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Updated desk research carried out by Blue Cabin’s local authority specialist, Joanne Stoddart, brings together data on the number and characteristics of children in care across the UK and in North East England, where Blue Cabin is based. Here, Joanne gives an updated insight into the key findings and what the latest data tells us about the children in care population, as of February 2025.
The number and rate of children in care in the UK has continued to increase overall, although trends between the four nations still vary. England and Northern Ireland both saw their children in care populations again increasing between the years 2022 to 2023. Wales had seen a previous decline, however, in 2023 it saw a slight increase on the previous year. Scotland has continued to see a decline in its children in care population.
However, there is a note of caution as there are differences between the nations around when children are counted as being ‘in care,’ therefore rates cannot be directly compared between nations.
Many of the changes in the English child in care population continue to be explained by the number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC).
UASC are children and young people who have applied for asylum in their own right and are separated from both their parents and/or any other responsible adult. Local authorities have a duty to provide accommodation for these children and young people.
On 31 March 2024, there were 7,380 UASC in care in England. While this remains a high figure which brings challenges to existing services and resources, the number of UASC has slightly reduced from the previous year by 30 children and young people. This distinct group of children and young people currently represent around 9% of all children in care in England. As of September 2023, the number of applications for asylum from this group of children and young people in the UK comprised 6% of the total asylum applications received in the UK. UASC continue to be mostly male (96%) which is an increase on the previous figure of 90%, and older (89% were 16 years and older).
Since February 2022 there has been a mandated national transfer scheme in place to enable the safe transfer of UASC between local authorities across the country to ensure that these children and young people have access to the services and support they need. This has meant that UASC have been relocated from their initial points of entry to various parts of England.
Pupils in all social care groups (children in need, children subject to a child protection plan and children in care) are over twice as likely to have a special education need than the overall pupil population.
In the overall pupil population, 17.1% of pupils are identified with special education needs. Conversely, 58.1% of children who had been in care continuously for 12 months at 31 March 2023, for whom data were available, had special education needs, which consists of 30.8% with an Education, Health and Care Plan and 27.3% with special education need support.
The most common type of need for all children in care as at 31 March 2023 was ‘social, emotional and mental health’.
The North East of England continues to have the highest child in care rate per 10,000 of children under 18 years in England, at 114.00, with the second highest region, the North West, having 94.0. The lowest continues to be Outer London at 45.00. The England average is 70.00.
In the North East, Hartlepool continues to have the highest rate of children in care per 10,000 of children under 18 years of age (164.00), and Northumberland continues to have the lowest in the North East (74.00).
During this reporting period, it is noticed that five of the twelve local authorities in the North East have seen increases in this rate compared to eight in the previous period (Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland, Gateshead, Durham, and Sunderland). Six have seen a decrease which is the same figure as previously reported (Middlesbrough, Darlington, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Northumberland), and one has remained the same (Stockton-on-Tees).
There continues to be an evident clear difference between the local authorities in the north of the region in comparison with the south of the region: Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Darlington and Stockton are in the highest range with the exception of Gateshead.
The North East of England continues to experience a significantly higher rate of children starting to be looked after over recent years (48.0) in comparison to the England average (28.0). It has also continued to experience a significantly higher rate of children ceasing to be in care over recent years (46.0) in comparison to the England average (28.0).
The data also shows that children in the West Midlands are more likely to have an adoption plan (13%) which is a change to the data previously reported which reflected the North East as the highest. The North East is now the second highest (11%) with the England average at 9%.
As a local authority practitioner I always find undertaking this research invaluable.
I remain acutely aware of the sustained high numbers of children in the care of local authorities across the country and specifically in the North East region which is where I am based both professionally and personally.
However, it is too easy as a busy social care professional to just focus on what is happening in our own world as it takes energy to look up and see the bigger picture. Nevertheless, this exercise remains invaluable as it enables a refocus and reminds us, as practitioners, to focus on what is important: the children and families that we help, support and safeguard.
In undertaking this research I was surprised to find that the child poverty rate in the North East is now 21% rather than the 35% reported in the previous period, which is just below the UK average of 22% as detailed in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation UK Poverty report 2025. However, there was a note of caution regarding this statistic advised in the report. The West Midlands now reports to have the highest rate of child poverty at 27%. Although the child poverty rate in the North East region appears to have significantly reduced, the highest child poverty rate within the North East is Middlesbrough and Thornaby East (43%), South Shields (36%), Newcastle Central and West (35%) and Redcar (34%). All of these rates are significantly higher than the West Midlands region as a whole.
As a practitioner I was aware of the higher number of children in care who are identified as having special education needs. However, to actually understand the scale of the figure involved at almost 60% of the child in care population, in addition to the most common type of need for children in care reported as being ‘social, emotional and mental health’, gives cause for reflection given the magnitude of this picture and what this means for each individual child and young person.
Understanding the bigger picture enables practitioners to analyse how their local authority is performing, and undertake deep dives if data or findings differ greatly to other areas. Understanding differences leads to conversations to explore how we can work to further improve the lives of the children and families we work with.
Blue Cabin is based in the North East of England and continues to have strong connections with many local authorities and organisations in the North East.
The findings from this updated research reaffirm the need for continued focus within the region and will support us in planning Blue Cabin’s future work.
The children in care population is continuing to rise and the need for life story work and other interventions to help improve outcomes for these children and young people will also continue to increase. Having access to in-depth information like this is invaluable in helping us to understand the needs of children and young people going forward.
Read Joanne’s previous blog, from July 2024, here.
NSPCC Learning: Children in Care: Statistics briefing; November 2024.
Children in care statistics briefing | NSPCC Learning
Local Authority Interactive Tool (Department for Education)
Local authority interactive tool (LAIT) – GOV.UK
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation: UK Poverty Report 2025.
UK Poverty 2025: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK | Joseph Rowntree Foundation
CLA in England including adoptions, reporting year 2024 – explore education statistics – GOV.UK
Explore our statistics and data – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK
In this very special podcast episode, we talk with young film makers from Tees Valley who have made a short film called All About Adoption. Hear from some of the film makers about what they wanted friends, teachers and social workers to know about adoption.
Find out more and listen to the episode>>
And here, you can watch a short film made by young people in Redcar and Cleveland, sharing their experiences of being in care.
