In 2022, the number of CLA by local authorities in England rose to 82,170, up 2% on last year, continuing the rise seen in recent years. This is a rate of 70 CLA per 10,000 children.
Number of children looked after on 31 March, 2018 to 2022, England
| Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|
| Number of children looked after | 75,360 | 78,140 | 80,000 | 80,780 | 82,170 |
| Annual change | . | +2,780 | +1,860 | +780 | +1,390 |
| Annual percentage change | . | +4% | +2% | +1% | +2% |
Source: SSDA903
Numbers and rates per 10,000 children vary widely across local authorities, for example Blackpool has the highest rate at 218 CLA per 10,000 children and Merton has the lowest at 26 CLA per 10,000 children.
Characteristics
The general characteristics of CLA are similar to previous years:
Males account for 56% of children, females account for 44%. At 56%, males are slightly over-represented in the CLA population, compared to 51% in the overall child population.
CLA are predominantly older - 10 to 15-year-olds account for 39% of children, 25% were aged 16+ years, 18% aged 5 to 9 years, 14% aged 1 to 4 years and 5% aged less than 1 year.
Children from Black, Mixed and Other ethnic groups were over-represented in the numbers of children in care. Children of White ethnicity account for 73% of children looked after, 10% were Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups, 7% Black, African, Caribbean or Black British, 5% were Asian or Asian British, 4% other ethnicities and ethnicity was not known or not yet recorded for 1%.
Reasons for being looked after
When a child is assessed by children's services their primary need is recorded. This list is hierarchical and where more than one need is identified then the need ‘highest’ up the list is reported. Reasons for being looked after include the following:
- as a result of or because they were at risk of abuse or neglect - 54,270 children (66%) - the most common reason identified
- primarily due to living in a family where the parenting capacity is chronically inadequate (family dysfunction) - 10,820 (13%)
- due to living in a family that is going through a temporary crisis that diminishes the parental capacity to adequately meet some of the children’s needs (family being in acute stress) - 6,070 (7%)
- due to there being no parents available to provide for the child - 5,790 (7%)
- due to the child’s or parent’s disability or illness - 4,220 (5%)
- due to low income or socially unacceptable behaviour – 1,000 (1%)
The largest change since last year has been in ‘Absent parenting’ which has risen by 1,350 compared to last year, likely due to the increase in UASC who are usually looked after due to ‘absent parenting’.
Legal status
Information is collected on the legal status underlying being 'looked-after' ,which helps to describe why the child is being looked after. These include:
- a care order - a court order placing a child in the care or supervision of a local authority
- a voluntary agreement - this allows the local authority to provide accommodation for a child where there's parental consent, or when no-one with parental responsibility is in place
- a placement order - a court order allowing a local authority to place a child for adoption
- detained for child protection reasons
- detained under youth justice legal statuses
In recent years both the number and proportion of CLA under a care order have been increasing, whilst the number and proportion looked after under a voluntary agreement (under section 20 of the Children Act 1989) has been decreasing. This is followed a family court ruling in 2015 on the use of voluntary agreements.
In 2022, whilst the number of CLA looked after under care orders has increased very slightly (50 children), as a proportion of all CLA, slightly fewer were looked after under a care order, (77%, down from 79% last year). There has been an increase in both the number and proportion of children looked after under voluntary arrangements - 17% of CLA were looked after under voluntary agreements this year, up from 15% last year. This increase reflects the increase in UASC this year, who are usually voluntarily accommodated.
CLA under a placement order continue to fall, down 8% on last year to 4,430 children.
Placements
The majority of CLA are placed in foster placements, where an approved carer looks after the child. CLA were placed:
- in foster placements - 70% - down slightly from 71% last year
- in secure units, children's homes or semi-independent living accommodation (for example hostels, lodgings or flats where staff are employed to provide support and advice) - 16% - up from 14% last year
- with parents or other person with parental responsibility - 7% - same as last year
- for adoption - 3% - same as last year
- in the community, living independently, or in residential employment - 2% - same as last year
- in other residential settings (including care homes, schools or custody) - 1% - same as last year
Foster placements
Whilst the number of children in foster placements has increased each year, the overall number of children looked after has increased more quickly, so the proportion of CLA in foster placements has decreased to 70% this year from 73% in 2018. However, the number of all CLA in foster placements with a relative or friend has increased by 29% since 2018, and now represents 15% of all CLA.
Foster placements can be with a relative or friend, or another carer - the number of CLA placed in a foster placement with relatives of friends has been increasing each year.
| Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|
| Number of CLA in foster placements | 54,700 | 55,760 | 56,970 | 57,010 | 57,540 |
| Year on year change | . | +1,060 | +1,210 | +40 | +530 |
| Percentage (of all CLA) in foster placements | 73% | 71% | 71% | 71% | 70% |
| Number of CLA in foster placements with a relative or friend | 9,720 | 10,450 | 11,580 | 12,420 | 12,580 |
| Year on year change | . | +730 | +1,130 | +840 | +160 |
| Percentage (of all CLA) in foster placements with a relative or friend | 13% | 13% | 14% | 15% | 15% |
Unregulated placements
The number of children placed in unregulated placements (i.e. semi-independent living or living independently) has increased by 23% since last year from 6.080 to 7,470. This represents 9% of CLA in these placements.
The majority of this increase is in children placed in semi-independent living accommodation, up 27% since last year from 4,280 to 5,440; children living independently increased by 13% from 1,790 to 2,030.
Locality of placements
Local authorities have a general duty to provide accommodation that is within the local authorities' area, that meets the needs of the child and allows the child to live near their home.
Slightly fewer placements this year were inside the council boundary - 56% of all CLA placements, down from 57% last year and 59% in 2018. Children placed with parents or in placements within the community (for example living independently or in residential employment) were more likely to be placed within the LA boundary (82% and 68% respectively); Children in adoption placements, other residential settings and residential schools were less likely to be placed within the LA boundary (at 22%, 22% and 25%). Children's homes accommodated 9% of CLA - the same as last year and a third of these children were accommodated in homes inside the LA boundary.
However, the majority of CLA were still placed within 20 miles of home - 72% - and 21% were not placed within 20 miles of home. Information for the remaining 7% was not known or not recorded - this could be because the home address was not known, the child was UASC, or for reasons of confidentiality (for example children placed for adoption).
As might be expected, location of placement varies by type of placement - children placed for adoption are the most likely to be placed over 20 miles from home and children placed with parents or in a foster placements are most likely to be placed 20 miles or less from home.
Further information on CLA on 31 March can be found in the ‘A’ highlight tables accompanying this release.
