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Children Looked After Statistics 2006-07

Scotland's Chief Statistician today published Children Looked After Statistics 2006-07. This publication contains statistics on children who were looked after by or eligible for aftercare support from local authorities between 1 ^st April 2006 and 31 ^st March 2007.

The main findings are:

• At 31 ^st March 2007 there were 14,060 children looked after by local authorities, an increase of eight per cent since 2006. The number of children looked after has increased by 26 per cent since 1999.
• Forty three per cent of children looked after were placed at home with parents, and 15 per cent were looked after by friends or relatives. Twenty nine per cent were looked after by foster carers. Twelve per cent were in residential accommodation.
• At 31 ^st March 2007 there were 2,159 children being looked after on a series of short term placements. Almost half of all these were looked after in residential establishments.
• Of the young people who left care during 2006-07 beyond minimum school leaving age, 52 per cent had at least one qualification at SCQF level 3 or above, an increase of one percentage point since 2005-06, and 34 per cent had both English and Maths at this level, no increase since 2005-06. The increase was seen only among children looked after away from home, with a decrease in those with both English and Maths among those looked after at home.
• There were around 3,400 young people reported to be eligible for aftercare services at 31 ^st March 2007. Thirty eight per cent of those with known economic activity were in education, training or employment.

LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN

1. At 31 ^st March 2007 there were 14,060 children looked after by local authorities, an increase of eight per cent since 2006. The number of children looked after has increased each year since 2001, by a total of 29 per cent. ( Tables 1.1 and 2.1, Chart 1)

2. Fifty five per cent of children looked after on 31 ^st March 2007 were male ( Table 1.1). Sixty eight per cent were between five and 15, with half of these in the 12-15 age group.

3. Most children looked after on 31 ^st March 2007 were under supervision requirement, either at home (40 per cent of all children looked after) or away from home (39 per cent). A further nine per cent were accommodated under Section 25 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. (Table 1.4 and 2.2)

4. Forty five per cent of children starting to be looked after were under a supervision requirement at home, 17 per cent were under a supervision requirement away from home, and 17 per cent were accommodated under Section 25. ( Table 1.15)

5. Forty three per cent of children looked after were looked after at home with parents, and 15 per cent were looked after by friends or relatives. Twenty nine per cent were looked after by foster carers. ( Tables 1.9 and 2.3)

6. The proportion of children looked after in residential care was 12 per cent nationally, ranging from three per cent in Perth & Kinross to 25 per cent in Argyll & Bute. ( Table 3.3)

7. Thirty per cent of children looked after away from home had been looked after for between two and five years. Thirty eight per cent of these children were still in their first placement. Overall, 45 per cent of children looked after away from home were still on their first placement, and seven per cent had had six or more placements during their current episode of being looked after. ( Table 1.10)

8. At 31 ^st March 2007 there were 2,159 children being looked after on a series of short term placements, a decrease of three per cent on 2006. Sixty one per cent of these children were male. Almost half of all children looked after on a series of short term placements were looked after in residential establishments and 29 per cent were looked after by foster carers. ( Tables 1.30, 1.31 and 2.8)

CARE LEAVERS

9. Between 1 ^st April 2006 and 31 ^st March 2007, 4,144 children left care, an increase of seven per cent on 2005-06. ( Table 1.16 and 2.6)

10. In the majority of episodes of care that ended during 2006-07, the child's destination was home with parents (52 per cent). The remaining children had a range of destinations, with no more than nine per cent in any one. ( Table 1.17)

11. Ten per cent of children ceasing to be looked after had been looked after for under six weeks. A further nine per cent had been looked after for five years or more, of which one per cent had been looked after for ten years or more. Around 40 per cent had been looked after for less than a year. ( Table 1.20)

12. Forty five per cent of care leavers beyond minimum school leaving age who had been looked after at home achieved at least one qualification at SCQF level 3 or above, compared to 60 per cent of care leavers who had been looked after away from home. ( Table 1.21)

13. Twenty six per cent of care leavers beyond minimum school leaving age who had been looked after at home achieved both English and Maths at SCQF level 3 or above, compared to 45 per cent of care leavers who had been looked after away from home. ( Table 1.21)

14. Half of all care leavers beyond minimum school leaving age had a pathway plan and 55 per cent had a nominated pathway coordinator on 31 ^st March 2007. ( Table 1.23)

YOUNG PEOPLE ELIGIBLE FOR AFTERCARE SERVICES

15. Around 3,400 young people were reported to be eligible for aftercare services on 31 ^st March 2007. However, as two local authorities did not provide any data and a further two provided incomplete data, all figures regarding aftercare should be used with caution. ( Tables 1.24-1.29).

16. Eleven per cent of young people reported to be eligible for aftercare services were no longer in touch with the local authority on 31 ^st March 2007, and the accommodation of a further 14 per cent was not known. Of those whose accommodation was known, most were either living independently/in their own tenancy (27 per cent) or living at home with parents (26 per cent). Five per cent were known to be homeless. ( Table 1.24)

17. Of the young people eligible for aftercare services on 31 ^st March 2007 who were in touch with the local authority and whose economic activity was known, 16 per cent were in education and 22 per cent were in training or employment. Five per cent were not in education, training or employment due to illness or disability, six per cent were looking after family and 50 per cent were unemployed for other reasons. ( Table 1.25)

18. Twenty eight per cent of young people eligible for aftercare who had a known disability and known economic activity were in employment, education or training. This compares to 42 per cent of young people who were known to have no disability and whose economic activity was known. ( Table 1.28)

The following charts are available:

Chart 1: Children looked after per 1,000 of 0-18 population by type of placement, March 1987-2007
Chart 2: Children looked after on 31st March 2007 by age and gender
Chart 3: Percentage of care leavers beyond minimum school leaving age with at least one qualification at SCQF level 3 or above, 2002-03 to 2006-07
Chart 4: Children looked after on a series of short term placements on 31st March, 2000-2007
Chart 5: Percentage of looked after children in residential and community placements on 31st March 2007 by local authority

The following tables are available:

Table 1.1: Children looked after at 31st March 2007 by age group and gender
Table 1.2: Children looked after at 31st March 2007by ethnic group
Table 1.3: Children looked after at 31st March 2007 by disability status
Table 1.4: Children looked after at 31st March 2007 by current statute and length of time under current statute
Table 1.5: Children looked after as at 31st March 2007 under a Parental Responsibility Order, Freed for Adoption or under a Permanency order, by age group
Table 1.6: Children looked after as at 31st March 2007 under a Parental Responsibility Order, Freed for Adoption or under a Permanency order, by ethnic group
Table 1.7: Children looked after as at 31st March 2007 under a Parental Responsibility Order, Freed for Adoption or under a Permanency order, by disability status
Table 1.8: Children looked after on a Parental Responsibility Order, Freed for Adoption or under a Permanency Order at 31st March 2007 - Stability of placements since put on statute
Table 1.9: Children looked after at 31st March 2007 by type of accommodation
Table 1.10: Children looked after away from home at 31st March 2007 - Stability of placements of all looked after children
Table 1.11: Children looked after at 31st March 2007 with and without a current care plan

Table 1.12: Children starting to be looked after during 2006-07 by age group and gender
Table 1.13: Children starting to be looked after during 2006-07 by ethnic origin
Table 1.14: Children starting to be looked after during 2006-07 by disability status
Table 1.15: Children starting to be looked after during 2006-07 by statutory reason for being looked after

Table 1.16: Children ceasing to be looked after during 2006-07 by age group and gender
Table 1.17: Children ceasing to be looked after during 2006-07 by destination on discharge and age
Table 1.18: Children ceasing to be looked after during 2006-07 by last statutory reason for being looked after
Table 1.19: Children ceasing to be looked after during 2006-07 by disability status
Table 1.20: Children ceasing to be looked after during 2006-07 by age group and length of time looked after
Table 1.21: Academic attainment of young people aged 16 or over who ceased to be looked after during 2006-07
Table 1.22: Young people ceasing to be looked after during 2006-07 who were beyond minimum school-leaving age on date they ceased to be looked after - by age group and type of accommodation for last care placement
Table 1.23: Young people ceasing to be looked after during 2006-07 who were beyond minimum school-leaving age on date they ceased to be looked after - with a pathway plan, and with a nominated pathway co-ordinator

Table 1.24: Young people eligible for aftercare services on 31st March 2007, by age and type of accommodation
Table 1.25: Young people eligible for aftercare services on 31st March 2007, by age and economic activity
Table 1.26: Young people eligible for aftercare services on 31st March 2007, by gender and economic activity
Table 1.27: Young people eligible for aftercare services on 31st March 2007, by ethnic group and economic activity
Table 1.28: Young people eligible for aftercare services on 31st March 2007, by disability status and economic activity
Table 1.29: Young people eligible for aftercare services - episodes of homelessness

Table 1.30: All children with a current series of short term placements at 31st March 2007 by age group and gender
Table 1.31: All children with a current series of short term placements at 31st March 2007 by type of placement

Table 2.1: Number of children looked after and number of children starting to be looked after 2000-2007 by age and gender
Table 2.2: Number of children looked after and number of children starting to be looked after 2000-2007 by statutory reason for being looked after
Table 2.3: Number of children looked after 2000-2007 by type of accommodation
Table 2.4: Number of children looked after 2000-2007 by ethnic origin
Table 2.5: Number of children looked after 2000-2007 by disability status
Table 2.6: Number of children ceasing to be looked after, by destination and age, 2000-2007
Table 2.7: Number of children ceasing to be looked after, by length of time looked after and age, 2000-2007
Table 2.8: Number of children looked after in a planned series of short-term placements, by gender and age 2000-2007
Table 2.9: Number of children looked after by accommodation, 1971-2007

Table 3.1: Children starting and ceasing to be looked after, by local authority, 2006-07
Table 3.2: Characteristics of children looked after by local authority, 31st March 2007
Table 3.3: Number of children looked after, by local authority, accomodation type and characteristics of care away from home, 31st March 2007
Table 3.4: Number of care leavers beyond minimum school leaving age with at least one qualification at SCQF level 3 or above, 2006-07
Table 3.5: Number of care leavers beyond minimum school leaving age with qualifications in maths and English, 2006-07
Table 3.6: Percentage of care leavers beyond minimum school leaving age with a pathway plan and a pathway co-ordinator, 2006-07
Table 3.7: Young people entitled to aftercare, percentage in touch with social services and percentage in employment, education or training, 2006-07

BACKGROUND NOTES

1 The survey forms and guidance notes for data presented in this publication, and previous years' publications, can be seen at www.scotland.gov.uk/childrenstats.

2 Although all local authorities supplied data, some were unable to provide information for every table. The larger omissions are listed below:

• Eilean Siar did not provide data for Tables 1.21 to 1.31 and North Lanarkshire did not provide data for Tables 1.24 to 1.29. Data from 2005-06 have been used as a substitute, and figures in these tables should therefore be regarded as estimates.
• South Lanarkshire did not provide data for tables 1.4, 1.15, 1.17 and 1.18. Figures for these tables have been recorded as "unknown" based on the totals in other tables.
• In Tables 1.24 to 1.29 Scottish Borders included only those children receiving (rather than all those eligible for) aftercare, and in Tables 1.26 to 1.29 West Lothian did not include 19-21 year olds. No corrections have been made for these local authorities, and figures in these tables should therefore be regarded as estimates.

In addition, there were a few minor omissions by other local authorities, which are footnoted in the relevant tables. In most cases, figures have been recorded as "unknown" based on totals in other tables.

3 Figures for 2005-06 have been revised to include data that a few local authorities did not provide in time for the 2005-06 publication. However, the resulting changes are small.

4 Tables 1.4, 1.15, 1.18 and 2.2 show numbers of children looked after under 'other' statute. Examples of 'other' include external housing support, English statutes, and the following sections from the Children's (Scotland) Act: 38(a)(1); 29; 33; 56(4)(b); 70 (3)(b); 66(1); 22.

5 Tables 1.9, 1.22 and 2.3 show number of children looked after by accommodation. 'Other community' includes supported accommodation/semi-independent living, emergency accommodation, link carers, respite at friends/relations, own tenancy/independent living, childminder, ex-foster carers, unknown, with in-laws, with partner, supported lodgings, hostel, supported carer placements and 'share the care' placements.

6 Tables 1.17 and 2.6 show number of children by destination on discharge. Examples of 'other' include unknown, prison, foster carers, secure accommodation, bed and breakfast, residential care home.

7 Tables 1.24-1.29 and 3.7 show children eligible for aftercare services. For details of young people's eligibility for aftercare, see regulations and guidance at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/03/19113/34719.

8 This is a National Statistics publication. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.

9 Public enquiries ( non-media) about the information contained in this Publication Notice should be addressed to Rosie Telford at:

Telephone: 0131 244 0314
e-mail: children.statistics@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

10 Media enquiries about the information in this Statistics Publication Notice should be addressed to Brendan Rooney on 0131 244 2960.

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