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Data tracker

How have rates of children in need in England changed over the past 10+ years?

What is the age distribution of children in need in England?

How many children are on a child protection plan in England?

How often are children on a protection plan subject to a second or subsequent protection plan in England?

What are the most common primary needs identified at assessment following referral to children’s services in England and Wales?

Are there differences in the primary need identified at assessment following referral to children’s services based on a child’s age?

Frequency of top six primary needs at assessment in England 2023/24

What is the age distribution of children involved in public law applications in England and Wales?

What is the age distribution of children involved in private law applications in England and Wales?

What is the gender distribution of children involved in public and private law cases in England and Wales?

How common are private law applications in different parts of England and Wales?

What are the most common primary needs of children identified at assessment following referral to children’s services in England?

Proportion of children in need by primary need at assessment at 31 March 2013/14 compared to 2023/24

In 2022/23 1 in 5 children who start to be looked after in England are unaccompanied asylum seeking children

Unaccompanied asylum seeking children arrive in a new country without a parent or guardian, often having experiences of multiple or prolonged traumatic events, such as persecution, conflict, violence, displacement and family separation. Local authorities have a duty to accommodate unaccompanied asylum seeking children. The number of unaccompanied asylum seeking children has been rising. In 2018/19, one in ten children newly entering care were unaccompanied asylum seeking children. As of 2022/23 this is now one in five.

Infographic

What do we know about children in the family justice system?

Our regularly updated infographic highlights what we know, and what we don’t know, about children’s journeys through the family justice system based on national administrative data.

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