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Children Looked After Statistics
24/02/2010
Scotland's Chief Statistician today published Children Looked After Statistics 2008-09. This publication presents new statistics obtained from the children looked after survey which was completed by all local authorities in Scotland.
This year, for the first time, all 32 local authorities completed a return for each individual child, rather than aggregate return. This has not changed the format of the publication but it does enable more flexible analyses to be carried out.
The main findings are:
- At March 31, 2009 there were 15,288 children looked after by local authorities, an increase of three per cent since 2008. The number of children looked after has increased every year since 2001 and is at its highest since 1983
- At March 31, 2009, 39 per cent of children who were looked after on this day were placed at home with parents and 20 per cent were looked after by friends or relatives. Twenty nine per cent were looked after by foster carers and 10 per cent were in residential accommodation
- There were 5,194 children who started to be looked after in 2008-09, an increase of one per cent on 2007-08. The number ceasing to be looked after decreased by three per cent from 2007-08, to 4,386 in 2008-09
- Forty per cent of those who ceased to be looked after above school leaving age in 2008-09 had a pathway plan on the date they were discharged and 42 per cent had a pathway coordinator
- There were 3,452 young people reported to be eligible for aftercare services on March 31, 2009. Thirty five per cent of those with known economic activity were in education, training or employment, a decrease of seven percentage points on 2008
- At March 31, 2009 there were 2,123 children being looked after on a series of short term placements. Just under half were looked after in residential establishments
National statistics are produced by professionally independent statistical staff.