Table H Looked after children adopted1 during the years ending 31 March 1995 to 1999
England                      
numbers All looked after children 58,900 59,700 60,800 61,100 60,900
      1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
All Children 2 2,000 1,900 1,900 2,100 2,200 All Children looked after adopted2 3,100 3,400 3,500 3,800 3,800
Sex Gender
Boys 1,000 980 920 1,100 1,100 Male 1,600 1,700 1,900 1,900 1,900
Girls 1,000 930 940 1,000 1,100 Female 1,500 1,700 1,700 1,900 1,800
0 0 0 0 0
Age at adoption Age at adoption
Under 1 200 150 140 140 200 Under 1 200 200 220 220 210
1 to 4 810 860 890 1,110 1,300 1 to 4 1,900 2,000 2,200 2,200 2,300
5 to 9 690 610 580 660 580 5 to 9 830 1,000 960 1,100 1,100
10 to 15 290 260 220 170 150 10 to 15 130 180 180 210 160
16 and over 30 30 30 20 10 16 and over 10 20 10 20 20
Average age (yrs : months) 5:9 5:6 5:5 4:11 4:4 Average age (yrs : months) 4:3 4:5 4:4 4:5 4:2
Final placement Final legal status3
Placed for adoption 1,300 1,300 1,200 1,500 1,600 Freed for adoption 1,200 1,300 1,500 1,700 1,900
Foster placement 690 610 600 570 510 Care order 1,500 1,700 1,700 1,700 1,600
Other 50 40 50 20 50 Voluntary agreement (S20) 370 440 350 370 340
Final legal status Duration of final period of care4
Freed for adoption 520 560 590 690 720 Under 1 year 230 260 250 260 260
Care order 1,000 960 940 1,100 1,000 1 year to under 2 years 950 1,000 1,200 1,200 1,400
Voluntary agreement (S20) 460 380 330 330 430 2 years to under 3 years 920 900 960 1,100 1,100
Other legal status *  *  *  *  *  3 years and over 970 1,300 1,100 1,200 1,000
Average duration (yrs:mths) 2:9 2:10 2:9 2:8 2:7
Duration of final period of care3
Under 1 year 230 190 180 170 250 Age on starting final period of care4
1 year to under 2 years 360 400 390 450 560 Under 1  1,700 1,800 2,000 2,000 2,100
2 year to under 3 years 380 410 490 600 600 1 430 500 440 470 470
3 years and over 1,100 900 810 890 780 2 310 430 380 400 400
3 260 230 280 310 300
                4 and over 350 450 450 580 500
Average age (yrs: mths) 1:6 1:7 1:7 1:8 1:7
1     Children who ceased to be looked after, where "adopted" was given as the reason final episode ceased
Timing of adoption
2     Figures for children looked after in this table exclude agreed series of short term placements Placed within 12 months of best interest decision 2,500 2,700 2,900 3,000 3,000
Placed over 12 months of best interest decision 600 700 690 790 720
3     "Period of care" refers to a continuous period of being looked after, which may include more than one placement 
or legal status
Table A     Children looked after at 31 March by gender and age, 1995-20051,2    
                        
England                     numbers and rate per 10,000 children under 18 years
                       
Age at 31 March 19953 19963 19973 19984 19994 20004 20014 20024 20034 20043 20053
                       
All Children1 49,900 50,800 51,500 53,300 55,500 58,100 58,900 59,700 60,800 61,100 60,900
Rates per 10,000 45 46 46 48 49 52 53 54 55 55 55
                       
Male 26,800 27,600 28,200 29,200 30,200 31,900 32,600 33,200 33,600 33,900 33,700
                       
Under 1 830 890 900 940 1,100 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,300 1,400 1,400
1 - 4 3,600 3,900 4,300 4,600 4,900 5,100 4,900 5,000 4,900 4,700 4,600
5 - 9 5,700 6,000 6,100 6,500 6,800 7,100 7,200 7,300 7,200 7,100 6,700
10 - 15 11,800 12,000 12,200 12,400 12,700 13,500 14,100 14,500 14,800 14,900 14,900
16 and over 4,800 4,800 4,700 4,800 4,700 5,100 5,200 5,200 5,400 5,800 6,100
                       
Female 23,200 23,200 23,300 24,200 25,300 26,200 26,300 26,500 27,200 27,200 27,200
                       
Under 1 770 750 830 870 1,100 1,000 1,100 1,100 1,300 1,200 1,400
1 - 4 3,200 3,400 3,800 4,200 4,400 4,500 4,400 4,300 4,300 4,200 4,100
5 - 9 4,600 4,800 4,900 5,300 5,900 6,200 6,100 6,100 6,000 5,600 5,500
10 - 15 10,000 9,800 9,500 9,600 9,800 10,400 10,600 10,800 11,300 11,600 11,600
16 and over 4,600 4,500 4,300 4,200 4,100 4,000 4,100 4,200 4,200 4,500 4,700
                       
1,600 1,640 1,730 1,810 2,200 2,200 2,300 2,300 2,600 2,600 2,800 175
6,800 7,300 8,100 8,800 9,300 9,600 9,300 9,300 9,200 8,900 8,700 128
10,300 10,800 11,000 11,800 12,700 13,300 13,300 13,400 13,200 12,700 12,200 118
21,800 21,800 21,700 22,000 22,500 23,900 24,700 25,300 26,100 26,500 26,500 122
9,400 9,300 9,000 9,000 8,800 9,100 9,300 9,400 9,600 10,300 10,800 115
200 150 140 140 200 200 200 220 220 210
810 860 890 1,110 1,300 1,900 2,000 2,200 2,200 2,300
690 610 580 660 580 830 1,000 960 1,100 1,100
290 260 220 170 150 130 180 180 210 160
30 30 30 20 10 10 20 10 20 20
5:9 5:6 5:5 4:11 4:4 4:3 4:5 4:4 4:5 4:2
12.5 9.1 8.1 7.7 9.1 8.7 8.7 8.5 8.5 7.5
11.9 11.8 11.0 12.6 14.0 20.4 21.5 23.9 24.7 26.4
6.7 5.6 5.3 5.6 4.6 6.2 7.5 7.3 8.7 9.0
1.3 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.7 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.6
0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2
Table D      Children in care/looked after at 31 March by placement, 1988-1998
England                       numbers
Placement   1988   1989   1990   1991   1992   1993   1994   1995   1996   1997   1998
                         
All Children 1 64,352 62,148 60,532 59,834 55,500 51,600 49,300 49,800 50,600 51,400 53,300
Foster placements 34,926 34,160 34,548 34,766 32,400 31,400 31,300 32,100 33,000 33,500 35,100
In lodgings or
residential
employment 2,081 2,003 1,733 1,719 2,100 2,000 1,500 1,400 1,400 1,200 1,200
In community
homes˛ 12,302 11,014 10,507 9,710 7,700 6,800 6,100 5,900 5,400 5,200 4,900
Voluntary homes
& hostels 1,032 980 943 854 760 700 620 580 490 490 550
Schools and hostels
for children with
special educational
needsł 1,367 1,231 1,174 1,050 870 850 800 920 950 970 970
Placed
for adoption 1,172 1,561 1,583 1,885 2,800 2,500 2,200 2,200 2,200 2,400 2,500
Under charge
& control 8,810 8,797 7,740 7,297 . . . . . . .
Placement
with parents . . . . 6,400 5,100 4,500 4,400 4,700 5,200 5,600
Other
accommodation 2,662 2,402 2,304 2,553 2,420 2,320 2,200 2,400 2,500 2,300 2,600
                         
Table K Children looked after at 31 March 2005 by placement and age1,2              
England                               numbers and percentages
            Age at 31 March 2005
            numbers   percentages
Placement     All Children   Under 1 1 - 4        5 - 9 10 - 15 16 & over   Under 1 1 - 4        5 - 9 10 - 15 16 & over
All Children 1     60,900   2,800 8,700 12,100 26,500 10,800   100 100 100 100 100
                                 
Foster placements      41,700   2,200 5,800 9,300 19,000 5,400   79 67 77 72 49
  Foster placement inside Council boundary                        
        With relative or friend  5,600   140 880 1,600 2,400 650   5 10 13 9 6
        With other foster carer                          
         provided by Council 21,300   1,600 3,400 4,500 9,300 2,600   58 39 37 35 24
         arranged through agency 1,600   60 160 390 800 220   2 2 3 3 2
  Foster placements outside LA boundary                        
        With relative or friend  1,900   50 280 530 760 250   2 3 4 3 2
        With other foster carer                          
               provided by LA      provided by Council 4,800   230 560 940 2,300 760   8 6 8 9 7
               arranged through agency      arranged through agency 6,500   110 550 1,400 3,500 880   4 6 12 13 8
                                 
Placed for adoption   3,100   220 1,700 1,000 190 10   8 19 9 1 0
                                 
Placement with parents   5,700   260 1,100 1,400 2,100 830   10 13 12 8 8
                                 
Other placements in the community 1,400   0 0 0 40 1,300   0 0 0 0 12
  Living independently   1,400   0 0 0 40 1,300   0 0 0 0 12
  Residential employment 10   0 0 0 0 10   0 0 0 0 0
                                 
Secure units, homes and hostels  7,000   10 10 200 4,100 2,600   0 0 2 16 24
  Secure unit inside Council boundary 40   0 0 0 - -   0 0 0 - - 
  Secure unit outside Council boundary 240   0 0 - 180 -   0 0 -  1 -
  Homes and hostels subject to                          
        Children's Homes regulations                        
         inside Council boundary 3,100   - - 100 2,100 910   -  -  1 8 8
         outside Council boundary 2,600   10 10 100 1,800 680   0 0 1 7 6
  Homes and hostels not subject to  1,100   0 0 0 60 1,000   0 0 0 0 9
        Children's Homes regulations                        
                                 
Other residential settings   590   90 50 30 210 220   3 1 0 1 2
  Residential care homes 250   - - 20 160 70   -  -  0 1 1
  NHS Trust providing medical/nursing care  90   10 - - 20 50   0 -  -  0 0
  Family centre or mother and baby unit 150   80 40 - - 20   3 0 - -  0
  Young offenders institution or prison 110   0 0 0 30 80   0 0 0 0 1
                                 
Residential Schools   1,100   0 0 50 740 320   0 0 0 3 3
                                 
Absent from agreed placement 130   0 - - 60 70   0 -  -  0 1
                                 
Other accommodation   130   - - 10 50 60   -  -  0 0 1
                                 
                                 
1.  Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements                
2.  Figures are taken from the SSDA903 return