Looked after children

Looked after children are defined as those in the care of their local authority (Children Scotland Act 1995). There are many reasons children may become looked after including: facing abuse or neglect at home; having disabilities that require special care; unaccompanied minors seeking asylum, or illegally trafficked into the UK; or involvement in the youth justice system. The processes by which children become looked after are summarised in Figure 1.

Figure 1 Children included in looked after children statistics.

A child may be looked after when they are accommodated under S.25 which may lead to a referral to the Reporter. A referral to the Reporter may lead to an investigation which may lead to a Hearing (or discharge case or voluntary measures). A Hearing may lead to a Compulsory Supervision Order (CSO) or a CSO with secure care authorisation (or no order). A CSO may lead to a child being looked after either away from home or at home. For those looked after away from home, this may lead to a recommendation for permanence away from home. For those with a CSO with secure care authorisation, this may lead to placement in secure care. For those looked after away from home, at home, or in secure care, there will be regular reviews until the case is discharged or the CSO terminated.

Placement types

On 31 July 2024, 11,844 children were looked after, of whom 20% were placed at home and 80% away from home (Table 1.1). This is the lowest this figure has been since 2006. The number of children looked after has decreased by 2% since 2023 and by 24% since 2014. The majority of looked after children (89%) were placed in community settings. The most common community placements for looked after children were: kinship care (35%), foster care (22%), and at home with parents (20%). A smaller proportion of children (11%) were looked after in residential accommodation settings.

Table 1.1 Number and percentage of looked after children by placement type, on 31 July 2014-2024 [Note 1], [Note 2]

Placement type	2014 Number	2014  Percentage	2023 Number	2023 Percentage	2024 Number	2024 Percentage
In the community	14,133	91%	10,798	89%	10,518	89%
At home with parents	4,142	27%	2,435	20%	2,313	20%
Kinship Carers: friends/relatives	4,217	27%	4,148	34%	4,099	35%
Foster Carers provided by local authority	4,002	26%	2,717	22%	2,557	22%
Foster Carers purchased by local authority	1,520	10%	1,173	10%	1,126	10%
Prospective adopters	201	1%	139	1%	159	1%
In other community	51	0%	186	2%	264	2%
Residential accommodation	1,467	9%	1,285	11%	1,324	11%
Local authority home	579	4%	564	5%	533	5%
Voluntary home	117	1%	68	1%	75	1%
Residential school	392	3%	302	2%	305	3%
Secure care accommodation	82	1%	47	0%	46	0%
Crisis care	15	0%	0	0%	0	0%
In other residential [Note 3]	282	2%	304	3%	365	3%
Total	15,600	100%	12,084	100%	11,842	100%

[Note 1] Please note that 2023 figures have been revised since the previous year due to changes to data as part of improved year-on-year reconciliation checks.

[Note 2] Some percentage totals do not exactly equal the sum of their component parts due to the effects of rounding.

[Note 3] The bulk of the ‘other residential’ placements are private/independent residential placements for children with complex needs.

[Note 4] Figures prior to 2014 are available in the 2014 publication.

[Note 5] This total amount excludes two individuals for which we were missing information on their most recent placement.

Chart 1 Rate of looked after children per 1,000 children, by placement type

Rate of looked after children per 1,000 children by placement type, 1988-2024 [Note 1], [Note 2]

[Note 1] Rates may vary slightly from previous publications due to updated mid-year population estimates.

[Note 2] Prior to 2010 figures are as at 31st March. From 2010 onwards figures are as at 31st July.

Care plans

On 31 July 2024, 92% of looked after children had a current care plan (Table 1.2). This is up from 87% in 2022-23. Children placed at home were as likely to have a current care plan (92%) as those placed away from home (92%). This is compared to 2022-23, where those looked after away from home were slightly more likely to have a current care plan (87% for those looked after away from home compared to 85% of those looked after at home). In terms of more specific placement types away from home, those placed with kinship carers (91%), foster carers (93%), and in residential care (94%) were more likely to have a current care plan than those with prospective adopters or in other community placements (81%).

Table 1.2 Care plans

Number and percentage of looked after children with and without a current care plan by placement type, on 31 July 2024 [Note 1]

Care plan status	At home	Away from home	Total	With Kinship Carers: friends/relatives	With Foster Carers	With prospective adopters/ other community	In Residential Care
Number with a current care plan	2,117	8,742	10,859	3,723	3,435	344	1,240
Number without a current care plan	196	787	983	376	248	79	84
Total	2,313	9,529	11,842	4,099	3,683	423	1,324
Percentage with a current care plan	92%	92%	92%	91%	93%	81%	94%
Percentage without a current care plan	8%	8%	8%	9%	7%	19%	6%

[Note 1] Some children without a current care plan may have one in progress on this date; local recording may differ with regard to when a care plan is recorded as being in place.

Age and Sex

Of the 11,844 children who were looked after, 5,396 (46%) were female and 6,438 (54%) were male (Table 1.3). The proportion of males being looked after is higher amongst the older age groups. For instance, males make up half (50%) of the looked after population under 1 years old, but nearly two thirds of the looked after population over 16 years old.

Table 1.3 Percentage of children looked after by sex and age, 31 July 2024

Age	Female Number	Female Percentage	Male Number	Male Percentage	All
Under 1 years old	153	50%	150	50%	303
1 years old	221	50%	221	50%	442
2 years old	186	46%	217	54%	403
3 years old	229	50%	228	50%	457
4 years old	218	49%	224	51%	442
5 years old	231	50%	234	50%	465
6 years old	224	48%	242	52%	467
7 years old	274	49%	280	51%	554
8 years old	292	48%	317	52%	609
9 years old	287	48%	315	52%	602
10 years old	283	44%	354	56%	637
11 years old	327	45%	402	55%	729
12 years old	355	48%	380	52%	735
13 years old	371	43%	486	57%	857
14 years old	466	48%	498	52%	965
15 years old	495	46%	581	54%	1,076
16 years old	410	40%	616	60%	1,029
17 years old	322	35%	608	65%	933
18+ years old	53	38%	86	62%	139
All	5,397	46%	6,439	54%	11,844

[Note 1] Where Male or Female sex is not specified, children are included in the "All" sex category.

Area deprivation

Of those whose home postcode was known (73% of all looked after children), over half (54%) come from one of the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland. This is followed by just under a quarter (24%) from the 20-40% most deprived areas. 3% of looked after children were from one of the 20% least deprived areas in Scotland. (Table 1.4)

The difference between the proportion of looked after children in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas is more pronounced among children in placements within the community than among those in residential accommodation. Among children placed within the community, 55% come from one of the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland, while only 3% come from the one of the 20% least deprived areas. This is compared to those placed in residential accommodation, of whom 43% come from one of the 20% most deprived areas and 6% come from the 20% least deprived areas.

Table 1.4 Percentage of children looked after by home Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) Quintile, placement type, 31 July 2024 [Note 1]

Placement type subcategory	SIMD 1 (20% most deprived areas)	SIMD 2	SIMD 3	SIMD 4	SIMD 5 (20% least deprived areas)
At home with parents	53%	26%	14%	6%	2%
With friends/relatives	59%	23%	10%	5%	2%
With foster carers	53%	24%	13%	7%	3%
With prospective adopters	54%	29%	11%	4%	1%
In other community	38%	30%	14%	3%	16%
Total in the community	55%	24%	12%	6%	3%
In Local Authority home	52%	24%	11%	9%	4%
In voluntary home	16%	32%	18%	18%	16%
In residential school	43%	21%	14%	14%	8%
In secure accommodation	45%	21%	21%	9%	3%
Other residential	35%	28%	19%	12%	6%
Total in residential accommodation	43%	25%	14%	11%	6%
Total looked after children	54%	24%	12%	7%	3%

[Note 1] Percentage totals exclude those whom we do not have SIMD information.

Children starting and ceasing to be looked after

During 2023-24, 3,105 children started to be looked after – a rate of 3.1 per 1,000 children (0-17 years; Chart 2). A total of 3,398 children ceased to be looked after – a rate of 3.4 per 1,000 children. Compared to 2022-23, this reflects both a slight increase in the rate of children starting to be looked after (from 3.0 per 1,000) and a slight increase in the rate of children ceasing to be looked after (from 3.2 per 1,000). There has been an overall reduction in both the rate of children starting to be looked after (from 4.3 per 1,000) and ceasing to be looked after (from 4.6 per 1,000) since 2013-14.

Chart 2 Children starting and ceasing to be looked after

Rate per 1,000 children starting and ceasing to be looked after during the year, 2003-2024 [Note 1], [Note 2]

[Note 1] Rates may vary slightly from previous publications due to updated mid-year population estimates.

[Note 2] A child may start to be looked after more than once in a year and so may be counted more than once.

Children starting to be looked after

During 2023-24, 3,105 children started to be looked after (Table 1.5). The number of children starting to be looked after has decreased by 1% since 2022-23 and by 28% since 2013-14. In 2024, 56% of all children starting to be looked after were male. This proportion has increased slightly compared to 2022-23 (55%) and 2013-14 (53%). Over the past decade, the proportion of children starting to be looked after who were aged 4 years and under has declined since 2013-14. Meanwhile the proportion of 16–17-year-olds starting to be looked after has been on an upward trend during the same period.

Table 1.5 Characteristics of children starting to be looked after

Number and percentage of children starting to be looked after during the year by sex and age of child 2014-2024 [Note 1], [Note 2], [Note 3], [Note 4], [Note 5]

Category	Subcategory	2014  Number	2014 Percentage	2023 Number	2023 Percentage	2024 Number	2024 Percentage
Sex	Male	2,279	53%	1,725	55%	1,752	56%
Sex	Female	2,016	47%	1,408	45%	1,350	43%
Age	Under 1 years	700	16%	476	15%	449	14%
Age	1-4 years	1,042	24%	533	17%	560	18%
Age	5-11 years	1,303	30%	879	28%	896	29%
Age	12-15 years	1,198	28%	945	30%	857	28%
Age	16-17 years	52	1%	297	9%	340	11%
Age	18+ years	0	0%	3	0%	3	0%
Age	Not known	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
Total	Total	4,295	100%	3,133	100%	3,105	100%

[Note 3] Please note that 2023 figures have been revised since the previous year due to changes to data as part of improved year-on-year reconciliation checks.

[Note 4] Some totals do not exactly equal the sum of their component parts due to the effects of rounding.

[Note 5] For a very small number of children Male or Female sex was not specified, they are included in the "Age" category.

Children ceasing to be looked after

During 2023-24, 3,398 children ceased to be looked after (Table 1.6). The number of children ceasing to be looked after has decreased by 3% since 2022-23 and by 28% since 2013-14. Compared with 2013-14, the proportions of children ceasing to be looked after whose episodes of care lasted under 5 years have all been on a downward trend since 2013-14. Meanwhile, the proportions of children ceasing to be looked after whose episodes of care lasted 5 years and over have been going up.

Table 1.6  Episode duration of children ceasing to be looked after

Number and percentage of children ceasing to be looked after during the year by episode duration 2014-2024 [Note 1], [Note 2], [Note 3], [Note 4]

Episode duration	2014  Number	2014 Percentage	2023 Number	2023 Percentage	2024 Number	2024 Percentage
Under 6 weeks	367	8%	173	5%	180	5%
6 weeks to under 6 months	398	8%	257	7%	278	8%
6 months to under 1 year	646	14%	400	11%	418	12%
1 year to under 3 years	1,739	37%	1,049	30%	1,028	30%
3 years to under 5 years	800	17%	696	20%	554	16%
5 years and over	746	16%	919	26%	940	28%
Total	4,696	100%	3,494	100%	3,398	100%

Destination of children ceasing to be looked after

Of the 3,398 children who ceased to be looked after during 2023-24, 45% had a recorded destination of at home with their biological parents (Table 1.7). This is the most common destination, but this figure is a considerable reduction when compared to that observed in 2013-14, where 66% of children ceasing to be looked after had a recorded destination of at home with their biological parents. 14% of children had a recorded destination of kinship care with friends or relatives, down 1% from the previous year (15%), and this figure has remained the same when compared to 2013-14 (14%). 10% of children who ceased to be looked after during 2023-24 had a recorded destination of ‘Other’ (including residential care, homeless, in custody and other destinations), compared to 4% in 2013-14.

Table 1.7 Destination of children ceasing to be looked after

Number and percentage of children ceasing to be looked after during the year by destination accommodation 2013-2023  [Note 1], [Note 2], [Note 3], [Note 4], [Note 5], [Note 6]

Destination accommodation	2014 Number	2014 Percentage	2023 Number	2023 Percentage	2024 Number	2024 Percentage
At home with parents	3,085	66%	1,716	49%	1,529	45%
Kinship Carers: friends/relatives	676	14%	535	15%	472	14%
Kinship Care Order	-	-	99	3%	145	4%
Former Foster Carers	82	2%	34	1%	84	3%
Continuing Care	-	-	309	9%	315	9%
Adopted	337	7%	237	7%	182	5%
Supported accommodation / own tenancy	288	6%	261	8%	299	9%
Other [Note 6]	181	4%	260	7%	350	10%
Not known	47	1%	43	1%	22	1%
Total	4,696	100%	3,494	100%	3,398	100%

[Note 1] A child may cease to be looked after more than once in a year and so may be counted more than once.

[Note 2] Table excludes planned series of short-term placements.

[Note 3] Please note that 2023 figures have been revised since the previous year due to ongoing validation work.

[Note 4] Some totals do not exactly equal the sum of their component parts due to the effects of rounding.

[Note 5] Cells shown as " - "  relate to 'Continuing Care' and 'Kinship Care Order' categories which were added in 2018. Prior to this, children in continuing care were mainly recorded in the former foster carers category, and those with Kinship Care Order were mainly recorded in the friends/relatives category.

[Note 6] 'Other' includes residential care, homeless, in custody and other destinations.

Pathway plans for children ceasing to be looked after

During 2023-24, 74% of children who were 16 years or over on the date they ceased to be looked after had a pathway plan upon discharge and just over half (57%) had a pathway coordinator (Table 1.8). This is compared to 71% with a pathway plan and 52% with a pathway coordinator in 2022-23. Children whose final placement was at home were less likely to have a pathway plan (61%) than those who had been placed away from home (76%).

Table 1.8 Pathway plans

Pathway plans and co-ordinators of children who were 16 years old or over on the date they ceased to be looked after during 2023-24 [Note 1], [Note 2]

Pathway plan status	At home Number	Away from home Number	Total Number	At home Percentage	Away from home Percentage	Total Percentage	With Kinship Carers: friends/relatives Number	With Foster Carers Number	With prospective adopters/ other community Number	In Residential Care Number
With a pathway plan on date of discharge	153	864	1,017	61%	76%	74%	245	243	125	251
Without a pathway plan on date of discharge	98	268	366	39%	24%	26%	116	68	40	44
With pathway co-ordinator	113	673	786	45%	59%	57%	200	180	88	205
Without pathway co-ordinator	138	459	597	55%	41%	43%	161	131	77	90
Total	251	1,132	1,383	100%	100%	100%	361	311	165	295

[Note 1] Figures include all episodes of ceasing to be looked after beyond 16 years of age (i.e. a child may be counted more than once).

[Note 2] It may be the case that some children who do not have a relevant pathway plan/coordinator may be receiving similar support from adult services instead.

Cross UK comparisons

On 31 March 2024, Scotland’s rate of children looked after was 118 per 10,000 – down from 120 in 2023 and the lowest this figure has been since 2005 (Chart 3). Scotland’s rate of children looked after in 2023 was higher than England (70 per 10,000), Wales (116 per 10,000), and Northern Ireland (92 per 10,000). Unlike other UK nations, however, Scotland has been experiencing a consistent decline in the rates of children looked after in the last decade. It is important to note that, UK nations operate under different legislative frameworks and, as such, it is important to exercise caution when comparing rates of children looked after.

Chart 3 Cross UK comparisons

Cross UK comparisons of rate per 10,000 looked after children 31 March 2013-2024 [Note 1], [Note 2], [Note 3], [Note 4], [Note 5]