Vision statement one: Where children are 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.
Number and percentage of children in the ‘care system’ living in the community each year
| Year | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 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 2024
Last updated: April 2025
Next Update due: April 2026
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) has fallen by nearly a fifth between 31 July 2019 and 31 July 2024.By comparison, the number of children living in residential care fell by around 9% over the same period.