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 underlying universal support system must support all families and identify those who need more support.
Percentage of children with a developmental concern recorded at their 13-15 months, 27-30 months, and 4-5 year reviews.
| Year | 13-15months | 27-30months | 4-5year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 14.1% | 16.5% | 18.7% |
| 2023/24 | 14.2% | 16.7% | 18.3% |
| 2022/23 | 12.5% | 17.9% | 16.9% |
| 2021/22 | 11.9% | 17.8% | 15.3% |
| 2020/21 | 9.6% | 14.9% | 12.8% |
| 2019/20 | 9.7% | 14.3% | 13.1% |
Notes
Reporting period: Children who became eligible between April 2024 - March 2025
Last updated: April 2026
Next Update due: April 2026
Expanded Content
The data shows that at all three stages the percentage of children with a developmental concern is now higher than at the baseline year of 2019/20.
These data for 2024/25 represent a stabilising compared to the previous year in the percentage of children with a concern noted about at least one area of development at the 13-15 month and 27-30 month reviews but a slight increase at 4-5 year review.
There was a marked increase in concerns at all stages from 2020/21 to 2021/22. This is likely in part to be due to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The most frequently recorded developmental concerns were gross motor development at 13- 15 months (7.9%), speech, language & communication at 27-30 months (11.6%), and emotional/behavioural development at 4-5 years (10.6%).
There are marked and persistent socioeconomic inequalities in the percentage of children recorded as having a concern about their development at each review, with the highest percentages seen among children living in the most deprived areas.