Number of looked-after children continuing to rise on eve of Covid
Latest figures show 2% rise from 2019-20 in care population, taking it to over 80,000 in England, amid sharpened focus on systemic pressures and growing clamour for government care review
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The number of looked-after children in England was continuing its year-on-year rise on the eve of the Covid-19 pandemic, Department for Education figures show.
The number of children in care reached 80,080 in March 2020 – up 2% on the previous year – with the rate of looked-after children rising to 67 per 10,000 children – up from 64 in 2018 and 60 in 2015, the DfE figures showed.
However, for the third consecutive year, the number of children starting to be looked-after during the year fell, with 30,970 entering the system in 2019-20, down 3% from the 31,770 in 2018-19 and a peak of 32,940 in 2016-17. Andy Elvin, chief executive of fostering and adoption provider TACT, said this suggested greater – and welcome – stability in the care system.