Only the last occasion a child ceased to be looked after has been counted.
'Aged 18 (or over) and remained with current carers' was a new category introduced in 2021. It's likely many of these children were previously reported within the 'care ceased for any other reason'.
Period of care refers to a continuous period of being looked after, which may include more than one placement or legal status.
FFA relates to Fostering for Adoption. Foster placements 'not FFA or concurrent planning' include children in long term foster placements.
Category of need is the main category of the eight “need codes” at the time the child started to be looked after.
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Rates rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Children who ceased to be looked after during the year by number of periods of care, number of placements and age on ceasing. Data formerly in tables D4.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
age_on_ceasing
Age on ceasing
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
periods_or_placements
Number of periods of care or placements
Footnotes
Only the last occasion a child ceased to be looked after has been counted.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Children looked after at any time during the year, and those looked after continuously for at least 12 months at 31 March, by age, ethnicity, gender and placement type. Data formerly in table B1.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Type of characteristic - Select characteristic
CLA_group
Population group - Select CLA population
Number
Number
Footnotes
Placements relate to the total number of placements made for each looked after child during the year ending 31 March. For example, if a child has been placed in a foster placement, with parents and also in a residential care homes they will appear three times in these figures - once in each category. If a child has had 2 foster placements and 1 placement in a residential care home, they will be counted once under foster care and once under residential care. For children looked after continuously for 12 months only the placement at 31 March is counted.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Age at the end of the latest episode of care, or at 31 March if child is still looked after.
Local authority level data for children looked after during the year by placement locality by reason for placement change.
For some local authorities, such as Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristic
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
Placement locality denotes whether or not the placement is within the geographical boundary of the responsible LA.
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Approval removed denotes where a setting is no longer approved/registered with the appropriate statutory body (eg Ofsted). Change in status of a placement only denotes where there is a change of status for the placement but the child remains with the same carer and there is no change to the care plan, for example if a foster carer moves house, or a foster carer working for a local authority becomes managed by an independent fostering agency.
Number of new placements for children looked after during the year by locality of placement and distance between home and placement. Data formerly in table B2.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
characteristic
CLA_group
Type of placement
Number
Number
Percent
Percent
Footnotes
Placement locality denotes whether or not the placement is within the geographical boundary of the responsible LA.
Placements denotes the total number of new placements starting during the year - if a child has for example, more than one foster placement then both will be counted. Living independently includes children in residential employment. Other includes placement in residential schools and other placements
Distance is the distance in miles between the child's home and placement. In some cases this is not known, for example UASC, or not recorded for confidentiality reasons, such as some children placed for adoption.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Local authority level data for children looked after at any time during the year ending 31 March who were only looked after exclusively under a series of short term placements.
For some local authorities, such as Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
number
Number
Footnotes
Children looked after exclusively under one or more agreed series of short term placements at any time during the years ending 31 March.
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
CLA for 12 months, convictions and health outcomes - NATIONAL
Filename
national_conviction_health_outcomes_for_cla.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content
Children looked after at 31 March for at least 12 months, by OC2 indicators. These are:
Whether the child was convicted or subject to youth cautions, or youth conditional cautions during the year
Whether the child was identified as having a substance misuse problem, and if so, if they were offered an intervention and if they refused it
Whether the child had their annual health assessment
Whether the child had their immunisations up to date
Whether the child had their teeth checked by a dentist
If the child is under 5 years whether their development assessments are up to date
Information on Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores
Data formerly in tables I1 , I2, I3, I4, I5a and I5b.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
age_group
Characteristic by age
gender
Gender
number
Number
percent
Percentage
Footnotes
Figures include children who have been continuously looked after for at least 12 months as at 31 March and exclude children who were looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Age is as at 31 March.
'Teeth checked by dentist' records whether the child has had their teeth checked by a dentist in the year ending 31 March
'Had annual health assessment' records whether the child received their annual health assessment from a doctor or other suitably qualified professional during the year. Both assessments must be carried out for under fives (once in every six months before the child's fifth birthday). For fives and over a single assessment fulfils the requirement.
Development assessment information is collected for children aged 4 or younger at 31 March who were looked after continuously for at least 12 months. This measures whether the child's health surveillance or health promotion checks were up to date.
Offending totals include a small number of children for whom offending data is not known (less than 10 each year). Latest available comparable offending figures from the Ministry of Justice for all children are for 2017 where 1% of all children aged 10-17 years were convicted or subject to youth cautions, or youth conditional cautions during the year.
Immunisations were up to date by end of March. 'Up to date' means the child has had all immunisations that a child of their age should have received, according to the immunisations timetable produced by the Department of Health.
Substance misuse is defined as 'intoxication by (or regular excessive consumption and/or dependence on) psychoactive substances, leading to social, psychological, physical or legal problems'. It includes problematic use of both legal and illegal drugs (including alcohol when used in conjunction with other substances). The term 'drug' is used to refer to any psychotropic substance, including illegal drugs, illicit use of prescription drugs and volatile substances. Young people's drug taking is often inextricably linked with the consumption of alcohol. Therefore the term 'substance' refers to both drugs and alcohol but not tobacco.
Average SDQ scores have been rounded to the nearest one decimal place. An SDQ score is required of all children aged 4-16 on the date of last assessment. Date of assessment is not collected so data in this table is restricted to children aged 5 to 16 years. A higher score indicates more emotional difficulties. 0-13 is considered normal, 14-16 is borderline cause for concern and 17-40 is cause for concern.
CLA for 12 months, convictions and health outcomes - LA
Filename
la_conviction_and_health_outcomes_cla.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content
Local authority level data for children looked after at 31 March for at least 12 months, by OC2 indicators. These are:
Whether the child was convicted or subject to youth cautions, or youth conditional cautions during the year
Whether the child was identified as having a substance misuse problem, and if so, if they were offered an intervention and if they refused it.
Whether the child had their annual health assessment
Whether the child had their immunisations up to date
Whether the child had their teeth checked by a dentist
If the child is under 5 years whether their development assessments are up to date
Information on Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores
For some local authorities, such as Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
number
Number
outcome
Outcome
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
'Teeth checked by dentist' records whether the child has had their teeth checked by a dentist in the year ending 31 March
'Had annual health assessment' records whether the child received their annual health assessment from a doctor or other suitably qualified professional during the year. Both assessments must be carried out for under fives (once in every six months before the child's fifth birthday). For fives and over a single assessment fulfils the requirement.
Development assessment information is collected for children aged 4 or younger at 31 March who were looked after continuously for at least 12 months. This measures whether the child's health surveillance or health promotion checks were up to date.
Offending totals include a small number of children for whom offending data is not known (less than 10 each year). Latest available comparable offending figures from the Ministry of Justice for all children are for 2017 where 1% of all children aged 10-17 years were convicted or subject to youth cautions, or youth conditional cautions during the year.
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Figures include children who have been continuously looked after for at least 12 months as at 31 March and exclude children who were looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Age is as at 31 March.
Immunisations were up to date by end of March. 'Up to date' means the child has had all immunisations that a child of their age should have received, according to the immunisations timetable produced by the Department of Health.
Substance misuse is defined as 'intoxication by (or regular excessive consumption and/or dependence on) psychoactive substances, leading to social, psychological, physical or legal problems'. It includes problematic use of both legal and illegal drugs (including alcohol when used in conjunction with other substances). The term 'drug' is used to refer to any psychotropic substance, including illegal drugs, illicit use of prescription drugs and volatile substances. Young people's drug taking is often inextricably linked with the consumption of alcohol. Therefore the term 'substance' refers to both drugs and alcohol but not tobacco.
Average SDQ scores have been rounded to the nearest one decimal place. An SDQ score is required of all children aged 4-16 on the date of last assessment. Date of assessment is not collected so data in this table is restricted to children aged 5 to 16 years. A higher score indicates more emotional difficulties. 0-13 is considered normal, 14-16 is borderline cause for concern and 17-40 is cause for concern.
CLA numbers and rates per 10,000 children aged under 18 years - LA
Filename
cla_number_and_rate_per_10k_children.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; National; Regional
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content
Local authority level data for:
Children looked after at 31 March
Children who started to be looked after during the year
Children who ceased to be looked after during the year
Data includes numbers of looked after children, population and rates per 10,000 children aged under 18 years. Data formerly in tables LAA1, LAC1, LAD1.
Note: Figures for children looked after during the year can be found in the LA dataset on children who have gone missing or who are away from placement without authorisation.
For some local authorities, such as Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
number
Number of children looked after
population_count
CLA population count
population_estimate
Population estimate
rate_per_10000
Rate per 10 000 children aged under 18 years
Footnotes
Before using this data, please check the metadata guidance document (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions/meta-guidance) for important information such as definitions, limitations and caveats.
Rates per 10,000 children are calculated using the most recent mid-year population estimates from the Office for National Statistics.
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Rates rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Local authority level data for children looked after at 31 March by:
age group
category of need
distance between home and placement
distance between home and placement and locality of placement
ethnicity
gender
legal status
local authority of placement
locality of placement
placement type
placement provider
numbers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
For some local authorities, such as Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristic
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
Placement locality denotes whether or not the placement is within the geographical boundary of the responsible LA.
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
No new applications for freeing orders may be made on or after 30 December 2005, they were replaced by placement orders.
'Youth justice legal statuses' refers to children: remanded to LA accommodation or youth detention accommodation under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012; placed in LA accommodation under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984; or, sentenced to a youth rehabilitation order with residence or intensive fostering requirement under the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 (as amended).
Category of need is the main category of the eight “need codes” at the time the child started to be looked after.
Children looked after at 31 March each year, by gender, age group (on 31 March), primary need, ethnicity, legal status, motherhood status, placement type (on 31 March) and number of placements during the year (placement stability). Data formerly in table A1 and A2.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristic
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
Percentages for all mothers aged 12 or over looked after at 31 March are the number of looked after mothers aged 12 and over as a percentage of all looked after females aged 12 and over.
'Youth justice legal statuses' refers to children: remanded to LA accommodation or youth detention accommodation under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012; placed in LA accommodation under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984; or, sentenced to a youth rehabilitation order with residence or intensive fostering requirement under the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 (as amended).
In 2021 there were 13 secure units in England, therefore most placements will inevitably be outside the council boundary.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
FFA relates to Fostering for Adoption. Foster placements 'not FFA or concurrent planning' include children in long term foster placements.
Category of need is the main category of the eight “need codes” at the time the child started to be looked after.
Local authority level data for children looked after on 31 March by numbers the LA places outside their LA and numbers other LAs place within the LA.
For some local authorities, such as Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristic
number
Number
Footnotes
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication. See the methodology document for further information.
Net gain is the difference between the number of children who are the responsibility of other LAs placed within this LA boundary and the number of children who are the responsibility of this LA placed outside the LA boundary.
Children looked after at 31 March by placement type, placement location (inside or outside the council boundary) and placement provider. Data formerly in table A5.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
number
Number
percent
Percent
placement_provider
Placement provider
placement_type
Placement type
Footnotes
Placement locality denotes whether or not the placement is within the geographical boundary of the responsible LA.
Placement provider is not applicable for children placed with parents. Placement provider not reported includes children placed under other (unspecified) placements and some children placed for adoption (where information may be withheld to protect the whereabouts of the child)
Placement provider is not applicable for children placed with parents. Placement provider not reported includes children placed under other (unspecified) placements and some children placed for adoption (where information may be withheld to protect the whereabouts of the child)
Children looked after at 31 March each year by distance between home and placement, by placement type and by locality of placement (placed 20 miles or less from home, or more than 20 miles from home). Data formerly in table A4.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristic
CLA_group
Type of placement
Number
Number
Percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
Placement locality denotes whether or not the placement is within the geographical boundary of the responsible LA.
Distance is the distance in miles between the child's home and placement. In some cases this is not known, for example UASC, or not recorded for confidentiality reasons, such as some children placed for adoption.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Living independently includes children in residential employment. Other includes placement in residential schools and other placements
Children looked after at 31 March each year who were unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, by gender, age group (at 31 March), primary need and ethnicity. Data formerly in table A3.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristic
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Category of need is the main category of the eight “need codes” at the time the child started to be looked after.
CLA on 31 March with three or more placements during the year, or aged under 16 on 31 March who had been looked after continuously for at least 2.5 years and who were living in the same placement for at least 2 years - LA
Local authority level data on children looked after at 31 March with three of more placements during the year, or aged under 16 at 31 March who had been looked after continuously for at least 2.5 years and who were living in the same placement for at least 2 years.
For some local authorities, such as Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristic
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Figures are based on children aged under 16 that were looked after on 31 March for a continuous period of at least 2.5 years; and include only children living in the same placement for at least two years or if they have been placed for adoption, their adoptive placement and their previous placement combined last for at least two years. Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements. The exclude children who started a period of care under an agreed series of short-term placements which later became continuous and include children in fostering placements with relative(s) or friend(s) or other foster carers who is/are also an approved adopter(s) – fostering for adoption/concurrent planning (placement codes U2 and U5) as a placement change.
A child is included as having been a. in care for at least 2.5 years if their period of care start date was on or before the 30 September of the relevant year and b. in their current placement for at least 2 years if their episode start date for the relevant placement was on or before the 31 March of the relevant year.
CLA starting and ceasing during the year by month - NATIONAL
Filename
national_children_started_and_ceased_by_month.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2020 April to 2021 March
Content
National monthly data on the number of children starting and ceasing to be looked after during the year ending 31 March 2021, and comparative monthly three-year averages of 2018 to 2020.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
ceasing_comparative_three_year_average
Number of children ceasing to be looked, three-year average year ending 31 March 2018 to 2020
ceasing_single_year
Number of children ceasing to be looked after during the year ending 31 March 2021
starting_comparative_three_year_average
Number of children starting to be looked, three-year average year ending 31 March 2018 to 2020
starting_single_year
Number of children starting to be looked after during the year ending 31 March 2021
Footnotes
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10 and exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements.. Only the first instance of a child ceasing to be looked after has been counted.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10 and exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements.. Only the first instance of a child starting to be looked after has been counted.
Local authority level data for children who started to be looked after during the year by:
age group
category of need
gender
legal status
numbers taken into care
For some local authorities, such as Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristic
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Only the first occasion on which a child started to be looked after has been counted.
Category of need is the main category of the eight “need codes” at the time the child started to be looked after.
Children who started to be looked after during the year, by gender, age on starting, category of need, ethnicity, legal status, previous permanence and placement type. Data formerly in tables C1 and C2.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristic
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
No new applications for freeing orders may be made on or after 30 December 2005, they were replaced by placement orders.
'Youth justice legal statuses' refers to children: remanded to LA accommodation or youth detention accommodation under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012; placed in LA accommodation under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984; or, sentenced to a youth rehabilitation order with residence or intensive fostering requirement under the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 (as amended).
In 2021 there were 13 secure units in England, therefore most placements will inevitably be outside the council boundary.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Only the first occasion on which a child started to be looked after has been counted.
FFA relates to Fostering for Adoption. Foster placements 'not FFA or concurrent planning' include children in long term foster placements.
Category of need is the main category of the eight “need codes” at the time the child started to be looked after.
Children looked after who were adopted during the year ending 31 March by average time between the different stages of the adoption process and age at start of period of care. Data formerly in table E2.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
age_start_poc
Age at start of period of care
number
Number (Durations are expressed in years and months)
stage_of_adoption_process
Stage of the adoption process
Footnotes
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Average time rounded to the nearest month. See the methodology document for further information. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication. Age is as at the start of period of care. 'Number of children' is those who were placed for adoption within 12 months (i.e. less than 365 days, inclusive of date placed for adoption) of the decision that they should be placed for adoption. This figure excludes children who were placed within 12 months of the decision that they should be placed for adoption, but whose placement for adoption broke down before being adopted.
Information on children for whom the local authority has made the decision that the child should be placed for adoption. Data formerly in E4.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristic
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Children for whom the LA has made the decision the child should be placed for adoption includes children who have been placed for adoption or adopted or who are waiting to be placed for adoption at 31 March each year, however the decision to adopt may have been made in an earlier years.
Relates to adoption decisions. Small numbers of children may be adopted without a formal adoption decision or may have an initial decision reversed before a new decision and adoption placement, so this figure may not be equal to other adoption figures reported in this release.
Children who have ceased to be looked after without being adopted - information is based on the year this outcome occurred, however the decision that the child should be placed for adoption may have been made in a previous year
Children looked after who were adopted in the year, by gender, age group at adoption, age at starting final period of care, primary need, ethnicity, duration of final period of care and final legal status. Data formerly in table E1.
Note: Age group at adoption and age at starting final period of care include an average age value; duration of final period of care includes an average duration. These values are in the 'Number' indicator but are in the format (years:month).
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristic
number
Number
percent
Percentage
Footnotes
No new applications for freeing orders may be made on or after 30 December 2005, they were replaced by placement orders.
Period of care refers to a continuous period of being looked after, which may include more than one placement or legal status.
Category of need is the main category of the eight “need codes” at the time the child started to be looked after.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
CLA who were adopted - number, gender and legal status of adopters - NATIONAL
Filename
number_and_legal_status_of_adopters.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2018 to 2021
Content
Children looked after who were adopted during the years ending 31 March by number of adopters, legal status of adopters and by gender of adopters. Data formerly in table E3.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
measure
Characteristic level
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
The Royal Assent to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act in July 2013 allowed same sex marriages to be performed from summer 2014. Different sex civil partnerships were allowed from December 2019.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Local authority level data for children ceasing to be looked after through an adoption or a special guardianship order.
Adoption figures are split by:
adoption - application unopposed
adoption - consent dispensed with
Special guardianship order figures are split by:
made to former foster carer, relative or friend
made to former foster carer, other than relative or friend
made to carer, other than former foster carer, relative or friend
made to carer, other than former foster carer, other than relative or friend
For some local authorities, such as Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristic
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
Footnotes
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
In 2019 the detail collected for the status of special guardianship order was changed. As such, figures for the status of special guardianship orders from 2019 onwards are not comparable to earlier figures.
Children looked after who were the subject of a special guardianship order (SGO) in the year, by gender, age group at SGO, age at starting final period of care, primary need, ethnicity, duration of final period of care and final legal status. Data formerly in table E5.
Note: Age group at SGO and age at starting final period of care include an average age value; duration of final period of care includes an average duration. These values are in the 'Number' indicator but are in the format (years:month).
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristic
number
Number
percent
Percentage
Footnotes
No new applications for freeing orders may be made on or after 30 December 2005, they were replaced by placement orders.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Period of care refers to a continuous period of being looked after, which may include more than one placement or legal status.
Category of need is the main category of the eight “need codes” at the time the child started to be looked after.
In 2019 the detail collected for the status of special guardianship order was changed. As such, figures for the status of special guardianship orders from 2019 onwards are not comparable to earlier figures.
Duration of placement ceasing during the year, by placement type. Data formerly in table B3.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
placement_duration
Duration of placements
placement_group
Placement type
Footnotes
A placement may cease but the child will continue to be looked after if a new placement begins immediately. This table gives counts of placements, not children. If a child has more than one placement in the year then each will be included.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Note: These statistics are published as Official Statistics. Users should be cautious making comparisons between local authorities, or across years due to changing reporting practices - see the methodology document for further information.
Children looked after who were away from their placement without authorisation. Figures by duration of period away from their placement without authorisation, placement and age of child at the start of the incident. Data formerly in table G1.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Children looked after who were away from placement - by missing status
number
Measure
Footnotes
Since 2017 a growing number of local authorities informed the department that they do not record incidents as 'away without authorisation' but instead report all incidents as 'missing' to maintain consistency with local police reporting. We estimate this could mean an overestimate of missing incidents of up to 8% in 2018, 10% in 2019 and 13% in 2020 and 2021; suggesting the true figures could be more like 10,700, 10,800, 11,000 and 9,600. There is a corresponding estimate of an undercount of away without authorisation incidents of up to 18% in 2018, 22% in 2019, 29% in 2020 and 32% in 2021; suggesting the true figures could be more like 4,700, 4,700, 4,800 and 3,800. However some of these local authorities submitted some 'away without authorisation' information and this has been included in the away from placement without authorisation table.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Figures for 2021 exclude data for Hackney who were unable to provide figures.
Note: These statistics are published as Official Statistics. Users should be cautious making comparisons between local authorities, or across years due to changing reporting practices - see the methodology document for further information.
Children looked after who were missing. Figures by duration of missing periods, placement from which the child went missing and age of child at start of missing incident. Data formerly in table G1.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Children looked after who were missing from placement - by missing status
number
Measure
Footnotes
Since 2017 a growing number of local authorities informed the department that they do not record incidents as 'away without authorisation' but instead report all incidents as 'missing' to maintain consistency with local police reporting. We estimate this could mean an overestimate of missing incidents of up to 8% in 2018, 10% in 2019 and 13% in 2020 and 2021; suggesting the true figures could be more like 10,700, 10,800, 11,000 and 9,600. There is a corresponding estimate of an undercount of away without authorisation incidents of up to 18% in 2018, 22% in 2019, 29% in 2020 and 32% in 2021; suggesting the true figures could be more like 4,700, 4,700, 4,800 and 3,800. However some of these local authorities submitted some 'away without authorisation' information and this has been included in the away from placement without authorisation table.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Figures for 2021 exclude data for Hackney who were unable to provide figures.
Note: These statistics are published as Official Statistics. Users should be cautious making comparisons between local authorities, or across years due to changing reporting practices - see the methodology document for further information.
Children looked after who were missing or away from placement without authorisation. Data formerly in table LAG1.
For some local authorities, such as Kent or Croydon, the figures may be impacted by significant numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
cla_group
Children who are missing or away without authorisation
number
Number
Footnotes
National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication. See the methodology document for further information.
Since 2017 a growing number of local authorities informed the department that they do not record incidents as 'away without authorisation' but instead report all incidents as 'missing' to maintain consistency with local police reporting. We estimate this could mean an overestimate of missing incidents of up to 8% in 2018, 10% in 2019 and 13% in 2020 and 2021; suggesting the true figures could be more like 10,700, 10,800, 11,000 and 9,600. There is a corresponding estimate of an undercount of away without authorisation incidents of up to 18% in 2018, 22% in 2019, 29% in 2020 and 32% in 2021; suggesting the true figures could be more like 4,700, 4,700, 4,800 and 3,800. However some of these local authorities submitted some 'away without authorisation' information and this has been included in the away from placement without authorisation table.
Figures for 2021 exclude data for Hackney who were unable to provide figures.
Reason for placement change for children who moved placements in the year. Includes breakdowns by gender, age, placement type, duration of placement and category of need. Data formerly in table B4.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
characteristic
Characteristics
number
Number
percentage
Percentage
reason_for_change
Reason for change
Footnotes
Age at end of placement.
When a child has more than one placement then each will be counted.
Approval removed denotes where a setting is no longer approved/registered with the appropriate statutory body (eg Ofsted). Change in status of a placement only denotes where there is a change of status for the placement but the child remains with the same carer and there is no change to the care plan, for example if a foster carer moves house, or a foster carer working for a local authority becomes managed by an independent fostering agency.
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. See the methodology document for further information. Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Category of need is the main category of the eight “need codes” at the time the child started to be looked after.
Children who started to be looked after in the year
Children who ceased to be looked after in the year
Children looked after who were adopted
Children looked after at 31 March who were unaccompanied asylum seeking children
Data was formerly in table H1.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
number
Number
population_count
Population count - Select the population measure you require
Footnotes
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.See the methodology document for further information. Historical data may differ from older publications which is mainly due to amendments made by local authorities after the previous publication.
Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements. Figures for 1998 to 2003 are based on a one-third sample. See the methodology document for further information.
Only the last occasion a child ceased to be looked after has been counted.
Only the first occasion on which a child started to be looked after has been counted.