Adopted and looked-after children
Published
- 1. Navigate toMain facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toThings you need to know section
- 3. Navigate to By ethnicity (looked-after and adopted children) section
- 4. Navigate to By ethnicity over time (looked-after children) section
- 5. Navigate to By ethnicity over time (looked-after children who were adopted) section
- 6. Navigate to By ethnicity over time (looked-after children leaving care due to adoption) section
- 7. Navigate toData sources section
- 8. Navigate toDownload the data section
1. Main facts and figures
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there were 83,840 looked-after children in England on 31 March 2023, compared with 82,080 in 2022
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the number of looked-after children who were adopted during the year went down from 3,000 in 2022 to 2,960 in 2023
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the percentage of looked-after children who stopped being looked after because they were adopted went down from 10% to 9%
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in 2023, white children made up 71% of looked-after children, 84% of looked-after children who were adopted, and 73% of all under-18s in England
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black children made up 7% of looked-after children, 2% of looked-under children who were adopted, and 5% of all under-18s
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Asian children made up 5% of looked-after children, 1% of looked-after children who were adopted, and 12% of all under-18s
Further research
A report from the Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board 2022 looked at ending racial disparity in adoption. They proposed 3 ways to reduce racial disparities in the adoption system: recruit black adopters and match black children, rebuild trust, and resource interracial adoption.
They committed to tackle barriers that black people face in becoming adopters by targeting recruitment of black adopters, improving inclusivity in marketing, and working nationally to match ethnic minority children with adoptive parents. To rebuild trust between black communities and the social work sector, they committed to increasing the number of black chairs on adoption panels, and providing cultural awareness training for staff. And as interracial families were generally ill-equipped to deal with racism or xenophobia, they committed to providing additional training and support to adopters.
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data measures the number and percentage of children who were ‘looked-after’ by the local authority (sometimes called being ‘in care’) or adopted, by ethnicity.
A child who is looked after if he or she falls into one of the following:
- is provided with accommodation, for a continuous period of more than 24 hours
- is subject to a care order
- is subject to a placement order
They usually live either with foster parents, or in secure units, a children’s home or semi-independent living accommodation.
Adoption is when a court transfers responsibility for a child from those with parental responsibility (usually their birth parents or local authority) to the adopters. It is usually considered after all other options have been explored for a child.
The data is usually based on a snapshot taken on 31 March every year.
Population data for under-18s is taken from the 2021 Census and shown for comparison.
Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number. Total numbers of children are rounded to the nearest 10.
You can read more about child adoption on GOV.UK.
Not included in the data
Adoption is not the only possible outcome for looked-after children. This data does not include figures for other outcomes or placements including special guardianship orders, long term fostering arrangements or returning to birth parents.
The ethnic groups used in the data
Data is shown for the 16 ethnic groups used in the 2001 Census and 2 extra ethnic groups:
- white Gypsy and Roma
- white Irish Traveller
In some places, data is shown for the following 5 aggregated ethnic groups:
- Asian
- black
- mixed
- white
- ‘other’
This means data is shown for these groups as a whole. This is to make sure numbers are large enough to be reliable.
Methodology
Read the detailed methodology document for the data on this page.
The data on this page does not take into account factors that might affect the likelihood of looked-after children being adopted, including:
- the child’s characteristics, such as whether the child lives with a disability
- how long they have been in care
- how many people are looking to adopt children
- where they live
3. By ethnicity (looked-after and adopted children)
| Children looked after | Children looked after who were adopted | Under 18 population | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Children looked after % | Children looked after Number | Children looked after who were adopted % | Children looked after who were adopted Number | Under 18 population % | Under 18 population Number |
| All | 100 | 83,840 | 100 | 2,960 | 100 | 12,392,240 |
| Asian | 5 | 4,460 | 1 | 40 | 12 | 1,472,100 |
| Black | 7 | 5,920 | 2 | 60 | 5 | 679,255 |
| Mixed | 10 | 8,800 | 10 | 300 | 7 | 823,415 |
| White | 71 | 59,780 | 84 | 2,480 | 73 | 9,096,920 |
| Other | 5 | 4,210 | 1 | 30 | 3 | 320,550 |
| Unknown | 1 | 690 | 1 | 40 | N/A* | N/A* |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity (looked-after and adopted children)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity (looked-after and adopted children)’ (CSV)
Summary of Adopted and looked-after children By ethnicity (looked-after and adopted children) Summary
The data shows that:
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there were 83,840 looked-after children in England on 31 March 2023
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white children made up the largest share of the under-18 population (73%), and made up 71% of looked-after children, and 84% of those who were adopted
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black children made up 5% of the under-18 population, 7% of looked-after children, and 2% of those who were adopted
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Asian children made up 12% of the under-18 population, 5% of looked-after children, and 1% of those who were adopted
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children with mixed ethnicity made up 7% of the under-18 population, 10% of looked-after children, and 10% of those who were adopted
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children from the ‘other’ ethnic group made up the smallest share of the under-18 population (3%), and made up 5% of looked-after children, and 1% of those who were adopted
4. By ethnicity over time (looked-after children)
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | 2019 % | 2019 Number | 2020 % | 2020 Number | 2021 % | 2021 Number | 2022 % | 2022 Number | 2023 % | 2023 Number |
| All | 100 | 78,140 | 100 | 80,000 | 100 | 80,770 | 100 | 82,080 | 100 | 83,840 |
| Asian | 5 | 3,550 | 4 | 3,570 | 4 | 3,510 | 5 | 3,920 | 5 | 4,460 |
| Bangladeshi | 1 | 410 | 1 | 420 | 1 | 420 | 1 | 430 | ~0 | 420 |
| Chinese | ~0 | 90 | ~0 | 90 | ~0 | 100 | ~0 | 100 | ~0 | 100 |
| Indian | ~0 | 300 | ~0 | 290 | ~0 | 310 | ~0 | 330 | ~0 | 340 |
| Pakistani | 1 | 1,020 | 1 | 1,010 | 1 | 1,020 | 1 | 1,010 | 1 | 1,080 |
| Asian other | 2 | 1,720 | 2 | 1,760 | 2 | 1,660 | 2 | 2,050 | 3 | 2,530 |
| Black | 8 | 6,020 | 7 | 5,950 | 7 | 5,590 | 7 | 5,710 | 7 | 5,920 |
| Black African | 4 | 3,500 | 4 | 3,340 | 4 | 2,960 | 4 | 3,150 | 4 | 3,390 |
| Black Caribbean | 2 | 1,330 | 2 | 1,370 | 2 | 1,400 | 2 | 1,280 | 1 | 1,220 |
| Black other | 2 | 1,180 | 2 | 1,240 | 2 | 1,240 | 2 | 1,280 | 2 | 1,310 |
| Mixed | 10 | 7,850 | 10 | 8,050 | 10 | 8,450 | 11 | 8,710 | 10 | 8,800 |
| Mixed white and Asian | 2 | 1,560 | 2 | 1,600 | 2 | 1,760 | 2 | 1,790 | 2 | 1,820 |
| Mixed white and black African | 1 | 920 | 1 | 910 | 1 | 960 | 1 | 1,020 | 1 | 1,020 |
| Mixed white and black Caribbean | 4 | 2,760 | 4 | 2,830 | 4 | 2,900 | 4 | 2,880 | 3 | 2,880 |
| Mixed other | 3 | 2,610 | 3 | 2,720 | 4 | 2,830 | 4 | 3,010 | 4 | 3,080 |
| White | 74 | 57,850 | 74 | 59,450 | 75 | 60,460 | 73 | 59,870 | 71 | 59,780 |
| White British | 69 | 54,140 | 70 | 55,670 | 70 | 56,620 | 68 | 56,000 | 66 | 55,500 |
| Gypsy, Roma | 1 | 490 | 1 | 540 | 1 | 570 | 1 | 560 | 1 | 600 |
| White Irish | ~0 | 200 | ~0 | 200 | ~0 | 200 | ~0 | 180 | ~0 | 190 |
| Traveller of Irish Heritage | ~0 | 130 | ~0 | 150 | ~0 | 170 | ~0 | 170 | ~0 | 180 |
| White other | 4 | 2,890 | 4 | 2,890 | 4 | 2,900 | 4 | 2,960 | 4 | 3,310 |
| Other | 3 | 2,620 | 3 | 2,760 | 3 | 2,500 | 4 | 3,520 | 5 | 4,210 |
| Unknown | ~0 | 250 | ~0 | 230 | ~0 | 270 | ~0 | 350 | 1 | 690 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time (looked-after children)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time (looked-after children)’ (CSV)
Summary of Adopted and looked-after children By ethnicity over time (looked-after children) Summary
The data shows that, between 2022 and 2023:
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the number of looked-after children went up by 2%, from 82,080 to 83,840 – this is equivalent to the rate for every 10,000 children going up from 70 to 71 looked-after children
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the percentage of looked-after children who were from black, mixed and ‘other’ ethnic groups combined went up from 22% to 23%
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the percentage of looked-after children who were white went down from 73% to 71%
5. By ethnicity over time (looked-after children who were adopted)
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | 2019 % | 2019 Number | 2020 % | 2020 Number | 2021 % | 2021 Number | 2022 % | 2022 Number | 2023 % | 2023 Number |
| All | 100 | 3,590 | 100 | 3,480 | 100 | 2,890 | 100 | 3,000 | 100 | 2,960 |
| Asian | 2 | 60 | 1 | 40 | 2 | 50 | 1 | 40 | 1 | 40 |
| Black | 2 | 70 | 2 | 60 | 2 | 50 | 2 | 60 | 2 | 60 |
| Mixed | 11 | 400 | 11 | 370 | 10 | 280 | 12 | 350 | 10 | 300 |
| White | 83 | 2,980 | 83 | 2,880 | 84 | 2,430 | 82 | 2,480 | 84 | 2,480 |
| Other | 1 | 30 | 1 | 50 | 1 | 40 | 1 | 30 | 1 | 30 |
| Unknown | 2 | 70 | 2 | 80 | 2 | 50 | 2 | 50 | 1 | 40 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time (looked-after children who were adopted)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time (looked-after children who were adopted)’ (CSV)
Summary of Adopted and looked-after children By ethnicity over time (looked-after children who were adopted) Summary
Total numbers of children are rounded to the nearest 10. The percentage changes shown below are based on unrounded data. They cannot be calculated using the rounded figures in the table above.
The data shows that, between 2022 and 2023:
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the number of looked-after children who were adopted during the year went down by 2%, from 3,000 to 2,960
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the number of white looked-after children who were adopted during the year was stable, at around 2,480
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the number of black looked-after children who were adopted during the year went up by 7%
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the number of Asian looked-after children who were adopted during the year went down by 9%
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the number of mixed ethnicity looked-after children who were adopted during the year went down by 13%
6. By ethnicity over time (looked-after children leaving care due to adoption)
| Ethnicity | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | |
| All | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| Asian | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Black | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Mixed | 14 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 10 |
| White | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Other | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown | 23 | 25 | 19 | 18 | 14 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time (looked-after children leaving care due to adoption)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time (looked-after children leaving care due to adoption)’ (CSV)
Summary of Adopted and looked-after children By ethnicity over time (looked-after children leaving care due to adoption) Summary
The data shows that:
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between 2022 and 2023, the percentage of looked-after children who left care due to adoption went down from 10% to 9%
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in 2023, 13% of white looked-after children left care because they were adopted – the same percentage as in 2022
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in 2023, 10% of looked-after children from the mixed ethnic group left care because they were adopted – down from 13% in 2022
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in 2023, looked-after children from the black (2%), Asian (2%) and ‘other’ (1%) ethnic groups had the lowest percentages of leaving care due to adoption
7. Data sources
Source
Children looked after in England including adoptions, Reporting year 2023
Type of data
Administrative data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Department for Education
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
This data gives information about children looked after (CLA) in England, including:
- their characteristics
- their placement type
- the number of CLA starting to be looked after, and the number ceasing
- CLA who go missing or are away from their placement without authorisation
- health and behavioural outcomes
- CLA who were placed for adoption, who were adopted and the average time between stages of the adoption process
8. Download the data
This file contains the following: measure, ethnicity, time, time type, geography, gender, age, value, denominator, numerator
This file contains the following: measure, ethnicity, time, time type, geography, gender, age, value, denominator, numerator