Metric permalink
Children looked after
Part of the Childhood and Social Floor domain. Children looked after by local authorities per 10,000 children, England, at 31 March.
Latest data
Latest reading
Year ending 31 Mar 2025
Change between the two latest observations (2024 to Year ending 31 Mar 2025), in stress score.
A higher reading is treated as worse for this indicator.
Score composition
Stress score
Since the August 2026 release
What changed on this indicator between the two releases: history restated.
Blended from two measured components: (2/3 weight) and trend (1/3 weight); where no trend can be computed the metric is scored on its level alone. Volatility is published as a diagnostic and does not enter the blend. Full formula on the methodology page.
Level · 2/3 weight
Percentile: this metric is scored against its own history, where today sits between its best and worst recorded years.
Trend · 1/3 weight
Measured from the direction and size of the change between the two most recent readings.
Volatility · diagnostic, not blended
18Measured from how much this indicator has swung period on period across its recorded history.
Data confidence and provenance
Confidence and source
How much weight to put on the reading, the mean data-confidence across the component metrics (source quality, recency and completeness).
Source
Children looked after in England including adoptions
- Update frequency
- Annual
- Reliability
- high
Provenance
- Provider
- Department for Education
- Series ID
- dfe_looked_after
- Frequency
- Annual
- Accessed
- 25 August 2026
Known weakness
England; the rate reflects both underlying need and local-authority thresholds and policy, which vary.
Notes
Verified official value from Department for Education (dfe_looked_after), accessed 2026-08-25.
Historical values
History
| Period | Value | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 57 | |
| 2012 | 59 | |
| 2013 | 60 | |
| 2014 | 60 | |
| 2015 | 60 | |
| 2016 | 60 | |
| 2017 | 62 | |
| 2018 | 64 | |
| 2019 | 65 | |
| 2020 | 67 | |
| 2021 | 67 | |
| 2022 | 70 | |
| 2023 | 71 | |
| 2024 | 69 | |
| 2025 | 67 |