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28 October 2005
A Scottish Executive National Statistics Publication
ISSN 1479-7569 (online)
ISBN 0 7559 2790 7
This document is also available in pdf format (312k)

This publication presents statistics on Looked After Children, Secure Accommodation and Child Protection. Headline messages are:

• Over 12,000 children were looked after by local authorities on 31 ^st March 2005, an increase of 4 per cent from 2004. An additional 2,003 were looked after on a series of short term respite placements.
• On 31 ^st March 2005, the majority of children were looked after at home with their parents or with family or friends (57 per cent). Approximately 29 per cent were looked after with foster carers or prospective adopters, and 13 per cent in residential accommodation.
• Of 16 and 17 year old care leavers in 2004-05, approximately 45 per cent achieved at least one qualification at SCQF level three or above, 3 percentage points more than in 2003-04. 30 percent of care leavers achieved maths and English at SCQF level 3 or above, 2 percentage points more than in 2003-04.
• 41 per cent of people receiving aftercare support whose economic status was known were in employment, education or training. This is 5 percentage points higher than the previous year. There were 1,015 care leavers entitled to aftercare with unknown economic status (45 per cent).
• Five secure units provided a total of 93 secure places during 2004-05: 3 places fewer than the previous year. There was an average of 87 residents in secure accommodation through-out 2004-05.
• Almost half of all children (49 per cent) admitted to secure accommodation during the year were 15 years old.
• 40 per cent of all young people leaving secure accommodation in 2004-05 returned to the same type of placement as they were in before being admitted to secure. In most cases, children were living with parents/friends/relatives prior to admission and returned to them on discharge.
• In 2004-05, the numbers of child protection case conferences, registrations, de-registrations and the number of children on the child protection register have decreased since 2003-04. However, the number of child protection referrals has increased substantially.
• The number of child protection registrations due to physical neglect has been rising steadily since 2000-01. Registrations due to physical injury or sexual abuse have remained fairly constant since 1999-2000.

Children Looked After

1.1 12,185 children were looked after by local authorities on 31 ^st March 2005. This is 4 per cent higher than the number in 2004 (11,675).

1.2 The number of children starting to be looked after during the 2004-05 financial year was 4,333, which was 5 per cent less than the 2003-04 year. The only groups within which there was an increase in starting to be looked after were boys less than 1 year of age and girls aged 1-4 years.

1.3 The number of children ceasing to be looked after in the financial year was 3,566, which was 11 per cent fewer than the 2003-04 year. (A single child can start and cease to be looked after multiple times within a year).

1.4 Most looked after children on 31 ^st March 2005 were looked after under Supervision Requirements. Only 15 children were looked after under Criminal Court Provision - the smallest number since 1999-2000.

1.5 On 31 ^st March 2005, the majority of children were looked after at home with their parents or with family or friends (57 per cent). Approximately 29 per cent were looked after with foster carers or prospective adopters, and 13 per cent in residential accommodation.

1.6 As at 31 ^st March 2005, there were an additional 2,003 children looked after in a series of short term placements (respite care). This is the lowest number since March 2000.

Care Leavers

1.7 Of 16 and 17 year old care leavers in 2004-05, approximately 45 per cent achieved at least one qualification at SCQF level three or above, 3 percentage points more than in 2003-04.

1.8 Approximately 22 per cent of leavers who had been looked after at home achieved SCQF level 3 or above maths and English, compared to 39 per cent of those who had been looked after away from home. Overall 30 percent of care leavers achieved maths and English at SCQF level 3 or above, 2 percentage points more than in 2003-04.

1.9 During 2004-05, around 1,114 people in Scotland left care and were eligible for aftercare support. 41 per cent of these people leaving care had a pathway plan, down 4 percentage points from the previous year, and 56 per cent had a pathway-co-ordinator, up 3 percentage points from the previous year.

1.10 Including people who had left care in previous years, a total of 2,245 people were eligible for aftercare support. Social work departments were no longer in touch with 25 per cent of these people.

1.11 41 per cent of people receiving aftercare support whose economic status was known were in employment, education or training. This is 5 percentage points higher than the previous year. There were 1,015 care leavers entitled to aftercare with unknown economic status (45 per cent).

1.12 The percentage of care leavers still in touch with Local Authorities who were known to have had an episode of homelessness since leaving care fell by 4 percentage points to 11 per cent in 2004-05.

Young People in Secure Accommodation

2.1 Five secure units provided a total of 93 secure places during 2004-05: 3 places fewer than the previous year.

2.2 On the 31 ^st March 2005, there were 434 staff working across the secure estate, of which 33 were temporary. There were 19 vacancies, of which 5 had been vacant for more than 3 months. Most vacancies were for full-time care staff.

2.3 The average cost per bed per week was £3,458. Given the demand in 2004-05, the estimated annual cost for secure accommodation in Scotland was £16.6 million, an 8 per cent increase from last year.

2.4 There was an average of 87 residents in secure accommodation through-out 2004-05, ranging from 76 to 95. (There were 95 residents at the beginning of the year, before the number of beds was reduced from 96 to 93).

2.5 There were 273 admissions to secure accommodation in 2004-05. This was an increase of 13 per cent in admissions since 2003-04. There was also a 19 per cent rise in the number of discharges to 281.

2.6 65 per cent of young people in secure accommodation on 31 ^st March 2005 were boys.

2.7 Almost half of children admitted to secure accommodation during the year were admitted when they were 15 years old.

2.8 31 per cent of young people discharged during 2004-05 had been in secure accommodation for less than 1 month, up 7 percentage points from the previous year. 4 per cent had been in secure for more than 12 months, which is down 9 percentage points from last year.

2.9 Approximately 37 per cent of children admitted to secure were previously living with parents, other relatives or friends. Girls were more likely than boys to be admitted from foster care or a children's home, boys were more likely to be admitted from the parental home, relatives or friends.

2.10 Approximately 38 per cent of children were admitted to secure under a Place of Safety Order or Warrant made under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.

2.11 40 per cent of all young people leaving secure in 2004-05 returned to the same type of placement as they were in before being admitted. In most cases, children were living with parents/friends/relatives prior to admission and returned to them on discharge.

Child Protection

3.1 There were 2,157 children on local child protection registers at 31 ^st March 2005; this is a decrease of 88 (4 per cent) from the number one year before, and is equivalent to two children per 1,000 children aged under 16. In 2004-05, the number of child protection referrals increased by 9 per cent from 2003-04, the number of children subject to an initial case conference decreased by 1 per cent, and the number of children added to child protection registers decreased by 6 per cent.

3.2 In 2004-05, the number of child protection referrals increased by 9 per cent from the previous year, from 8,366 referrals in 2003-04 to 9,132 referrals in 2004-05.

3.3 Of those children referred to local authorities, 36 per cent were the subject of an inter-agency case conference in 2004-05. This compares to 40 per cent in the previous year.

3.4 In over 80 per cent of instances where children were subject to a case conference, the children in question were living at home prior to being referred. In 80 per cent of cases where the primary source of abuse/risk was known, the primary source was one or both of the child's birth parents.

3.5 Of these case conferences, 69 per cent resulted in the child being placed on the local child protection register (2,294 children), compared to 73 per cent in the previous year.

3.6 In 2004-05, there has been an increase in the number of children added to child protection registers because of physical neglect (up 2 per cent from 2003-04). However, there have been decreases in the number of children registered because of physical injury (down 15 per cent), emotional abuse (down 13 per cent) and sexual abuse (down 3 per cent).

3.7 The number of children de-registered from child protection registers between 1 ^st April 2004 and 31 ^st March 2005 was 2,574. Over 70 per cent of children de-registered were on the register for less than one year.

3.8 A similar number of boys and girls are on child protection registers, and over 80 per cent of children on child protection registers are under the age of 11.

The following charts are available:

Chart 1 - Ages of children looked after on 31st March 2005 (percentage)
Chart 2 - Number of children looked after in the community and in residential accommodation, 31st March 2000-2005
Chart 3 - Number of children referred to child protection inquiries, 2000-2005
Chart 4 - Children added to child protection registers following a case conference by category of abuse/risk, 2000-2005

The following tables are available:

Section 1 - Children looked after
Table 1.1 - Number of children looked after 2000-2005 by age and gender
Table 1.2 - Number of children looked after 2000-2005 by statutory reason for being looked after
Table 1.3 - Number of children looked after 2000-2005 by type of accommodation
Table 1.4 - Number of children looked after 2000-2005 by ethnic origin
Table 1.5 - Number of children looked after 2000-2005 by disability status
Table 1.6 - Number of children ceasing to be looked after, by destination and age, 2000-2005
Table 1.7 - Number of children ceasing to be looked after, by length of time looked after and age, 2000-2005
Table 1.8 - Economic activity of those eligible for aftercare support: 2004-05
Table 1.9 - Number of children looked after in a planned series of short-term placements, by gender and age, 2000-2005
Table 1.10 - Number of children looked after by accommodation, 1971-2005
Table 1.11 - Children starting and ceasing to be looked after, by Local Authority, 2004-05
Table 1.12 - Characteristics of looked after children by local authority, 31st March 2005
Table 1.13 - Number of children looked after, by local authority, accommodation type and characteristics of care away from home, 31st March 2005
Table 1.14 - Number of 16-17 year olds leaving care with any qualifications, 2004-05
Table 1.15 - Number of 16-17 year olds leaving care with qualifications in maths and English, 2004-05
Table 1.16 - Number of 15-18 year olds leaving care during 2004-05 by aftercare and destination
Table 1.17 - Young people entitled to aftercare by arrangements for aftercare and economic activity, 2004-05

Section 2 - Secure Accommodation
Table 2.1 - Secure accommodation establishments 2004-05
Table 2.2 - Secure accommodation capacity and usage 2000-2005
Table 2.3 - Secure accommodation staff as at 31st March 2005
Table 2.4 - Young people in secure accommodation: 2000-2005 by gender, age and length of stay
Table 2.5 - Young people admitted to or discharged from secure accommodation at any point during the financial year 2000-2005 by gender, age, and length of stay
Table 2.6 - Young people in secure accommodation: Placement prior to admission and reason for admission, by age on admittance, 2004-05
Table 2.7 - Young people in secure accommodation: Placement prior to admission and reason for admission, by gender, 2004-05
Table 2.8 - Young people in secure accommodation: Placement prior to admission by placement on discharge, 2004-05

Section 3 - Child protection
Table 3.1 - Children referred for child protection inquiries: 2000-2005 by gender and age group
Table 3.2 - Children who were subject to a case conference: 2000-2005 by placement of children prior to referral
Table 3.3 - Children who were subject to a case conference: 2000-2005 by child's primary known/suspected abuser
Table 3.4 - Children registered following a case conference: 2000-2005 by category of abuse/risk identified by conference
Table 3.5 - Children de-registered: 2000-2005 by category of abuse/risk identified and length of time on register
Table 3.6 - Number of children on child protection registers: 2000-2005 by gender and age group
Table 3.7 - Numbers of children referred, subject to a case conference, registered, de-registered and on child protection registers: 2000-2005
Table 3.8 - Number of children on child protection registers and population rates 2002-2005 by local authority
Table 3.9 - Numbers of children referred, subject to a case conference, registered, de-registered and on child protection registers by local authority

Section 4 - Additional information
Table 4.1 - Mid-2004 population estimates by local authority and age group
Table 4.2 - Mid-2004 population estimates by gender and age group
Table 4.3 - The Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework

Background Notes

1 The standard deviation is a measure of the spread of data about the mean value. Sixty-eight per cent of all the data fall within one standard deviation either side of the mean.

2 The survey forms and guidance notes for data presented in this publication, and previous years publications, can be seen at www.scotland.gov.uk/statistics/children.

3 In previous years, statistics on adoptions and residential children's homes have been included in this publication. Adoption statistics are now available from GRO(Scotland) and as all children in residential children's homes are looked after by local authorities, they are covered by the looked after children survey.

4 This is a National Statistics publication. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.

5 Public enquiries ( non-media) about the information contained in this Publication Notice should be addressed to Children's Statistics, Scottish Executive Education Department, Area 1-B, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, EH6 6QQ (telephone 0131 244 0314 or e-mail children.statistics@scotland.gsi.gov.uk).

6 Media enquiries about the information in this Statistics Publication Notice should be addressed to Victoria Quinn on 0131 244 2960.

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