Publication - Statistics

Kinship Care Statistics

Last updated: 14 January 2026 - see all updates
From: Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise
Directorate: Children and Families Directorate
Topic: Children and families

Statistics on children in kinship care using data from Scotland's Census 2022.

Part of

Children's social work statistics

Supporting documents

Headline statistics

An estimated 12,800 children were in kinship care in 2022. Around two thirds of these were in informal kinship care.
15% of children in kinship care were reported to have a long-term health condition or disability.
3.6% of children aged three or over in kinship care were acting as unpaid carers.
44% of children in kinship care were living in social rented homes.

First published: 29 July 2025
Last updated: 14 January 2026 - show all updates
All updates: 14 January 2026
A correction notice was added to the Introduction and Local Authority pages. Table 11 and associated text were updated due to an error. The report and tables available to download were also updated.

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