BACK TO NEWSThe Department for Education (DfE) has released statistics providing information on looked after children in England in 2021/2022. The figures reveal the number of children looked after by local authorities in England stood at 82,170 in 2022 compared to 80,780 in 2021, an increase of 2%.
In 2022, the number of CLA by local authorities in England rose to 82,170, up 2% on last year and continuing the rise seen in recent years.
Both starts and ceasing were up on last year – last year’s figures were likely impacted by the pandemic.
The number of CLA who were adopted was up 2%, however, this is a modest increase given the decrease of 18% last year due to the pandemic where court cases progressed more slowly or were paused.
The number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) is above pre-pandemic levels – after a 20% decrease last year, the numbers of UASC are up by 34%.
In general, health checks were maintained during the pandemic but last year the proportion of CLA having had their teeth checked by a dentist fell substantially to 40% – this has begun to recover – in 2022 70 % of CLA had had their teeth checked by a dentist during the year.
View the statistics here
