Summary statistics on children in care and children adopted from care, and searching for birth relatives in England.
On this page:
> Children in public care
> Placements
> Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children
> Private Fostering
> Adoption Orders by date of entry in Adopted Children Register
> Adoptions from Care
> Adoption Search and Reunion
> Sources
Children in public care
59,500 children were in the care of local authorities on 31st March 2008
Gender
56% (33,500) of children looked after on 31st March 2008 were boys and 44% (26,000) were girls
Age
- 5% (2,900) of children looked after on 31st March 2008 were under 1 year old
- 15% 9,000) were aged between 1 and 4 years old
- 17% (10,400) were aged between 5 and 9 years old
- 42% (24,900) were aged between 10 and 15 years old
- 21% (12,300) were aged 16 and over
Placements
- 71% (42,300) of children looked after on 31st March 2008 were living with foster carers
- 11% (6,500) were living in children’s homes (includes secure units, children's homes and hostels)
- 8% (4,500) were living with their parents
- 4% (2,600) were placed for adoption
- 3% (1,670) were placed in residential schools or other residential settings
Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children
3,500 unaccompanied asylum seeking children were looked after on 31st March 2008
- 81% (2,900) were boys and 19% (660) were girls
Private Fostering
1,330 children were known to be living under private fostering arrangements at 31st March 2008
1,560 new private fostering arrangements began and 1,520 ended during the year ending 31st March 2008
1,790 new notifications were received during the year ending 31st March 2008
Adoption Orders by date of entry in Adopted Children Register
- 5,680 adoption orders were made in England and Wales during 2002
- 4,818 adoption orders were made in England and Wales during 2003
- 5,562 adoption orders were made in England and Wales during 2004
- 5,558 adoption orders were made in England and Wales during 2005
- 4,979 adoption orders were made in England and Wales during 2006
- 4,637 adoption orders were made in England and Wales during 2007
NB Figures on adoption orders apply to adoptions by relatives and step–parents as well as adoptions from care
Adoptions from Care
3,200 children were adopted from care during the year ending 31st March 2008
Gender
51% (1,600) of children adopted during the year ending 31st March 2008 were boys and 49% (1,500) were girls
Age
The average age at adoption was 3 years 11 months
- 4% (120) of children adopted during the year ending 31st March 2008 were under 1 year old
- 70% (2,200) were aged between 1 and 4 years old
- 22% (690) were aged between 5 and 9 years old
- 4% (120) were aged between 10 and 15 years old
- 1% (20) were aged 16 and over
Adopters
91% (2,900) children were adopted by couples and 9% (270) by single adopters during the year ending 31st March 2008
Waiting times
75% children were placed for adoption within 12 months of best interest decision during the year ending 31st March 2006
Adoption Search and Reunion
The Adoption Contact Register for England and Wales
At 30th June 2001, there were 19,683 adoptees and 8,492 relatives on the Adoption Contact Register for England and Wales, and 539 successful matches had been made since the start of the Adoption Contact Register in 1991.
Sources:
Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers): year ending 31 March 2008
www.dfes.gov.uk
Private fostering arrangements in England: Year Ending 31 March 2008
www.dcsf.gov.uk
Marriage, divorce and adoption statistics: Review of the National Statistician on marriages and divorces in 2006, and adoptions in 2007, in England and Wales
www.statistics.gov.uk
Adoptees and Relatives who Wish to Contact Each Other Using the Adoption Contact Register: Trends, relationships and proportions of records matched, from Population Trends, No 106, Winter 2001
www.statistics.gov.uk
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