Facts and statistics about children in care

If you are based in the North West of England and are interested in fostering, you might be wondering about what life is like for children living in this area of the country.

How many children are in the foster care system? What are their prospects like, and how is their wellbeing?

At Beacon Fostering, we seek to ensure that potential foster carers are well-informed of all areas of fostering, so here are some stats about children in care in the north, particularly the North West region.

The North-South Divide

When one researches and compares the care system in the north of the country to the south, they can expect to find significant disparities.

The North West has the second highest rates of children in care, with one in 52 children in Blackpool, for instance, being in the system, compared to one in 256 in Buckinghamshire in the South East.

It is also home to a quarter of children’s care homes in the country. The rate at which children enter care is 93 per 10,000 in the North, with the rest of the nation having a rate of 62 per 10,000.

Care leavers

There is an increase in the number of children in care leaving the system in the North. In Lancashire, 2022, there were 663 care leavers, an increase from 441 in 2018.

The last 5 years have also seen an increase in the number of care leavers who pursue education, employment or training after their 18th birthday, from 43% in 2018 to 48% in 2022.