Vision statement one: Where children are safe in their families and feel loved, they must stay— and families must be given support together to nurture that love and overcome the difficulties which get in the way.
The rate of children entering care decreases. For those that do need to enter care, a higher proportion are able to stay living at home with parents, or in a family setting.
Children in the ‘care system’ living in the community as at 31 July each year.
| Year | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10, 435 | 88.0% |
| 2024 | 10, 518 | 89.0% |
| 2023 | 10, 798 | 89.0% |
| 2022 | 11, 185 | 89.9% |
| 2021 | 11, 933 | 90.4% |
| 2020 | 13, 022 | 90.1% |
| 2019 | 12, 814 | 89.8% |
Notes
Reporting period: 31 July 2025
Last updated: April 2026
Next Update due: April 2027
Expanded Content
The number of children experiencing care whilst living within communities (which includes those living at home with their parents, with kinship carers, foster carers or prospective adopters, or in other homes within the community) fell very slightly (by less than 0.1%) between 2024 and 2025. Overall, this number has fallen by nearly 20% between 31 July 2019 and 31 July 2025.
By comparison, the number of children living in residential care fell by around 4% over the same period.
The proportion of children experiencing care living in communities fell by 1 percentage point between 2024 (89%) and 2025 (88%). The proportion in 2019 was 90%.